Back in high school, we experienced a longing for freedom. We wanted to be grown-ups in university, going to college parties, and enjoying sweet independence from our strict parents. In college, we finally got a taste of that freedom. We got to meet new people, engage in new relationships, and try new things beyond our boundaries. During senior year, though, there is the eventual dread of the end of our university life, which means adulthood is near.
Contrary to popular belief (of young ones), “adulting” is hard. As we grow up, we are gradually exposed to its difficulties through movies and in our friends and family. This is when responsibilities start to pile up. Daily food expenses, electricity bills, insurance — these factors often burden our sweet, sweet “adulting” life. These factors will veer us away from enjoying an important life stage that is adulthood.
No matter how strong your Peter Pan Syndrome is, adulthood is difficult, yet it is necessary for one’s life.
There are major transitions or milestones in one’s life. Millennials, and probably some Gen Z kids, may already be preparing for their turn at the dreaded transitory stage. How should we prepare for these life transitions? What do we have to prepare for in reaching adulthood?
Major Life Transitions and How to Manage
We will all go through several milestones in life, but there are major common milestones for all of us. Thankfully, the Internet is the perfect support group for just-blooming adults. There are many available resources to choose from to make your transitory stage much easier and palatable. We mustn’t add any unnecessary stress to our already stressful “adulting” life. So what are these inevitable major life transitions?
Graduating
Graduating from university is a major milestone. If you are not planning on taking up post-graduate studies, your university graduation is your final goodbye to your academic life. After years of exams, papers, and long nights at cafes pretending to study, your painful college life is finally over. Of course, we all root for life-long learning and all the life-means-continuous-learning ideals, but in terms of formal education, you are done! It is an exciting day for all of you.
Despite the excitement, though, this could be a sad day for some of you. Uncertainty of the future starts to creep in. You may begin to feel separation anxiety from your college friends and the campus you all love. If you start noticing signs of depression and anxiety, don’t hesitate to reach out to friends and family. You may even decide to contact a counselor if symptoms aggravate.
Empty Nest
The next milestone is leaving home. Like most newly-hired college graduates, leaving home is often the next step after graduation. This may also be an incredibly emotional, but most importantly financially stressful, event for most of you.
This is the right time to prioritize adjusting your budget. Whether you live with a partner, your friends, or alone, it is important to set aside a strict budget to avoid overspending, leaving you crawling back the nest.
Moving out can be such a big hassle. You deal with finances, your emotions, as well as your actual physical baggage. Get your friends and family to help you out in choosing which items stay or go. Once you are ready to move out, ease up the burden, and get a home movers service to assist you in making this transitory stage easier.
Financial Independence
By now, you should have your monthly steady income to support your daily needs. Avoid going over your budget and be strict with your expenses so that you won’t have to touch your savings.
Becoming financially independent is a difficult process. There may be months wherein you will have to borrow from your parents (but this should be avoided). Don’t feel guilty, though. As long as you continuously find new ways and strategies to manage your finances, you will remain on the right track.
This is the time when you can start considering insurance, depending on your monthly budget. It can be the key to finally reaching financial independence.
In life, going through major milestones is inevitable. It is simply a fact of life. These milestones often affect our emotional well-being as well as our financial status. Nevertheless, reaching adulthood is an exciting transitory period wherein we should take our time to enjoy the process. After all, life is all about the journey. Pause and reflect as the flow of life passes through.