Once you were dreaming of becoming an astronaut, visiting the furthest places, climbing the highest mountains, finding the biggest love, and then it was all gone one day.
Adulthood happened. It knocked on the door, handed you responsibilities you were not ready for and said that everything’s on your shoulders now. So now, most of my fellow dear millennials are juggling between things like the pandemic that made the world feel like an apocalyptic movie you didn’t sign up for, student loans, unaffordable rent, crazy expensive mochas your body nevertheless needs no-questions-asked, barely fine Tinder dates, sleepless Netflix binges, stressful jobs or the even more stressful absence of one, and lots other things nobody prepared us for.
So, dear adults, even though we can’t just get back to our childhood which equals devouring Harry Potter books and carelessly sleeping under the stairs, we can laugh at the absurdity we’re in right now. Scroll down through the best tweets that sum up adult life below and prepare to laugh and cry, and then laugh. Who cares, they already think of millennials as not very stable ones.
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Navigating through adulthood is the job of a lifetime. I have been an adult for more than a decade, and I am still learning to be one. I suspect I am not the only one. So I spoke with Francis Merson, the clinical psychologist awarded the Australian Psychology Society Prize in 2015, who was happy to share some very interesting and useful insights about it.
“People can often get stuck in patterns of behavior during childhood which persist into adulthood and prevent them developing true autonomy,” Francis said and added that there are many ways in which this can happen. “People who have been traumatized can internalize a victim identity, which makes it scary for them to act independently as adults. People who are emotionally neglected can also revert to child-like modes, where they rely excessively on partners and friends to help them deal with the world and their own emotions.”
It can also happen to people who are overindulged since they “might grow up with the expectation that others should sort out their lives for them,” Francis added.
Even though it might be easy to judge people who just can’t seem to adult properly, Francis argues that it’s important to be compassionate and remember that these people didn’t choose the early experiences that underpin their difficulties today.
More importantly, Francis argues that there’s no such thing as the perfect adult—“someone who is unfailingly responsible, rational and emotionally balanced. We all have moments when we act like kids: we get mad over trivial stuff; we panic needlessly; we sulk when we’re criticized.” Having said that, the clinical psychologist warned that “if these behaviors are the rule, rather than the exception, then it’s possible there are some roadblocks on the way to adulthood.”
It's mostly bills now... When I was younger I used to have penpals from around the world!
I don't have a favorite one, I have a taboo one. I never use the top left burner and I can't even figure out why.
I don't go near the top left. I might as well get the gas disconnected from it.
Load More Replies...I'm a back right burner gal. Rarely cook on the front burners because (a) I had kids and it became a habit, and (b) now I have a granddaughter who lives with me.
Finally a person with some sense - back right, it is! Front right would be quicker hot, however, it is smaller than the one in the back and it is too close to curious paws. The ones on the left? I think I have used back left exactly one single time so far, wenn I for some strange reason really had to heat three pots at the same time...
Load More Replies...And when you use one of the other burners, there's that moment just before turning it on when you wonder if it still works.
Bottom left for me, my brother, my son, my nephew. Bottom right for mom. We talk about it in my house because we're all incredibly boring people, I guess 😂😂😂
Yes! Finally someone else from the top team! Though for me it's the right one. At least the pots and pans are out of the way. Not that I've given it much thought. Nope. I do have a life.
Load More Replies...My cooker has different sizes so I don't have fav one. Depends what I'm cooking
In most gas stoves the bottom right is bigger than the other so it heats faster
Yes... I have 4 hot plates. 1 of them is never turned on. It is a frigid hot plate.
Mine depends on the day, and what is being cooked. Saturday and Sunday morning, left front for breakfast. Any other time or meal, right front.
Electric stove. Different plates for different saucepans/frying pans.
Whichever one gives off the most heat, and has the best control over it!
I think way back following on from Aga's each ring did have a different heat rating (in the UK )
We have only two right now and they are actually different. It is an induction stove and the left one is hotter. You literally cannot adjust the temperature on the right to the same temperature as on the left. The left is faster too. I use the left one to boil potatoes, cook spaghetti etc and the right one for meat, eggs and the like
wait until you find out the burners are actually different and for different purposes
Nope definitely bottom right. Is that to do with being right handed I wonder?
I guess that's because most people are right handed and don't want to reach that far?
I HATE my stove! The only burner that's both large enough to accommodate most skillets and heats to a normal temperature is also the least convenient burner on the damned thing...
All my right handers... can I get an AmEN in here!?!? (Sorry, y'all... I'm binging ru Paul's drag race for the first time)
The hobs all have different sizes, thus I always have to use the best fitting one according to pot or pan size. Large pots and the frying pan - back right; smaller pots or the little pan - front right. Left side is used for chopping etc.
Load More Replies...mine changes depending on what im making. if something has to sit, it goes in the back. if it has to get stirred sometimes, it goes on the back right, if it just sits, it goes on the back left. if i have to stir it a lot, bottom right. if i have to boil something or something like that, bottom left. idk y. but my fave is bottom right
Woooow, that's the one I hate the most! But in Europe the ones close to you are the small basta&ds, they never heat anything..
Is there a left handed/right handed preference thing? I'm part of Team bottom left because I'm right handed and grab the handle that way.
I'd say it has more to do with the layout of your kitchen, and the size of the burners.
Load More Replies...I'm actually pretty fond of both, but I prefer the bottom right, for sure
It's not about being a favourite, it's just that we are creatures of habit. We subconsciously do things the same way as much as we can because it's simpler to get on with instead of consciously making choices.
Right rear, “power burner” but farther under the hood vent for searing/blackening.
I've only just turned 18 and I've had a favourite stove top for 3 years now
The size clearly matters --- often 1x large 2x medium 1x small, so only if "medium" works best you have ANY choice; otherwise it's not a favourite but a least-worst burner.
No left bottom always the left bottom listen to me I'm extremely an adult!
“And, of course, no one turns 18 and suddenly finds themselves fully rational, responsible and ready to smash all their life goals. The knowledge and skills involved in adulthood are accrued across the lifespan, gradually allowing you to become a more effective actor in the world, able to pursue your own interests while balancing them against the interests of others,” Francis said and added that essentially, we are all works in progress: becoming an adult is a lifelong pursuit. Meanwhile, “Immaturity happens when people are not progressing, when they are stuck in behaviors that aren’t helpful for them at their stage of life.”
There are many aspects of the transition into adulthood. Francis elaborated: “it means learning to act rationally, rather than just react emotionally. Adults also seek relationships of equality and reciprocity, rather than just someone to look after them. Adults are in touch with their values, and are proactive in reaching their goals. And adults are realistic, particularly about who they are. This requires gaining insight into one’s own motivations, behavior, emotional triggers, strengths and weaknesses.”
Francis also noted that “it’s important to emphasize that the idea of independence in adulthood does not mean you don’t rely on others.” He explained that we are social animals, and we need each other to survive and flourish. “The independence of adulthood is more like the independence of a nation, which interacts with other nations on an equal footing, makes independent decisions and is responsible for its internal affairs.”
For those who think that adulthood is a lot of work, Francis says that it’s worth it. “What you get in return is the power to flourish on your own terms. By acting as a child in an adult world, it’s much harder to build a life you can be proud of,” the clinical psychologist concluded.
Take your pillow when you visit friends. They will not be insulted. They will understand
ya'll know im gonna hit up that lego section in walmart ^.^
I kind of lie there with one eye open - very dangerous if you’ve already turned off your alarm
If you're a musician, that's typically the best available career move, yes.
I love my mid afternoon naps. As a kid I found them boring, but as an adult I like to lay down for a half hour or so and snooze.
You actually subscribed? I always thought it just drops on your head like a brick
Without the drawer, they're in a pile. Without the pile, they're around the house. But they are NEVER in the trash because I need each one of the 18 chargers that work with nothing in my house. I just do.
Using a good pen has always brought me joy. Maybe I'm weird but I love stationary.
Well, I'm not an adult yet and I've read BP for long enough to realize that most adults in authority are kind of frauds haha. I have mastered the ability to guess what your childhood was like based on your behavior as an authoritative figure, ooooo *intense music as I open my third eye*
I truly am frightened on these multi lane hiways just stay to the right we gotta turn off somewhere!
You are in good company, ZAPanda. Would you like a hot chocolate?
Load More Replies...You know you are old when you can look back to when you were 50 and reminisce about when you were young.
Yeah, being an adult is damn hard, but I certainly do not miss my teen years.
Me neither but I miss my teenage body. Would love to trade it for that shipwreck of a body I have nowadays. 😅
Load More Replies...At age 46: unemployed and on Disability (sleep and PTSD, thanks to so-called healthcare and prior employers). Poverty. Alone most of the time. Hate where I live. Hate my house. Screwed up family. No friends local. Girlfriend is on the other end of the continent. This is not the life I was propagandized into believing was waiting for me as an adult. Hard work doesn’t accomplish shite without being born into a LOT of privilege. On top of all this adulthood disappointment is my ongoing realization (starting in my teens) that most adults are actually just idiot children in bigger bodies and professionalism is a goddamned joke. These are not the lies I was promised.
Seems to be a lot of people commenting on being adults in their 30's. Wait until you hit 50!
Wait until you hit your 40's. There should be classes or books available like those "Your changing body" ones for preteens.
In the UK there's a series of books for small children called 'That's not my dog/bear/cat' etc. There should be something for the middle-aged: 'That's not my face/hair/backside/husband'.
Load More Replies...And how excited you are when the new spatula looks great AND is easy to clean.
I had this awesome spatula years ago. It had a turner on one side and a scraper on the other. It melted one day and I went to go find another one and THEY STOPPED MAKING THEM! Why is it so hard to find the things that you have that wear out with the exact same one. Stupid fast fashion.
Load More Replies...When you hit 40 and you get more spam email and snail mail from AARP and burial planning insurance. Like they are saying hurry TF up and die.
My BIL was getting AARP mailers in his twenties. Who knows how it works?
Load More Replies...I’m in math class right now and my friends and i literally broke down with laughter looking at this while we were supposed to be doing work.
Sure, laugh at our pain now. When you're older one good laugh and you've dislocated a rib
Load More Replies...I’m not even an adult but I relate to almost all of these
Me as a kid: I can't wait to grow up. Me as a grown up to my kid's: wait till you all grow up and then you'll know why I'm the way I am.
I know it's easier said than done, but try to enjoy the present. If you spend your whole life trying to be older, you'll reach the end of your life never having enjoyed anything and there's no going back to the past.
Load More Replies...I'm 41 turning 42 and not only did I not have chance to come to terms with turning 40 (was in the middle of pandemic and didn't even get post at that point) but I nearly crashed the car when I was referred to as 'middle aged' by a younger relative 😳😲😫😢 At 18 I thought middle aged was 50-60!!
Yeah I was referred to as middle aged at 35. Was like…WTF? That’s about middle age so I am tobogganing down the other side of that slope😭
Load More Replies...The way the bast**ds keep changing the rules: you eventually learn how to make xyz work, the tricks and traps when it is replaced by uvw. You eventually find a reliable place to park and they bulldoze the area. You do the calculations for solar hot water during an El Nino year, then after installation it becomes a La Nina so water is never hot. You learn how to prune your apple tree and it dies. Get the fences in top notch order and the apple tree falls down and smashes it all. Work out to how to watch the tennis and the channels all change. Get the kids all used to a Thursday night get-together and they all install WhatsApp. Get all the kids moved out at the same time, redecorate the place and they want me in a retirement village.
If you think being an adult is bad, then you're going to hate being old. The one thing I was never prepared for is how completely and totally fücking irrelevant I am.
Adulting is feeling extra tired and thinking its just life stree till your doctors says no you have this and this defiency and recommends 2 new supplements to add to your life.
Anybody else notice that Bored Panda and Buzzfeed have begun posting the EXACT same articles as each other. Sometimes BP articles appear before appearing on BF within a couple of days and vice versa. Don't get me wrong, I use both sites to idly kill time but it is a little annoying.
I know many people have a hate for the use of "adulting" but I think it's perfect.
at least when you're an adult you dont need permission to buy that video game with the 18+ rating
At 80 y.o. I look back at my younger self, and can truly say I enjoyed my life as an adult. It did help, not being married, so I had only myself to care about. Enjoyed travelling when it was still affordable, and now enjoying my retirement years. I can't believe that this old body still has a mind of 40, folk in my retirement village are so OLD and boring, can't have a good conversation, oh well, I'll watch YouTube, nothing worthwhile on TV.
When I was 15 - 25 years old, I LOVED getting phone calls! Friends! Family! Parties! Good news! Now all the calls are robo calls, scams, people asking for money, people I don’t even like. And it’s my phone! I used to have to wait to use the family phone. Now I have one on me 24/7 and it’s not even worth picking up the call. And I get to pay for this, too!
From about 12 yrs old to 20 yrs old, I LOVED getting phone calls. Friends! Family! Parties! Fun! Now the calls are selling me something, some scam being tried or people I don't want to talk to. And it's MY PHONE! I don't even have to wait to use it or pay extra . . . but I'm really starting to hate it.
You are in good company, ZAPanda. Would you like a hot chocolate?
Load More Replies...You know you are old when you can look back to when you were 50 and reminisce about when you were young.
Yeah, being an adult is damn hard, but I certainly do not miss my teen years.
Me neither but I miss my teenage body. Would love to trade it for that shipwreck of a body I have nowadays. 😅
Load More Replies...At age 46: unemployed and on Disability (sleep and PTSD, thanks to so-called healthcare and prior employers). Poverty. Alone most of the time. Hate where I live. Hate my house. Screwed up family. No friends local. Girlfriend is on the other end of the continent. This is not the life I was propagandized into believing was waiting for me as an adult. Hard work doesn’t accomplish shite without being born into a LOT of privilege. On top of all this adulthood disappointment is my ongoing realization (starting in my teens) that most adults are actually just idiot children in bigger bodies and professionalism is a goddamned joke. These are not the lies I was promised.
Seems to be a lot of people commenting on being adults in their 30's. Wait until you hit 50!
Wait until you hit your 40's. There should be classes or books available like those "Your changing body" ones for preteens.
In the UK there's a series of books for small children called 'That's not my dog/bear/cat' etc. There should be something for the middle-aged: 'That's not my face/hair/backside/husband'.
Load More Replies...And how excited you are when the new spatula looks great AND is easy to clean.
I had this awesome spatula years ago. It had a turner on one side and a scraper on the other. It melted one day and I went to go find another one and THEY STOPPED MAKING THEM! Why is it so hard to find the things that you have that wear out with the exact same one. Stupid fast fashion.
Load More Replies...When you hit 40 and you get more spam email and snail mail from AARP and burial planning insurance. Like they are saying hurry TF up and die.
My BIL was getting AARP mailers in his twenties. Who knows how it works?
Load More Replies...I’m in math class right now and my friends and i literally broke down with laughter looking at this while we were supposed to be doing work.
Sure, laugh at our pain now. When you're older one good laugh and you've dislocated a rib
Load More Replies...I’m not even an adult but I relate to almost all of these
Me as a kid: I can't wait to grow up. Me as a grown up to my kid's: wait till you all grow up and then you'll know why I'm the way I am.
I know it's easier said than done, but try to enjoy the present. If you spend your whole life trying to be older, you'll reach the end of your life never having enjoyed anything and there's no going back to the past.
Load More Replies...I'm 41 turning 42 and not only did I not have chance to come to terms with turning 40 (was in the middle of pandemic and didn't even get post at that point) but I nearly crashed the car when I was referred to as 'middle aged' by a younger relative 😳😲😫😢 At 18 I thought middle aged was 50-60!!
Yeah I was referred to as middle aged at 35. Was like…WTF? That’s about middle age so I am tobogganing down the other side of that slope😭
Load More Replies...The way the bast**ds keep changing the rules: you eventually learn how to make xyz work, the tricks and traps when it is replaced by uvw. You eventually find a reliable place to park and they bulldoze the area. You do the calculations for solar hot water during an El Nino year, then after installation it becomes a La Nina so water is never hot. You learn how to prune your apple tree and it dies. Get the fences in top notch order and the apple tree falls down and smashes it all. Work out to how to watch the tennis and the channels all change. Get the kids all used to a Thursday night get-together and they all install WhatsApp. Get all the kids moved out at the same time, redecorate the place and they want me in a retirement village.
If you think being an adult is bad, then you're going to hate being old. The one thing I was never prepared for is how completely and totally fücking irrelevant I am.
Adulting is feeling extra tired and thinking its just life stree till your doctors says no you have this and this defiency and recommends 2 new supplements to add to your life.
Anybody else notice that Bored Panda and Buzzfeed have begun posting the EXACT same articles as each other. Sometimes BP articles appear before appearing on BF within a couple of days and vice versa. Don't get me wrong, I use both sites to idly kill time but it is a little annoying.
I know many people have a hate for the use of "adulting" but I think it's perfect.
at least when you're an adult you dont need permission to buy that video game with the 18+ rating
At 80 y.o. I look back at my younger self, and can truly say I enjoyed my life as an adult. It did help, not being married, so I had only myself to care about. Enjoyed travelling when it was still affordable, and now enjoying my retirement years. I can't believe that this old body still has a mind of 40, folk in my retirement village are so OLD and boring, can't have a good conversation, oh well, I'll watch YouTube, nothing worthwhile on TV.
When I was 15 - 25 years old, I LOVED getting phone calls! Friends! Family! Parties! Good news! Now all the calls are robo calls, scams, people asking for money, people I don’t even like. And it’s my phone! I used to have to wait to use the family phone. Now I have one on me 24/7 and it’s not even worth picking up the call. And I get to pay for this, too!
From about 12 yrs old to 20 yrs old, I LOVED getting phone calls. Friends! Family! Parties! Fun! Now the calls are selling me something, some scam being tried or people I don't want to talk to. And it's MY PHONE! I don't even have to wait to use it or pay extra . . . but I'm really starting to hate it.