While “adulting” might sound like a made-up word that millennials throw around on the internet when tasked with annoying, mundane or challenging responsibilities, it is actually a word in the dictionary. According to Cambridge Dictionary, adulting can simply be defined as “actions and behaviors that are considered typical of adults, not children or young people.”

This might be the perpetual need to clean the kitchen, washing your car every week because it’s frustrating to see it covered in dirt, doing taxes, grocery shopping and actually eating food at home, and doing that endless pile of laundry. Adulting can be painful, strange, frustrating and exciting all at once. Accomplishing something like purchasing your first home? Amazing! Having to repair issues in the home that you weren’t at all prepared for? Not so much fun. 

To learn more about how to live, laugh and adult in these current conditions, we reached out to Rachel Ritlop, creator of The Confused Millennial and founder of the 31 Day Adulting Challenge. Rachel was kind enough to share her thoughts with Bored Panda, as well as how she likes to define adulting.

"Adulting is basically handling all the mundane responsibilities we took for granted as kids," she explained. "The things that were just magically done and we never thought about; but now make us go 'ugh' at the thought of."

We were also curious about what Rachel considers to be the best and worst aspects of adulting. "I think the best part [is] that it forces us into the present moment and simpler times; which is no easy feat with the constant attention grab technology, particularly social media, present today," she explained. "Funny enough, the thing that makes us go 'ugh' is the thing that's probably protecting our nervous system!"

"The worst parts of adulting, in my opinion, are the less common, but necessary, tasks like taxes or doctors appointments that we have to remember to stay on top of because they aren't part of our regular routine," Rachel added.

As far as whether adulting has become easier or harder, Rachel says there are tradeoffs for adulting today compared to previous generations. "We have automated so much more, which is a time saver, but also we've lost some basic skills, which means some things take longer," she shared.

"I think the hardest thing about adulting today compared to previous generations is the information overload about how many ways there are to do a task that getting started with the actual tasks feels more overwhelming/hard," Rachel explained. "Whereas in the past, you just did your task or used a tip from a neighbor to improve what you were already doing."

Rachel also shared some wise words for anyone on their own adulting journey. "We have a saying in our house: do everything with presence and excellence. And we apply it to a lot of the mundane tasks we want to rush through to get to the next thing," she told Bored Panda. "This forces us to slow down, be present with what we're doing, and take pride in it. It may sound simple, but that ultimately becomes the building blocks to a calmer nervous system, less anxiety, and more self confidence in your ability to tackle bigger things."

If you'd like to hear more from Rachel about adulting, be sure to visit The Confused Millennial or check out her 31 Day Adulting Challenge!

We also were lucky enough to get in touch with Lauren Keen Aumond, founder of House Money Media and host of the podcast Adulting is Easy. Lauren was also happy to shine some light on adulting and share her definition of the word with Bored Panda: “completing mundane tasks unexpected of children.”

As far as the best part of adulting go, Lauren says she appreciates being in control of her finances, how she spends her days and what she chooses to eat!

According to Lauren, being a grown-up doesn’t have to be incredibly hard. “At Adulting Is Easy, we believe you make adulting easier when you make money easier,” the expert shared. “If you don't have to worry about how to pay your rent or mortgage or where your next meal is coming from, adulting can be easy.”

As difficult as adulting may be, Lauren believes we actually live in a pretty great time. “This generation has cell phones, the internet, and so many more modern conveniences than generations past that adulting is easier now, in our opinion,” she explained. “We don't have to churn our own butter, make our own bread, and start a fire to toast it. We buy the bread and butter from the store, then pop it in the toaster, for example.”

If you’re having a difficult time getting a handle on adulting, Lauren recommends tackling only one new hard thing at a time. “Don't try to learn how to pay your bills, change a tire, sew on a button, cook, clean, and save for retirement all at once,” she noted. “Give yourself some grace. It takes time to learn how to be an adult.”

“You can make adulting so much easier if you set your financial foundation as soon as possible, ideally in your 20s. But it's not too late to start from wherever you are,” Lauren told Bored Panda.

If you’d like to hear more tips about how to manage adulting and get a hold of your finances as soon as possible, be sure to check out House Money Media and the Adulting is Easy podcast! 

Are these posts making you feel like more of a grown-up, knowing that we’re all experiencing the same struggles, pandas? Keep upvoting the pics that hit home for you, and feel free to share your thoughts on the wild world of adulting in the comments below. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article discussing what it’s like to be an adult, we recommend reading this one next!