Let’s be real—being in your mid to late 20s is like basically the group project years of life. Everyone’s on different pages, deadlines keep sneaking up, and half the time you’re just hoping someone else knows what’s going on.

You’re not in the carefree “freshman year” of your early 20s anymore, but you’re also not quite at the polished “graduation stage” people promise your 30s will be. Instead, you’re stuck in this awkward in-between stage that feels a little like getting graded on life.

• Finances: Needs Improvement (Amazon & Ulta still get the best of me)
• Career: Incomplete (still figuring out what the assignment even is
• Social Life: Extra Credit Only (if you can actually get everyone’s schedules to align)
• Living Situation: Still a Group Project (not able to venture off on my own thanks to this economy) 
• •Adulting Overall: A solid “C” for still Confused, but showing effort

Welcome to the late-20s club—we have scented candles (Visit Lola Craft Co.), budget spreadsheets, and way too much caffeine sponsored by Nespresso and Dunkin’

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The Struggles Nobody Warned Us About

1. The “I Should Have It Figured Out by Now” Pressure

Every birthday past 25 feels like a countdown clock ticking louder: career, marriage, kids, house, 401k (whatever that actually is), etc.

Social media doesn’t help either… your feed is split between engagement announcements and friends taking shots at a club at 2am. 

Where do you fit? Well, I’m still trying to figure that out but spoiler alert ‼️ There is no single timeline.

2. Math Isn’t Mathing

How do you make a salary, pay bills, save, invest, and still buy overpriced lattes? How are we supposed to move out in an economy where the rule of thumb is for your rent to be less than 30% of your income, but the rent prices are so astronomical and end up being 60% of your income? The math is suspicious and makes no sense. The real gag? Half the time, you’re just pretending to know what “Roth IRA” stands for (me too).

3. The Friendship Evolution

Remember when you and your friends could hang out until 3 AM on a Tuesday? Yup, me too. Now, planning a group dinner feels like scheduling a work meeting with a high profile Celebrity. Everyone has jobs, partners or babies that limit their time. 

4. Your Body Betrays You

You wake up sore…from just sleeping “wrong.” Now, you need two business days to recover from one night out. Your metabolism is like, “girl, one look at that cookie and we gain 5 pounds”

But Here’s the Thing…

Yes, your late 20s are confusing. But they’re also empowering. Sure, you’re closer to 30, BUT that also means you’re wiser, sharper, hotter, and more confident in what you don’t want. You’re learning that boundaries are self-care, therapy is not a luxury, and that growth often feels uncomfortable before it feels good.

This is the time where you STOP living for the “shoulds” and start carving your own lane. Some days it’s messy, some days it’s magic; but it’s all yours.

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A Little Motivation for Later

    • You don’t need to have it all figured out by 30. You just need to keep showing up. 

    • Growth looks different for everyone…sometimes it’s promotions and degrees, sometimes it’s learning to say “no” without apologizing. Both are great and demonstrate huge progress!

    • And let’s be honest: 30 is not the end of youth! It’s actually just the beginning of your seasoned main character era ✨

So if you’re stressing about where you are right now, take a deep breath. As the great Mel Robbins would say, “You’re not behind. You’re not lost.”You’re just figuring it out like the rest of us…one iced coffee, existential crisis, and group chat vent session at a time.

So, who let us adult? No idea. But since we’re here, let’s laugh about it, grow through it, and keep reminding ourselves: being closer to 30 is not scary…it’s POWERFUL 🤩

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A friend of mine recently sent me this video since we both don’t know where the hell to go, what the hell to do, or how the hell to navigate this thing called life. It’s definitely worth the watch!

Let me know your thoughts! 💭

Bye for now,
Lauryn 👑