When I was younger

When I was younger, people in their 20s awed me. They seemed young but not immature like teens my age. And they were not old fashioned like our parents generation. 20s was like the sweet spot where you are youthful AND mature AND hep. I could not wait to foray into it myself and taste a little bit of the fun.

However, 20s turned out to be a rude awakening. Like being jolted awake from the nicest of sleep on the most comfortable pillows. I think the more appropriate metaphor is slowly inching to the top of the roller coaster ride and then, in a fraction of second, just throttling down at high speed, a million thoughts whizzing through your mind, the loudest of them all being-I AM GOING TO DIE!

20s is an anxiety inducing period. You are expected to adult without any glitches but you feel ridiculously ill equipped to deal with the sudden avalanche of responsibilities that come crashing down on you.

You live through crushing anxiety and crippling self doubt. You face your first real heartbreak. You get a glimpse of the looming stresses of managing finances which your parents did so well that you didn’t even notice periods your family was tight. You wonder whether it’s only you facing such issues. But you still hold on to life with the skin of your teeth. Because you are a survivor, humans are survivors. Over time we learn the ropes and we become expert jugglers, juggling our personal, professional, social lives. We still slip sometimes and drop the ball but we are quick to pick up where we left.

So you, in your 20s, going through anxiety and self doubt. You are not alone. We are all swimming the same waters. Don’t give up hope though, In time you will see the glimmer of sand on a far away Island, your own personal island midst all this chaos, which will shield you from most of the storms of life. What do you do till then? You keep faith and just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Just keep swimming swimming.