That moment when you realize your own mortality… oh boy, welcome to adulting! It didn’t happen for me totally until I turned 40. But when it hit, life starts to slap you in the face much harder than you’d think! One minute you’re in school, asking for permission to do everything, and then you’re suddenly thrown out into the real world and expected to have all these responsibilities you didn’t see coming. When I was a child, I spent time wishing for adulthood, and then now that I’m here, I’m wishing to be young again. What a bittersweet realization!!!

When you do get that “uh-oh” moment and realize that you’re now in the grown up world, it can freak you out. It’s intimidating to decide where to live, where to study, what to eat every day (because mom is no longer making the meals!). You need to make so many adult choices that you didn’t even realize were adult choices to begin with! And you’ve spent so long trying to avoid all of these responsibilities that they can be difficult to take it all in when they land on your lap.

Remember as a child, you imagined furnishing your new place your own style? Well, when you grow up, you learn it costs $30 to $50 for a decent sofa cushion, which puts apartment design in the category of “expensive”! Boo!

Bottom line, being an adult is scary. But realizing that it’s here before you know it is worse. If you’re not prepared, you’re going to find it challenging to make your way through life. So, with that in mind, here are some of the reasons that adulting can be scary AF.

1. You’re Paying For Your Things Now!

As a child, you don’t appreciate how much life costs. You’re carefree, because your parents are the ones dealing with all of the grown-up stuff. Now it’s your turn, and it’s not just groceries and utilities you have to factor in after you pay rent. You have to think clearly about paying for life insurance, your retirement, even headstones for cremation ashes if you want to plan your own funeral. You have to pay for the car, your clothes, your kids, if you have any – it all comes up very quickly, and you need to seek advice about getting a great education so that you can afford all of the things you want in life.

2. You’re In Charge Of the Menu

It’s annoying to be waiting to be called for your dinner, only to realize that it’s you that’s supposed to cook it. Ideally, your parents taught you how to cook before you moved out, but if not, you have to take responsibility for your ability to cook nutritious meals. It’s not always hard to learn to cook, but planning what to eat every single day forever?! It can be a drag, and yet here you are! You have to have a meal plan as an adult. If you don’t, your budget suffers. I miss my mom making my meals! Sigh.

3. Interning Slaps You Into Reality

When you’re in college, you get excited to be a part of the real world when you get an internship. And then you realize that this could be your life. 9-5, Monday to Friday… EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. FOREVER. Or not, depending on what you want to do with your life. Internships are unpaid, and yet they give you a real taste of what it’s like to be away from the partying world of college and into the real one. It’s scary, but it does teach you that you have to plan for your future if you want it to be successful.

4. Exhaustion Is Your New Normal

Adult life is not the same as the life of a child. You do homework, play games and sleep when you’re a kid. As an adult, sleep is a tradable commodity in a marriage or parenting and while there isn’t homework, there’s actual work lasting for hours. SIMPLE LOGIC: If you don’t go to work, you don’t get paid, which means your bills aren’t paid either. Exhaustion is the new normal, baby! And the stress and worry of adulthood are two catalysts for that.

5. Real Life Comes Quick!

When you’re young, you are busy thinking about the next shift to bartend so that you can afford your next trip. Once you’re done travelling and you get it out of your system, you then realize that you have to apply for work, set up a pension fund and plan your will. Life insurance now makes sense, and you need to think about what your dreams truly are.

6. You Have To Find Work aka “Source Of Income”

It’s very rare that your parents will let you live off of them for the rest of your life, so you have to get out there and find a hustle. The world is a scary place when you are thrust into a new, pressurized environment with people you don’t know and in a role you’ve never done before. You need to get your foot in the door, and the right opportunities will somehow, find its way to you if you stay patient and persistent enough. It can be petrifying to find your ”calling”. But if you ain’t scared, you ain’t doing it right!

7. You’ve Got Think Of the Future

You can dismiss the future when you don’t have to think about it, but if you are lucky enough, it’s coming no matter what you do. The future is a scary place because it’s unknown. You can’t always plan for everything and ironically, nothing turns out exactly how you imagined it.

It’s nice to be in the limbo part of your life, where you don’t know what’s next and now you have to get out there and figure it out. You have to do so much more by yourself, and that isn’t always easy. However, you can find the right advice and make your future the one that you always wanted to have. Don’t be afraid – it’s coming whether you like it or not. Baby steps while breathing now… one day at a time, one WIN at a time. 🙂