#quarter life crisis

[femmefatalevibe]

25 Life Lessons I've Learned In 25 Years

In honor of turning 25 this month, here are some lessons I wish someone could've baked into my brain by 18. Hope this helps xx

Putting yourself first is not selfish, it is an act of self-care. Actively discounting others is not the same as protecting your peace.

Pay attention to who gossips and keeps to themselves amidst an interpersonal conflict. Insecure people or those in the wrong will speak the loudest and go on the longest in a fight to prove their innocence. Individuals who are self-assured and comfortable with the truth know it's better to communicate their feelings appropriately and then move past it. Confidence is assertive, tactful, and relatively silent.

If you want to know who to believe in an argument, pay attention to how both sides speak about the conflict. The perpetrator will often speak about the individuals' character/morality while the victim will explain their personal experience in the context of the relevant situation.

Display empathy and consideration, but don't live to satisfy others' emotional needs and expectations. Say farewell to anyone who dismisses or guilts you for your own needs, emotions, priorities/life goals & aspirations.

Your needs matter. No one needs to approve or validate your desires. If someone feels they have control over you or tries to persuade you to change your mind to ensure you put their emotions and needs first, cut them out of your life. They do not care about you.

Almost no one deserves insider access into your life and mind. Upholding your right to privacy – especially regarding your finances, dating life, health conditions/concerns, and long-term goals – is the simplest way to protect your peace.

A friend to all is a friend to none. Be wary of those who will not stand up for you behind closed doors. These people do not care about you, they care about what your place in their life does for them and their ego.

Be radically honest and accepting of who you are. Don't apologize for your preferences, aspirations, and values. You deserve to live in a way that makes you happy, not to appease others in hopes of their approval or future favors due to your karmic good deeds.

You deserve happiness, love, and nice things, life experiences, relationships, and opportunities in your life regardless of what others may or may not possess/ be able to experience. Dispel this scarcity mindset ASAP. Jealousy and internalized shame are destructive to your self-esteem and all your relationships.

You are worthy and offer many incredible, unique gifts to the world. Don't allow naysayers, critics, or bullies (of any age) to dim your light or sacrifice pursuing your dreams. Decide you're the leader of your own life. Then act accordingly.

Direct communication is always the way. Remain tactful, but at least when dealing with non-manipulative people, always say what you mean and mean what you say. It will save a lot of trouble and petty disagreements that could've been avoided with clearer communication.

You don't owe anyone an explanation for your feelings, emotions, and actions that don't have a direct, inescapable impact on someone else. "No" is a complete sentence.

Approach conversations as a meeting of the minds. Healthy debate or conflict is about seeking to understand the other person, not prove yourself right. Leaving your ego at the door will allow you to expand your mind and avoid many unnecessary conflicts or arguments.

If it's not a hell yes, it's a no. For a job, date, sex, attendance at a time-sucking social event, family gatherings, an informal meeting not essential for you to keep your job, a wedding, birthday party, holiday invitation, etc. Outside of your contracted hours and time necessary to keep yourself/your home clean & well-maintained, you should spend your time exactly as you please. Doing things you don't want to do will only breed resentment down the line toward yourself and others.

Detangle yourself from any who refuses to self-reflect and take accountability. This person is selfish and will never see you as fully human with emotions, needs, and a complete life/internal world of your own. Cut them out (or at least fully emotionally detach and limit contact with them) immediately.

Speak your truth, but always say a little less than you feel necessary. Overexplaning and oversharing do you no favors. At a minimum, this approach allows you to protect your peace. In the worst circumstances, this tactic can also save you from a lot of trouble in your personal or professional life.

Learn to ask for a little more than you're comfortable with, but do so with grace, tact, and confidence. Whether it's a salary/rate negotiation, flight/hotel/restaurant accommodations, get in the habit of making that slightly higher/up-leveled request like you're expecting a "yes." You can't get something you don't ask for, so speak up and show you know your worth. This habit can bring a lot of great opportunity into your life and builds up your confidence.

Everyone is on their own timeline and path. Don't compare yourself to others' credentials, job titles, relationship status, net worths, or jean sizes. Comparison is truly the thief of joy. Remaining envious of others only takes up the energy that could otherwise be used to elevate or enrich your life.

Become clear on your priorities, and remain diligent with your habits & routines. Set SMART goals. Implement healthy habits and rituals into your daily lifestyle. Be consistent with goal-supporting and wellness rituals (generous sleep schedule, healthful eating habits, daily movement/regular exercise, reading, task time-blocking, cleaning, and life/work admin schedule), so they become second nature. Help yourself by creating these default habits to ensure your brain is wired for success whether you're in an easygoing era or a stressful life season.

Stop seeing other people (especially other women) as your competition in your profession/dating life and within your platonic relationships. Use your immediate criticisms as a tool for self-reflection. Actively deconstruct the patriarchy in every aspect of your life. Other women coworkers, dating prospects, and friends are not your rivals nor individuals who should be evaluated based on their assertiveness, sexual history/appeal, relationship status, or desire to perform traditional maternal/domestic roles.

Understanding how to interact with others in a cordial, tactful manner is significantly more important than having everyone like you. Learn how to positively influence people without seeking approval. What other people think of us is none of our business. All we can do is show up as the best version of ourselves, and remain optimistic about a potential connection.

Acceptance, accountability, and consistent discipline are the holy trinity to creating a sustainable change that you can maintain for the long haul. There's no shame in starting from the bottom, but you need to be honest about where you're at, so you can create a realistic game plan/small behavior-changing habits that stack up over time to help you implement the radical change you're craving.

Let go of any internalized shame. Being the "good girl" does you no favors in life. Set a standard and expectation to be respected, not to be perceived as "innocent" or submissive – this is how you get taken advantage of in professional, platonic, and intimate relationships. Remain ravenous for respect. It's the only way to live life to the fullest.

24. Investing in your appearance is a form of self-respect. Wanting to look & feel your best and present yourself in the best light possible to others is not a superficial pursuit. Remain unwavering about your hygiene/beauty/grooming routines, deliberate styling choices, healthy eating & workout habits, and mindfulness of social graces. You're your #1 publicist, so act like it. Life is all about embracing satisfaction with a sprinkle of reputation management.

25. Be unapologetic about your financial ambitions, priorities, investments, savings goals, etc. Financial freedom IS freedom. The only way to change the system is to break it from the inside out. Leverage is everything. Allocate, and assert your (financial) power wisely.

[thepeacefulgarden]

[vasilihound]

[eowyndy]

It’s Father’s Day, so please enjoy one of my favorite Taylor Tomlinson bits.

[iamfarfromvibingrightnow]

when an album gets to the song thats name is just a 2 digit number you know shits about to get real

[bookbender]

Ah, yes. The age-old dilemma of fixating intensely on fictional queer relationships while being completely detatched from romance in the realm of reality to the point where all your knowledge is based on fanfiction tropes and you can no longer tell if you are even able to experience romantic attraction

So anyways, ZOSAN BRAINROT ZOSAN BRAINROT ZOSAN BRAINROT ZOSAN BRAINROT ZOS–

[paniniqueen]

Just a tired old cliche…

I’m 23 years old and just waking up to the fact that I will never achieve what I thought I would. The person I am now is so vastly different from that smart and talented 16 year old with so much potential.

tumblr user @raenprabhaker // tumblr user @ritikajyala //Alias, Regret // Taylor Swift, “this is me trying” // Comment by Pinterest user Inatoli // Taylor Bickett, “Quarter Life Crisis” // Taylor Swift, “right where you left me” // my notes app diary // tumblr user @jb-blunk // Alias, Regret // Taylor Bickett, “Quarter Life Crisis” // tumblr user @ritikajyala

[milafm2002]

Heartstopper Appreciation Post No. 8

[cyberclouddream]

[717words]

quarter life crisis

[heymacy]

Arabella Latham aka BABY QUEEN ╰┈➤ "For people that are part of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s so important for us to be around each other. People who are open about their sexuality are so brave. I used to be so scared of it. I wasn’t there yet. It’s a journey that people have been able to go on with me." (x)

[thecheramore]

I'm turning 23~

And I'm kinda wondering what the hell I'm supposed to be by now 🤷🏻‍♂️

Today is my birthday! I'm 23 now. And, frankly, I'm confused. No, don't get me wrong, I love birthdays very much and today I had many small and big reasons for joy. I'm happy that I'm holding on, remaining myself and every year I become stronger, more experienced and overally better. Despite the difficulties and all the trash happening in the world. But it seems like I've got a quarter-life crisis. Five years have flown by so fast: it seems like only yesterday I celebrated my 18th birthday!

Now I'm trying to find my place in life. To accept myself as I am. Not perfect 🫶🏻

So the song was not chosen by accident. It perfectly describes my state of mind right now. It's cool that I came across it :)

Every September 20th feels special to me. This time I enter my new age with excitement and hope. Happy My Day to me 🥳🎉

Thanks to everyone who's by my side! Much love and hugs to you ❤️

[thepeacefulgarden]

[moonlightsapphic]

I made this sideblog in 2021, during a time I felt alone in my experiences as a deshi muslim bisexual neurodivergent twenty-something international university student in the US with an interreligious, long-distance bi4bi sapphic relationship. (Phew, now isn’t that a laundry list of minoritised identities?! If I were a character in a movie, they’d not only say I was there only for token representation, but also that I was entirely mythical in my intersectional existance.)

It alienated me to not see myself represented in the online mainstream. This formed a vicious cycle with my imposter syndrome and my internalised homophobia—neither of which is talked about enough—as a newly minted member of the (often precarious and fraught) deshi LGBTQ+ community. I wanted a space to share my complex whirlwind of emotions having come to terms “later” in life as queer and neurodivergent, and being caught squarely between cultures. At the time, my mental health was at its poorest I’ve ever experienced, and I didn’t feel like I had a place to belong. Maybe someone would relate to my disjointed journal entries, and reblog my posts. We would find each other, and a community would be born.

I’ve since realised that community already exists, and I’ve been so fortunate to find it in real life as well as online. I made desi/Muslim queer friends online, and I made other multicultural queer friends in person in the US where I was going to university. But the most transformative experience for me was attending a (newly minted and the first of its kind in surrounding states!) LGBTQ+ Muslims organisation meeting in person.

There truly, truly is no unique human experience, and for me, learning that has been the most wonderous comfort. As the years passed—2022, 2023, and then 2024—I realised I had, unbeknownst to myself, weaned off Tumblr and would instead vent and chat in the Discord servers I share with LGBTQ+ university friends. (If you followed me for my yapping/reblogs and then somehow noticed I got real quiet—well, that’s what happened. A happy ending. <3) There was something incredibly bittersweet about that revelation.

It’s miraculous how my outlook has changed as I’ve grown a little older. I’m turning twenty-five soon, and as I bid farewell to my early twenties, I look forward to more of my pressing life questions to turn out to not be a big deal at all, once I have a better grasp of myself and my surroundings.

In the meantime, I’m still here! A bit sparsely as of late, but I have many more stories to share (lifted straight out of my Discord musings) and wacky reblogs coming your way. This account garnered more followers than I ever thought it might, and I’m so grateful for anybody who thought my silly Tumblr activity was worth following. Love you all and belated happy Gregorian new year!

[weeinterpreter]

Here's to us procrastinating life forms that haven't given up hope. Yet.

[jazzthatonewriterchick]

Yesterday was my buuurfdaaaay!! 🥰🥰🥳🥳🎉🎉 I now 25 & officially an adult!! I can’t wait to see what this new stage in my life brings.