Chances are you can look back at your teenage years and realise the things you worried about were pretty silly and not worth the stress. By the same token, there’s probs a whole bunch of stuff you’re worrying about RN that you won’t give a fuck about in a few years’ time. Want to save yourself the stress? These are the things you should let go of in your early 20s.

How You Look On Social Media

We’re always trying to curate the perfect life on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat… even LinkedIn (though that one is valid if you want to look super impressive to employers giving you a stalk). When FOMO kicks in and you see your FB friends going on awesome adventures and living the life, naturally we want to make our life look even better. This means when you actually do something worthwhile, you’ll be buried in your phone trying to get the perfect shot instead of enjoying the moment.

Where You’ll Be In The Next Five Years

You might want to prepare an answer in case a job interviewer springs this one on you – but you can take some time to figure this one out. As much as you might want to, you can’t plan every detail of your life out just yet. Some things won’t go according to plan and some things might turn out even better than expected. In five years’ time, you’ll still be young and in your 20s and even then you’ll have plenty of time to figure out where you want to be.

Being Single

Being single in your early 20s isn’t something to worry about – in fact, it should be celebrated. Now is the time to date and meet lots of interesting people (hopefully interesting in a good way and not a creepy way). Even if all your friends are in relationships, embrace the single life. You’re still young and there’s plenty of time to meet someone.

The Fact That Everything Is Changing, Fast

From the start of uni to now – just, wow. You probably didn’t realise just how much could change in that short amount of time. It might mean that people have moved on to other places or you’ve outgrown your high school friends. You might feel reluctant to let go of the past when there’s so many good memories there. It’s OK to be nostalgic, but don’t resist change – it’s happening for a reason.

Having A Big Group Of Friends

You might see other people’s #squadgoals on social media of big groups travelling together, going to festivals together or going out clubbing. But once again, it’s important not to take the images you see on social media as gospel. It might look rosy on the outside, but a big group of friends doesn’t necessarily mean good friendships. If you have a smaller group of close-knit friends, the quality of those friendships is more important than the quantity.

What Everyone Thinks Of You

Your early 20s is a time to be exactly who you want to be, so don’t let other people shape that. If you’re constantly worrying if other people are judging you, you’ll never get to be yourself and just have fun. Start giving less fucks, let loose and screw what anybody thinks of you.