The twenties, often dubbed as the "rollercoaster years," bring a whirlwind of challenges and expectations. It's a time when society expects us to seamlessly transition into adulthood, find a fulfilling career, a life partner, and answer profound existential questions. It can evoke the feeling that your falling behind, looking at the successes of others, hearing about their promotions on LinkedIn and flaunting high salaries whilst the weight of bills press on your shoulders. In the midst of this tumultuous ride, the 20's unfold as a paradoxical blend of excitement and anxiety, dreams and uncertainties.
75% of 25-33 year olds have experienced a quarter-life crisis, with the average age being 27
35% feel under pressure to get married or have a baby
54% feel frustrated about career option

A Key Time in Brain Development
People are better equipped to make major life decisions in their late 20s than earlier in the decade. Older adolescents have stronger bridges of neural tissue connecting the emotional and motor centres of their brains with the prefrontal cortex. The brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s, with women's brains maturing a full two years before men. The prefrontal cortex, is one of the last to mature. This part of the brain regulates our thoughts, actions and emotions. To go into detail, until this key development point, you don't have the sharpest focus and attention, impulse control, predicting the future effect of your actions, anticipating events and emotional maturity. Managing emotional reactions is slightly harder, and so we can struggle with regulating our responses to challenging situations. This period of neurological maturation sheds light on the tumultuous nature of the 20's, as cognitive functions become more integrated and sophisticated.
If you have ADHD, you can expect this to be delayed by approximately 3-5 years due to a delay in cortex maturation according to Philip Shaw and colleagues (2007). Adults ADHD symptoms are not as clear as when they are children, and in your 20s hyperactivity is likely to decrease, yet restlessness, impulsiveness and issues with paying attention are more likely to continue.

Mental Health
According to ONS, several measures of personal well-being of young women aged 20 to 24 years in the UK has declined in March 2020 from five years previously. There was a fall in the percentage of young women in this age group reporting very high life satisfaction and happiness, and very low anxiety.
This fact incurs many questions. An interview with Johanna Jarcho PHD, discussed how mental health disorders vastly emerge in the 20s. Anxiety is extremely common in this time, triggered by social changes and transitions. She noted that if you experience anxiety as an adult, it's extremely likely you had it as a child. Depression has also been found to be triggered most commonly during this time. Dr. Charles Nemeroff found that the typical age at which depression first manifests has declined over the past 30 years, previously observed in the late forties or early fifties, the onset is now occurring in the mid-twenties, with expectations that it may continue to decrease. As we navigate the complexities of this pivotal decade, it becomes imperative to unravel the intricate interplay between social, psychological, and environmental factors that contribute to the prevalence of anxiety and depression.
Financial Frenzies and Climbing the Career Ladder
Many individuals begin their professional journey in their twenties with entry-level positions, which may come with modest salaries. Did you know you go through an average of seven jobs in your 20s? Having to feel like you have to constantly go above and beyond to impress the boss or feeling stuck in a role that isn't the right fit for you, evokes a lot of stress and the 'hustle culture" could even lead to burn out. Maslach et al. (1996) found that burnout is composed of three dimensions, namely exhaustion, cynicism (detached attitude toward work) and lack of professional efficacy. It was even found that it can last an average of three months and a year. We burn out in stressful working environments, yet some cope better and some don't. To become the person who overcomes it, you have to be able to identify it early and locate the core reasons on why it's occurring. Once you've pinpointed it, communicate and make changes. Establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. Create a balance that allows you to recharge outside of work hours. Avoid overcommitting yourself, and learn to say no when necessary. Seek support, re-evaluate your time management, take breaks, practice mindfulness and incorporate wellness activities into your routine.
Finding a mentor is a great way to gain the advice needed to help you grow in your career. Psychologically, mentorship has been proven to help mentees to review and reflect, to think critically about goals, challenge decisions or avoidance of them and we especially benefit from those who share the same values with us. Yet, it can be hard to get one. If the organisation you work at doesn't offer a scheme, don't feel nervous to reach out to your LinkedIn network and those who you may not even know in your dream role. There are also programs available to sign up to online. If you are a woman, the Mentoring Foundation and Rise Mentoring programmes are a good place to start your search.
Furthermore rent, utilities, and the overall cost of living independently contribute to financial pressures and anxieties. It's no surprise that 40% move back home with their parents at least once. Your 20s are crucial for developing a healthy relationship with money. With lower salaries, impulsive buying poses a key threat. You have to be able to control your psychological triggers such as social influence, limited financial experience and emotional triggers (such as the feeling of instant gratification). I recommend the 'Psychology of Money' article from LinkedIn to learn the different type of personal beliefs connected to money, and where you may stand, whether it's money avoidance, worship, status or a vigilance position, and how you can improve your financial literacy and self-discipline.

Comparing Yourself to Successful Influencers and Friends
In an era of excessive materialism on social media, flaunting an idealisation version of your life is a norm. If you compare yourself with these individuals, it makes you susceptible to lower life satisfaction and passive, addictive user behaviour, according to Ozimek, P., et al. A key change that shifted my mindset on social media, was turning off likes on Instagram so I couldn't see how much interaction these posts received. This conditions you to interact with content you truly like, not just to follow the flow of popularity. Unfollow accounts that make you feel unhappy, and hide content that appears on your 'explore pages' to inform the algorithm to stop showing it.
It's not just online influencers, you are not alone when you compare yourself to friends in a impressive professional position. According to LinkedIn, Nearly half of 25-33 year olds (48%) say this has caused them anxiety, with women feeling this even more than men (51% vs. 41%). 'Social comparison Theory' describes the ability to value your own personal and social worth by assessing how it compares to others, it's a normal part of being human and it's , used as a way of establishing a benchmark by which we can make accurate evaluations of ourselves. Psychology today shared 15 ways to stop self-comparison, including promoting self-acceptance, focusing on personal strengths and goals, and limiting exposure to social media as a means to foster a healthier mental state.
Here are some key statistics from LinkedIn on people in to give you a bigger picture on your late twenties into your thirties, that could prove how you are most definitely not alone in your feelings:
References:
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