I still can’t quite believe that I’m turning 25. I remember being a teenager and 25 feeling so ‘old’ and out of reach, like it was such a long time away… But it isn’t.
There’s so many things I’ve learnt, especially over the last year so let’s get right into it!
1 Everybody has their own time frame.
This is one I’ve been working on for the last couple of years as I’ve been experimenting with how I want to express myself through clothes. I think my style can be quite bold, and I no longer want to shy away from that or have a fear of being overdressed. After not being able to go out for a year, you bet I’m going to be overdressed wherever I go!
2 Don’t Listen to Society’s Expectations
I’m at that age now where it’s pretty socially acceptable to be getting married and having children. I’ve seen a lot of my old friends from school getting engaged, even married, and one of my best friends will be welcoming her first child this year. I’m so excited to be the fun aunt, but it’s really made me realise that I’m definitely not ready for that part of my life just yet. And that is okay! Everybody has a different timeline that they’re following, everybody goes at their own pace.
3 Your 16 year old self literally knows absolutely nothing about life. Don’t listen to the plan that they had for your life.
We all remember when we were 16 and planning how our life would go. I know when I was 16, my plan was to be married at 26 and have kids at 27 and I now look back at the plan and laugh at how ridiculous I sounded. I’m so happy that I haven’t let my teenage self’s ‘plan’ affect me at all and realise that it was stupid to be setting those expectations on myself.
4 25 isn’t old.
I spend the most part of being 24 absolutely dreading turning 25. It feels like a milestone, like I’m officially leaving my early twenties behind and entering my mid/late twenties. And in some ways it is. But I now realise that 25 is still SUPER young, no matter what the teenagers on TikTok say.
5 Women are treated awfully in the medical field.
As I’ve got to the age of getting a cervical screening done, there’s many horror stories I’ve read online about women needing biopsies. You know the old saying ‘it’s just a pinch’ or ‘it doesn’t hurt’, but from women’s stories I’ve read online it is the complete opposite. In what world is it considered humane to cut a chunk of somebody’s insides out with no anesthetic?
But it isn’t just that procedure where women’s pain is not taken seriously, mammograms are extremely painful to many women, their PCOS goes undiagnosed for years as doctors won’t listen to them. It’s such a huge problem, and it’s only something that has come to light for me this year.
6 It’s okay for your body to change.
My body doesn’t look the way that it did 2 years ago, and that is okay.
7 Exercise is SO important.
I’ve never been one to stick to an exercise routine, but that is something I’m wanting to change this year just for the overall health of my body. I’ve really started to notice how unfit I am this year, and I’m working towards getting my body into a much better shape and making use of my local swimming pool.
8 Don’t Let Anyone Tell You that You’re Too Sensitive
Growing up, for whatever reason, I thought my sensitivity was a bad thing and something I should be trying to change. Fuck that! I’m literally the most sensitive person to ever exist. I cry at absolutely everything. And I mean everything. And you know what? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that!
9 Finding New Hobbies Can be the most fulfilling thing.
Because I’ve always considered my job to be my hobby, I never really thought about venturing out into different fields to see if there’s anything else I enjoy. But wow, there’s so many things I love that I never would’ve thought to try before! Miniature making, interior styling… I’ve found so much joy in both of these things.
10 Spending time offline is just as important and spending time online.
Obviously, with my job being online, I spend a lot of my time on social media, but I’ve made it a habit to have a couple of days a week where I stay off socials as much as possible. Being able to switch off for a little while has done so much for my mental health.
11 There is nothing wrong with being an introvert.
I’d say that I’ve definitely become more of an introvert over the last year. I absolutely love my own space and my own time, and I spend a lot of that with just my cats as my partner works during the day and I work from home. So a lot of the time, it’s just me, Harry, and Olive.
12 But there is such a thing as too much solitude.
I love writing blog posts, but they end up taking me so long because I overthink what I’m writing too much. I’d definitely love to get quicker at writing them so I can get through them a lot quicker!
13 You will probably take you a while to find your decorating style
During the early lockdown of 2021, There were weeks when the only person I would see was my partner and could no longer see my parents, which I found very difficult as I’m so close with them. As much as I love being on my won, there is such a thing as being alone too much and I definitely almost reached that limit.
14 Little Joys are much better than the big ones.
I’ve found so much joy in the little things this year. My partner bringing me back a surprise treat from the shop, the cats sleeping in a really cute position… I love these little things so much, and I wouldn’t change them for the world.
15 There is such a big difference between 25 and 20.
I look back at who I was when I was 20 and I don’t even recognise her. First of all, I have no idea how she managed to get drunk every weekend and still make it to work\university on time, but I also have so much sympathy for her and what she was going through. Things I would never, ever put myself through now. There is such a difference in emotional maturity.
16 Drinking water is super important.
I’m terrible at drinking water and this year I’ve been making much more of an effort to drink more, even if it doesn’t always go to plan. But I notice how much better I feel when I keep my body hydrated.
17 It is so important to treat yourself.
What’s the point in living if you don’t treat yourself every once in a while? Even if its just something small. Why would you deprive yourself of that joy?
18 Don’t hang on to the clothes that don’t fit you anymore, let them go.
When I gained a little bit of weight, I kept all of the clothes that didn’t fit me anymore thinking ‘oh, i’ll get back into them’. News flash, I didn’t. They were just taking up space and making me feel bad that I didn’t fit them. Clothes should be made to fit YOU, not the other way around.
19 Decorating takes so much longer than you think it does. And nothing is ever ‘finished’.
I wish someone told me this when I moved into my house! There’s always something to do somewhere, but that’s all part of the journey.
20 You can stop pretending like you hate reality TV.
Look, it’s really good for mindless entertainment. Give me all of the Netflix reality TV dating shows.
21 A night in at home is WAY better than going out.
I’m not sure if this is a result of the pandemic or not, but a takeaway on the sofa sounds SO much better than going on a night out now.
22 Dried flowers are better than fresh ones
I love the look of dried flowers, and I love they last so much longer. Give me a dried flower bouquet over fresh ones anyday!
23 Going against convention is a good thing.
You’ll never find who you truly are if you stick to what everyone else is going!
24 There is nothing wrong with women aging.
I’ve become very hyper aware of anti-aging campaigns this year and how they are all directed towards women. You never see any anti-aging moisturisers for men, do we?
But the moment I realised that I don’t mind aging at all is seeing how much it agered (some) men on the internet, and I thrive off angering men for simply existing. Unfortunately many men believe that women start to lose their value at 25 as, according to them, they start to go ‘downhill’. Which roughly translates as they become less easy to be manipulated. But from what I’ve seen, women tend to look better as they get older, and I think that comes with being wiser
25 You Have So Much More to Learn.
It’s pretty easy to feel like you know everything in your early twenties when you really, really don’t. Like at all. I definitely have so much more to learn and I can’t wait to see what 25 holds for me.
