Staying Afloat in the Sea of Societal Expectations
As I sat brainstorming ideas for this blog post, my mind racing with the juggling act of home life, work, school, and the constant quest for mental wellness, it hit me: the most exhausting pressure we face is the one to keep up with society's demands.
I woke up today feeling genuinely awful for my fellow millennials. We're trying to do what we think is right, and beating ourselves up when we don't meet those unwritten, often unattainable expectations. You should have a house, be married or at least engaged. Kids? Well, if you're in your late 20s, you should have one or two on the way. And if not, the only acceptable reasons are that you're finishing a PhD or backpacking across Europe.
And don't even get me started on food. Heaven forbid we resort to takeout or (gasp!) the frozen section, what with all the GMOs, aspartame, and scary food dyes. But let's be real, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to survive on McDonald's dollar menu and Walmart's frozen pizzas than to constantly stock up on avocados and organic quinoa that inevitably goes to waste.
Travel plans with friends? Yeah, probably not if you're anything like me. You're too busy pinching pennies, chipping away at that soul-sucking student debt, buying groceries that won't give you instant diabetes, and paying those pesky adulting bills. And if you're lucky, you might have a few bucks left to "treat yourself". Ugh, just writing this is exhausting!
Here's the truth: there's no one "right" way to navigate this wild ride called life. All these pressures, the constant comparing, the societal time clocks and the resulting self-pity, loathing, and guilt? Those are the real toxins, far more dangerous than the occasional frozen pizza.
I'm done trying to do all the things all the time. Whatever happened to just "living" and "being"? If you're feeling me, know that I see you, and I'm so sorry you're carrying this weight too. Let's take a collective deep breath, extend ourselves some serious grace, and let the simple gratitude for being alive and housed sink in.
There's no rule book, no one-size-fits-all timeline. Let's ditch the curated highlight reels and extend ourselves some real, raw love. Because at the end of the day, that's what we really deserve.
Aly Raposo
