Holy Cow y’all, I’M THIRTY!!!

Like I seriously can’t believe I’m even saying that.  Not because I didn’t think I wouldn’t make it or anything crazy like that but more so because I think I am stuck somewhere between 22 and 25 in my head and may be here forever.  I certainly don’t feel like I’m thirty, what does thirty even feel like?!?

Right before my birthday I was having mini panic attack because I was scared that I had wasted my twenties but the more and more I sat there I realized that I really learned so much in my twenties.  I made so many memories and learned so many life lessons that I really had no reason to be sitting there panicking about turning thirty.   So to calm down, I started making a list of all of the things I learned in my twenties and really helped me become the person I am and I figured I would share them will y’all in hopes that a few of these could help you out as much as they helped me!

**PS the links to my B-Day outfit are linked on my LIKEtoKNOW.it page (overdressedandunderrated) or in the link in my instagram bio.

The List

1. Have Fun
I had to start this list with this one because this is my number one rule in life.  I know it is cliche but life is short, so just have fun.

2. Don’t Let Your Anxieties Consume You
Something I learned a lot about in my twenties are my anxieties and how to manage them.  I remember having panic attacks as a kid/teenager and not really knowing what was going on with me and I definitely didn’t know how to manage my anxiety.  But when I got into my twenties, I started to realize that what was happening wasn’t normal and it was okay to talk about how and feel I felt.  I often felt like I was kind of a little crazy (and honestly I am but like in a good, fun way) but my husband is who really helped me out the most.  He doesn’t know it because I don’t often tell him but his presence very calming to me.  Almost like a sense of security and that has been my saving grace.  So if there is any tip I can give to anyone struggling with their anxiety, find what brings you calmness and focus on that.  It’s sounds easier said that done but once you figure it out it really helps.

3. Everything Happens for a Reason
When I was a kid I used to love the movie Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.  I thought it was so cool how all these things  were happening by chance solely based on being at the right place and the right time.  Fast forward to my 20’s when I really started to notice things that were happening around me and truly started to understand what serendipity was.  It wasn’t just the plot of a movie I really liked as a kid.  It is something that happens all around us every day that’s kinda scary but also pretty dang cool!  Having this mind set has really helped me relax and let go of things that bother me, especially with unrealistic goals I set for myself.

4. Take the Extra Shot of Tequila
Just do it.  Your 20’s are your time to live it up and although getting black out drunk isn’t alway the best idea, sometimes you just need to let loose and live a little.

5. You’re Never too Old for Tequila Thuesday’s
Speaking of Tequila… This is something I learned a little later in my 20’s.  It all started when my friend Anna and I started having the same day off every week (which happened to be Tuesday) and since this is generally a day nobody else has off, we started spending them hanging out and doing whatever we wanted to do.  Turns out all we wanted to do was lay in the pool and sip on margs.  Sometimes I would think it was a little silly that I was 25+ years old and spending my Tuesdays doing nothing but laying out, but truthfully, who cares.  I was having a good time with my best friend and honestly now that we aren’t able to do this any moreI realized just how much  I realllllly miss our Tequila Tuesdays (that’s what we started calling them because well you know… margs + Tuesday = Tequila Tuesdays).

6. Self Care is Key
This is a good one because I didn’t understand this for the longest time.  Self care can truly mean so many different things to so many different people.  Some people get regular massages or go to therapy or take fun trips or stick to a very strict skin care routine.  None of those things are the same but you know what they say, different strokes for different folks. Obviously this is going to be a bit subjective but for me my number one self care thing that I love to do on a regular basis is get my nails done.  I go every three weeks almost like clock work and it seems kind of small but I started doing this  couple of years ago when I really couldn’t afford to spend $50+ every three weeks but it made me feel good and it was a time for me to just sit there and turn off my brain for an hour so I always found a way to make it work.

7. Take the Vacation
As someone who never took enough vacations, listen to me when I tell you to take the damn vacation.  It’s the perfect time to recharge and relax and spend time with your friends (or whoever you like to vacation with) and do all the things you can to have fun.  For me I love to take a trip to the beach every year for the Fourth of July with the hubs and a few of our friends and this is usually my only big vacation for the year so I try to do it up as big as possible and make it special!

8. Love on Your Friends a Little Extra
This one is a little intense but you never know what exactly the people around you are going through so check in on your friends and hold them tight when you can.  That extra little bit of love might just make their day shine a little more.

9. Don’t Take Yourself too Seriously
I’m not going to lie, I don’t think this is something I necessarily learned in my twenties but maybe more so embraced in my twenties.  I think it kind of helped that I’ve already found my person and I know he loves me for who I am so I am able to be who I am and not take myself so seriously.  I am a virgo and I live for perfection so this was hard for me to initially embrace, but I just have to constantly tell myself that not everything always has to be perfect.  There is a time and a place and if you mess something up it won’t be the end of the world.  It’s okay to be in a silly goofy mood from time to time.

10. It’s Okay if You Don’t Check Everything Off Your List
I am the ultimate list maker.  I make lists for literally everything.  Mostly because of the fact that I have a hard time remembering things so lists help me get all of the things done that I need to do without forgetting something.  But another reason I like to make lists is to set goals for myself.  But with making these goals I tend to get frustrated when I can’t complete all of the things on my list so it’s kind of discouraging.  But like I said earlier on this list, everything happens for a reason, and sometimes things on your list are meant to not get checked off or maybe get checked off later in life so make sure to keep that in mind when you’re making these lists and try not to be too hard on yourself when they don’t get completed.

11. Spend Time with Family
This is one of the things on my list that I don’t think will be the best advice for everyone.  I personally can see why this isn’t a good things for everyone.  I have members of my family that I am really not close to for certain reasons and that is okay but for the ones that I am close with I have tried my best to spend more time with them as we all get older, whether it be random phone calls or text messages or even making dinner plans regularly.  I can promise it means a lot to them and for me personally I live for family memories and reminiscing good times we’ve all had together.

12. It’s Okay to Let Go of Friendships
Oh man, this one was a hard one for me to accept.  I had to let go of a lot of friendships in my twenties and it really took a toll on my mental health.  I started to wonder what I was doing wrong in these friendships to lose so many friends that I really considered my to be my people.  Once I got past this insecurity I realized it wasn’t my fault and it was okay to grow out of relationships or let go of toxic people.  If someone is not good for you or not putting any effort into the friendship, it is okay to say goodbye and move on.  It may hurt initially but I can promise you that it will be a large weight off your shoulders in the long run.  As for the relationships that you just kind of grew out of, you have to remember that your lives might be going in different directions but that doesn’t mean the love for one another just goes away.  It is okay to let go of those friendships and maybe one day they will come back to you.

13. Take Lots of Pictures
Jared always thinks I’m crazy because I want pictures of everything but I just love reliving fun memories and because my memory isn’t that great in the first place, a picture is the perfect way for me to remember the moments I love the most.  I mean come on, who doesn’t love going back through old pictures?!

14. Travel More
This kind of goes hand in hand with taking more vacations but at the same time it’s a little more than that.  While you are likely going to travel when you go on vacation sometimes that isn’t the case and that is okay.  To me a vacation is more of a mental break from your day to day but traveling is all about the experiences.  Experiences are what I live for, between the good food, the gorgeous sights, and memories made while traveling I hope you take my advice and not only take that vacation but go on a trip and make those memories!

15. Eat All The Food
Yikes, this is a hard one because I definitely have gained quite a bit of weight throughout my 20’s and as much as I would kill to lose this weight, food is my weakness, especially when traveling.  Jared and I make it a priority when we travel to eat the best food and try places we can’t usually eat at when we are home.  So eat that food and enjoy it because why not?!

16. Your Health is Important
I have a hard time admitting to this because I am the queen of not going to the doctor unless I absolutely have to.  For a large portion of my 20’s I used not having health insurance or enough money to pay for health expenses as an excuse not to go to the doctor but even after those excuses couldn’t be used anymore it took me a while to realize that even if I currently don’t have any underlying health issues, that doesn’t mean they can’t come up in the future, therefore there is not better time to start taking care of yourself.

17. It’s Okay to be Into Cheesy Reality TV
This is my fave!  Reality tv has been my weakness foreverrrrr.  Like I remember the first time I watched Keeping up with the Kardashians and how hooked I instantly was.  I never missed a single episode in the 20 seasons it was on air.  But in those 20 seasons I was always kind of ashamed to tell people how much I loved that show, along with all the other cheesy reality shows that I watch.  People are so dang judgy of these reality tv stars and I really don’t get why?  Reality tv is fun and gives you the outrageous drama that you hopefully don’t have in real life.  There is nothing wrong with vibing with your cheesy ass reality tv shows.

18. The Beach is my Happy Place
This one isn’t really a piece of advice but I can try my best to turn it into some.  I have always loved the going to the beach but I didn’t really realize until I was in my twenties and was going on beach trips that I planned with my friends versus ones that my family had planned the the beach was the place I love the most.  I seriously TRIVE at the beach.  For me it is the fact that I get to lay around and tan all day while drinking and occasionally playing game not to mention all of the good food, omg I am literally foaming at the mouth right now to go to the beach after writing all of this and that is exactly how you should feel about your happy place.   So go out there and find your happy place and visit it as often as possible (See I told you I could turn this isn’t advice).

19. Laugh a Lot
This is important to me because my number one goal in life is to just be happy.  And what goes more hand in hand than happiness and laughter?!?! I can always appreciate a good belly laugh like the ones where you’re wheezing so hard you can barely breath so I love to surround myself with people who have the same sense of humor as myself so that we can all just laugh more.

20. Find Your Person
I found mine and it is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I know it sounds cheesy but I mean it.  Finding the person that just completes you is everything.  It doesn’t matter if this person is your significant other or your best friend or whatever, just find your person and do all the things together because I promise it is good for your soul to just connect on another level with someone.  Now this doesn’t mean that you are always going to vibe with this person.  Mine is my husband and our relationship is far from perfect but we connect and we get each other and that is what creates a sense of comfort and happiness in my life.

XO,