We live in a world largely made up by the minds of mere humans, most of whom have long passed, and yet their rules and (largely unachievable) standards remain in this rapidly changing world.
Everyone knows how it feels to be pressured throughout their lives, starting from a very young age, and with or without knowing it we eventually start to put that pressure on ourselves, and then even on others—just because it’s all we know. But it’s high time we start reimagining what a happy, healthy life can look like.
We aren’t equipped to deal with the unhealthy amount of comparison available right at our fingertips, so there will always be someone younger with more success than you. Everyone is on their own path, according to the timing that is right for them. Lists like “30 under 30” also create this false idea in our minds that it matters at what age you are considered successful, and instill a fear of getting older. A success at 50 is no less worthy than one at 30.
We start pressuring people from a very young age to decide what they want to be, which can lead to rushed decisions and the pressure to stick to something that no longer makes one happy. Normalize changing your career, even in your forties, fifties, and beyond!
We need to stop looking at the single life as a precursor to a relationship, and instead honor it as its own form of fulfillment. Plus, no proper relationship is ever borne out of a panicked desire to have a partner.
Sometimes people will be in job positions they enjoy, but there is this unwritten pressure to constantly be trying to land something better and make more money. It’s okay to be satisfied where you are if you’re comfortable!
Fortunately, more and more we’re seeing people reject the idea that kids are essential to a full life, and even statistics proving how happy childless people are. We’re also rife with examples of people who show us that we can wait past our twenties, thirties, and even forties to have children.
You probably know at least one person whom you dislike for a reason you perhaps can’t even pinpoint despite the fact that they’ve never done anything wrong to you. Well, everyone has that, and occasionally that person will be you. Just as we don’t need to like everyone, we don’t need to be liked by everyone either.
Being busy all the time or feeling guilty about not being busy is bad for your mental health and your work ethic. We need to expand our idea of productivity to include restful periods, which actually allow us to work at our best.
First of all, it’s a ridiculously unattainable pressure. Secondly, it robs you of the time when you have full license to use the excuse that you’re still starting out!
The job market is not what it used to be, and unemployment is an increasing issue in various parts of the world. If you’re making ends meet, that’s more than enough cause to celebrate.
This pressure tends to breed little white lies about having read or watched something you didn’t, but it also closes the wondrous space for learning and growth with others. No one knows everything, and even the things we think we know are spaces we should keep open for new perspectives.
