People told me adulthood was hard but I don't think I was rightly prepared
I'm 19, I graduated but never started college (I had a scholarship but covid and anxiety ruined it and I'm still mad at myself for it), my mom's never learned to drive so either have I and I'm terrified of going over 25mph, and I just feel so behind compared to 90% of my peers and I can't help but think it's all my fault I'm not farther along, rent in my area has skyrocketed and i can't afford to live by myself whatsoever with the money I'm making, let alone better myself with the time I have and stress that's been adding. Drop social accounts so I can stop watching my friends succeed? Better ways for stress management? Driving anxiety tips? Just general advice for an overly sensitive and anxious new adult that wants to be anything other than an adult. I know I beat myself up too much and it's part of what hinders me but I don't know how to stop that thinking pattern that, whenever I make a mistake I'm ruining my life.
@imaginativeClementine4415
Hi--I think that's really normal for there to be this transition period from adolescence to adulthood where everything feels really shaky. Not everybody does college immediately (or at all), learns to drive right away, or necessarily has a clear plan. But even for people who do everything "perfectly", it's still a really difficult time.
Just in general for everyone (regardless of age or life situation), it's really common for people to not know what they're doing. Or to have something happen where they find that their old plan no longer works. All you can really do is look at how the situation has changed and try to come up with a new plan based on present circumstances.
Social media tends to make everyone unhappy just because of social comparison and self-presentation. It's common for people to post lots of positive things while hiding anything they feel vulnerable or uncomfortable about. So everybody on social media ends up looking like everything is perfect even though they probably have their own private struggles that they keep to themselves.
https://www.mindwise.org/blog/mental-health/social-media-social-comparisons-mental-health/
