Adult Problems That Literally Nobody Prepared You For
Sometimes people love to tell us about all things related to being an adult, but it seems that some aspects have been left out.
Being an adult is an exciting but stressful time, especially when you are just beginning your journey into adulthood. Adulthood isn't solely about getting your credit right, paying bills, and making grocery lists, though.
Adulthood encompasses so many more challenges that people just don't really talk about or offer advice for. It can be hard, especially because you're mostly on your own to deal with the issues that come your way.
Our parents try hard to prepare us for the adult life ahead by teaching us lessons and showing us tricks on how to manage our time, but it seems they missed some crucial information. Reddit comes in handy again with another thread that will help many of us out.
"What is an adult problem that nobody prepared you for?" was a question posed on Reddit that garnered a lot of different responses, revealing just how much people had to prepare themselves for these challenges. Parents, take notes on some new information you can pass along to your kids to prepare them for the adult world.
These are 40 adult problems and issues that literally nobody prepared us for, and now we are navigating them ourselves, just winging it.
1. This is such an unrealistic view of how things will supposedly go.
K4YL13N2. Getting older can cause a lot of thoughts to surface.
thirtiesmatt3. Not every adult acts like an adult.
Super-Progress-6386
4. This is a common feeling among adults.
"Being an adult feels extremely lonely."
Bluebloop0
5. This is so common.
"Lack of purpose. All your young life, you are given the purpose of passing exams and learning, then all of a sudden, you are thrown into the world and told to find your own meaning."
Captain_Snow
6. No one really talks about how aging feels.
Jaycatt
7. Always!
"The kitchen is always dirty. You’ll clean it at least three times every day."
cewnc
8. The pressure from others is inevitable.
"Figuring out what makes you happy. Everyone keeps trying to get you to do things you're good at or that make you money, but never to pursue what you enjoy."
eternalwanderer5
9. Some of us were prepared for this one.
"How d*mned tired you are all the time."
chickenofalltrades
10. The death of loved ones will always be difficult.
"Handling the decline and death of your parents."
Agave666
11. Everything needs to be maintained by you.
"Life is all about maintenance. Your body, your house, your relationships—everything requires constant, never-ending maintenance."
IHateEditedBgMusic
12. Normalizing healthy "fighting."
PMYOURBOOBOVERFLOW
13. You really shouldn't, and you probably won't want to.
"You can stay up as late as you want. But you shouldn't."
geek_fit
14. The systems are not here to help anyone but themselves.
hercarmstrong
15. Nobody can even attempt to prepare you for that.
legenducky
16. This is something people don't talk about enough.
"Having to make dinner every. F***ing. Day."
EndlesslyUnfinished
17. Adults aren't always adults.
billiemarie
18. We live to work.
"Working full time, but still not being able to afford the basic necessities of life."
Liam_Tang
19. Mental health is important. Don't forget that.
"Without a support system, your mental illnesses alone can render you homeless."
Ok_Sheepherder_8313
20. Mental health is no joke.
"How prevalent depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation are. At this point, I think every adult has experienced it at some point in their lives."
ojazela
21. The amount of neck pain that we experience can't be normal.
Retrosonic82
22. Remember, you have control of your life.
"How easy it is to feel stuck in a bad situation (job, relationship, etc.) just because the cost and effort of getting out can seem daunting. And sometimes you just have to accept a figurative bowl full of s**t because you can't afford to blow up your life."
movieguy95453
23. Money and how it stands in terms of value.
"$5K is a lot to owe, but not a lot to have."
Upper-Job5130
24. Movies and TV shows will soon all blend together.
busyB_83
25. Adults indeed do not have it together.
ShorterByTheSecond
26. There's always more to do.
"Adult life is basically a permanent to-do list that just keeps getting bigger and bigger."
madkeepz
27. This is the one.
"Finding purpose and dealing with childhood trauma."
MisTeri678
28. I'm convinced everyone has imposter syndrome.
Successful_Chip3930
29. There is little to no free time.
"Not having a lot of free time or time to myself."
detective_kiara
30. Nobody talks about the personal struggles you'll endure in your close family.
"Daughter with behavioral and mental issues. Then she got pregnant at 16. It was a roller coaster ride…very trying and about kicked my [butt]. My husband had esophageal cancer, and then nine years later, he had 14 brain lesions. Both times, his survival rate was low, but he’s still here. I feel like I’ve been in survival mode for years and years. I’m kind of tired now."
Sharonanana
31. You have to clean so much.
ljam16
32. The secrets of adulthood are that we have no idea what we are doing, and we just wing it.
Yoluun
33. Everyone can live their life how they please.
"Being asked why I'm single and have no kids, as if I'm some sort of alien."
thefanhit
34. It's funny how many people do this, and we swear it works.
"That turning down the radio when you are lost in a neighborhood helps you see better."
Garysgirl17
35. Networking and finding jobs is difficult no matter what.
TPrice1616
36. People need to talk about how common it is to lose friends.
"Almost all of your friends won't be lifelong. No one really talks about how common it is to lose touch with people or grow apart. Most of your life will be spent either making new friends while losing old ones or being alone."
Emotional_Tale1044
37. This is so common among adults.
"Getting burnt out."
OddRumskie
38. Life starts flying by as you get older.
"The more life you’ve lived, the faster time seems to go."
FadedQuill
39. Workplace politics are a no.
Steve_Lobsen
Some of these adult problems can't really be prepared for, like losing someone or dealing with medical issues that involve close friends and family. Adulthood is hard.
Adults don't have everything together; they're just winging it, and it's not all rainbows and butterflies once you turn 18. Things just aren't how we all thought they would be.
Being an adult is amazing, but there are inevitably some challenging aspects to it.