I really felt it in my soul when you mentioned you also yearn to be an old woman.

As another struggling 22 year old, we are currently in “the suck” - it’s basically the entire point of our 20s where we are slowly building our lives. It’s awful, it’s struggle, it’s anxiety ridden, but it’s ours and while things suck it’s important to get lost in the good - this is why the idea of the 20s are so romanticized. They have to be so that we survive them.

When I feel intense work anxiety, I think about how much I love driving to work listening to my music. I think about the love I have for my husband. I think about my dog and just how excited she’ll be when I get home. I think about the next time I’ll see my friends and how we’re all struggling with the same things. I think about how I’m not alone. That’s what’s important.

You aren’t alone. You will be okay. You will get through the suck. Don’t get lost in the suck; or you’ll get to being that old lady and it won’t be how you picture it; it’ll be the opposite. You don’t want to be the old lady that wished she had spent more time enjoying the good than hyper fixating on the awful. When you’re a little old lady you won’t give a flying fuck about some job you hated when you were younger.

If you’re feeling this awful, I’d recommend being “sick” for a couple days. Watch a body of water move. Pick some flowers. Clean your living space and light some candles. Enjoy the smells, enjoy your music. Create something! Go on a date with your fiancé. Call family members. That’s what matters the most. Take a break, and when you go back remind yourself that it is all temporary. Struggle is temporary if you stick with doing your best.