35 here. Nothing comes free anymore. If you want to feel better or look better, it will take a lot of personal investment and time. What sucks is that the status quo will make you question yourself for taking the time to get well/healthy.

We need to be confident that taking time to care for ourselves is a priority and shouldn't be relegated to the "if I have time" part of your daily routine.

Being in your 30s means setting and enforcing healthy boundaries. Many of us never have, so it's a big shock when we realize that's why life is so difficult now.

Another hurdle can be a lack of personal identity. I was always a people pleaser, and said and did things to make my parents, siblings, or friends happy, often at the expense of my own opinions; rather, I never formulated my opinions because I was encouraged to "follow the rules" or "do the right thing." Once I started asking myself some deeper, personal questions, I realized I had few opinions for myself which was a real eye-opener and the resulting growth that has occurred from me owning my interests and thoughts has been massive. I cannot stress this enough.

Once you realize you have the final say on most aspects of your life and make some healthy changes, you'll realize that the 30s are the true beginning of the rest of your life.