On Young Adulthood

When Taylor Swift said, “Life is emotionally abusive,”¹ might she have been talking about young adulthood? 

Navigating college and post-grad life can be daunting. No one (as much as they might try) can prepare you for the shock of looking around and realizing that adulthood is just happening to you. You feel like a poser playing dress-up in the corporate world. You’re sitting in a classroom or a boring meeting and realize that it’s making you question your chosen career path. You’re wishing that high school Algebra had been about something more useful, like how to do your taxes or date without getting ghosted.

Maybe these aren’t the exact details of your story, but the anxiety, depression, stress, and emotional whiplash that comes from it all resonates. Whether you’ve done years of therapy already or tend to glean your “mental health moment” knowledge from TikTok, your early adulthood can be a prime time to seek therapy.

Why? Not just because this time of life is hard (!!!) but because coming into your own as an adult often brings up past wounds and hurts while new ones are being created. Whether you want to process a background full of trauma, or you want help managing career anxiety, whether you want to understand your tendencies in romantic relationships, or whether you need a space to learn stress-management skills, therapy can be a safe space to be honest about it all. 

We believe that, because hurt occurs in the context of relationships, change does as well. Therapy is a space to experience a safe relationship with your therapist, who can assist you in this process of growth. So much growth happens in early adulthood, and everyone deserves to feel seen as they explore fun, power, freedom and connection in this stage.² This makes therapy more than just a “treat yourself” time but an important stop on this journey as a human.

And in case you need more of a reason to believe in therapy, take it from these guys.³

“We should make it clear that getting help isn’t a sign of weakness-it’s a sign of strength-and we should ensure that people can get the treatment they need.” -Michelle Obama

“There’s nothing weak about struggling with mental illness.” -Kristen Bell

“Everyone experiences a version of anxiety or worry in their lives, and maybe we go through it in a different or more intense way for longer periods of time, but there’s nothing wrong with you. To be a sensitive person that cares a lot, that takes things in a deep way is actually part of what makes you amazing…” -Emma Stone

“I found that with depression, one of the most important things you could realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it; you’re not going to be the last to go through it.” -The Rock

“I just started seeing a therapist, and I’m super stoked about it. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and considering how much my life has changed this year, I thought it was about time I check in with myself.” -Camila Mendes

“I finally realized that owning up to your vulnerabilities is a form of strength. And making the choice to go to therapy is a form of strength.” -Lizzo

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¹“Snow on the Beach,” written by Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff

² See Glasser’s four basic human needs in Glasser, W. (1998). Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom, New York: Harper Collins.

³Quote credits to drivethru.com, in the article entitled, “15 Celebrities Speak Out with These Mental Health Quotes.”