By: Minh Tran, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences Well-Being Leader

I recently turned twenty, and I have been reflecting deeply on what I want my twenties to be and what they mean to me. They say that your twenties are some of the best years of your life, but there’s a catch that comes with it. Your twenties are what you make them to be. The “best years” of your life don’t just fall into your lap; you have to make the most of what you have. In such a pivotal moment of my life, I want to become the best version of myself I can be, and, in turn, my twenties will be a reflection of the person I want to become and how it will unfold. As I navigate my twenty-somethings, I imagine you all are doing the same as well. A decade known to be filled with growth, despair, love, hope, and most of all, finding yourself. I want you to reflect on what you want to see in the next 10 years of your life. In this blog, I am reflecting on closing this teenage chapter of my life and moving on, and I hope my transparency about my own thoughts and feelings can help you experience some introspection as well.

Emotional connectivity. This is something that I felt like I had struggled with growing up, but now more than ever, I feel like emotional connectivity, whether it be with myself, my family, friends, or any relationship I have, is important. As a teenager, it was okay to not understand how you feel, what you’re feeling, or how to display your feelings, but as I end that chapter of my life, I want to start being able to understand my emotions better to not only build a better relationship with myself, but others as well. Of course, you shouldn’t expect to be emotionally mature just because you’re no longer a teenager; that takes time, and sometimes it’s okay not to know how to feel. One way I want to become more in tune with my emotions is by journaling. Journaling provides an outlet to let all the emotions flow without limitations. It lets you write how you feel, why you feel, and just overall everything that is happening with you. I believe journaling is a major aspect of learning emotional regulation because it allows me to solidify my thoughts into something tangible I can read back on. If I didn’t journal all these feelings, they’d just sit inside me with nowhere to go, and it can be hard to regulate something that can overflow at times.

Physical and mental well-being. I’ve always told myself I would work out or eat better during summer vacation because I didn’t have the time during the school year. However, that was just a lame excuse I tell myself to make me feel better for not doing so. Starting to take care of your physical well being doesn’t have to be something absurd, like working out for 2 hours a day. It can be small, like going for a walk, doing stretches in the morning, or even avoiding the elevators and taking the stairs to class. Whatever it might be, it is important to incorporate physical activity into your life because one, it makes you a healthier person overall, and two, it can make you feel better mentally. I want to be proud of the healthy body I live in every day and build the mental fortitude it takes to become physically active. These things take time and, in turn, teach me about patience and self-discipline, which at times can be mental barriers to achieving the goals I want.

Procrastination. I always thought I barely had time to do anything, but that is quite the
opposite. I always put off the things I want to do to the last minute because I keep telling myself, “I want to enjoy the time I have right now, so I’ll do it later.” However, that just wastes more time, and in the end, when I procrastinate, I lose a lot of valuable time I could be using to delve into my hobbies. When I learn to use my time more wisely, will I be able to enjoy the things in life I want to do? I want to read every book in the world. I want to travel the world. I want to watch all these movies. I want to hang out with my friends. I want to learn all these piano songs. I want to do so many things, but time is what’s holding me back. Time is valuable. I don’t want to procrastinate living my life and doing what I want to do because ten years will go by quickly, and I don’t want to look back regretting all the things I could have done if only I had done my work earlier. Procrastination is a major limitation in my character, and I hope that as I continue living into my twenties, I can chip away at it until I become the person who can do all the things I’ve wanted to do.

As SZA says in her song 20 Somethings, “Good luck on those 20-somethings.” Don’t be afraid of change or risks. Life has its ups and downs, and when you realize you have some control over your own growth, take it. You are the only thing holding you back from becoming the person you want to be. It is important to enjoy all aspects of life, including the ups and downs. As I live through my twenties, I hope to make the most of what I have around me and become a version of myself I can be proud of when looking back on this crucial period of my life.