What No One Tells You About Your Late 20s

When you’re in your early 20s, you think you’ve got all the time in the world. You’re living off iced coffee and vibes, convinced you’ll figure it all out eventually. And then suddenly, you blink and you’re about to turn 30, wondering how your back hurts from “just sleeping wrong.”

No one warns you about what these years actually feel like. It’s like someone handed you a “How to Adult” manual, but half the pages are missing, and the rest are smudged with pizza grease.

I’m turning 30 next month. And here’s what I’ve learned so far that no one bothered to mention.

You start measuring time in weird ways

I used to measure time in semesters, parties, or paychecks. Now? It’s all about how long it’s been since I last bought new pillows or how many years it’s been since a celebrity couple broke up.

You’ll catch yourself saying things like, “Oh, that was before I got the air fryer,” or “I think that was around the time I finally switched to oat milk.”

Your body starts sending rude little reminders

Remember when you could stay out until 2 a.m., grab a gas station burrito, and feel fine the next day? Those days vanish like free samples at Costco.

Now, one glass of wine on a Tuesday can ruin your whole week. Your back hurts for no reason. Your knees start making noises like an old porch swing. You keep icy hot patches in your bathroom drawer like a responsible grandparent.

Friendships shift in weird and beautiful ways

Your friend group will start shrinking. People move, have kids, get married, disappear into new jobs, or decide they’re “just not a texter anymore.”

You’ll learn to cherish the people who stick around and accept that it’s okay if some friendships fade. Group chats turn into “just checking in” texts every few months, and that’s okay too.

You realize your parents might have been right (ugh)

You’ll start hearing your mom’s voice come out of your own mouth, saying things like, “Do you know how much sugar is in that?” or “We need to leave now if we want to beat the traffic.”

You might start caring about coupons, weather forecasts, and your cholesterol. Suddenly, a new vacuum is genuinely exciting. You’ll realize your parents weren’t nagging; they were just tired and trying to keep everyone alive.

You stop pretending to like things

In your early 20s, you might’ve pretended to like EDM festivals, kale smoothies, or that one friend’s weird experimental short film.

By your late 20s? You’re done. You proudly declare that you hate camping, you refuse to go to places without a decent parking lot, and you’re no longer afraid to leave parties early. You finally learn that “No” is a full sentence.

You start worrying about stuff you never even considered

Things like 401(k)s, dental insurance, water filters, and if that mole on your arm has always looked like that. You realize half your budget goes to “house stuff” you swore you’d never care about: dish racks, light bulbs, backup batteries for the smoke detector.

You catch yourself lecturing a friend about renter’s insurance and immediately feel 73 years old.

You learn that no one really has it together.

When you were younger, you thought 30-year-olds had life figured out. Spoiler: they don’t.

We’re all making it up as we go, Googling “how to cook chicken” for the millionth time, wondering if we locked the door, and trying to remember what that weird adulting word “escrow” means.

You start to realize the most comforting secret of adulthood is that no one is really an expert at it.

⸻

The beauty of your late 20s

As chaotic and confusing as these years feel, they’re also deeply freeing. You become softer with yourself. You learn to forgive your mistakes. You start listening to your gut more and comparing yourself to others less.

You realize you don’t have to have it all figured out before 30. You just have to keep showing up, learning, and maybe laughing at yourself a little along the way.

So here’s to the late 20s, to early bedtimes, weird knee pops, real friendships, and finally admitting you don’t actually like IPAs.

May we embrace the chaos and dance awkwardly into our 30s, one heating pad and glass of cheap wine at a time.