How to Wash Away that Dirty-30s Feeling
Whoever said, “Wait for your 30s, that’s when your life really begins!” was absolutely right. Sounds like madness, maybe? Everyone knows the 30s are a wicked age to be, right? Well, maybe not. Before jumping to any conclusions, please hear me out.
I remember when my 20s were coming to an end, I entered a state of near devastation just thinking about turning the “Big 3-0“. I kept thinking, “I’m so old now. It’s all downhill from here.” It was also the time I realized that I had spent nearly half my life in the United States, which seemed shocking. I moved here from Poland at the age of 14, which made me wonder even more: “Where has the time gone?”
So I can really relate to you 20-somethings out there who are heading for 30. I was right where you are now. Life was flying by, mostly OK, but like you, I still had those nagging fears, dreads and anxieties about my life. Had I achieved enough? Where was I going? What am I doing here anyway?
I’ve come to realize that all of us in our 20s felt that way. Those were the years that I experienced periods where I felt stupidly insecure, sometimes unstable, and yes, even depressed. I can see now that I was constantly engaging in self-hating thoughts, full of anger and self-judgment, and I just didn’t feel worthy of the people around me.
Don’t get me wrong though. My 20s were also a time when I had a lot more energy to go out and have fun. I even made a few damn good decisions, such as marrying my wonderful husband. However, all those underlying negative feelings below the surface did affect me to my core, and they stuck with me until I turned about 29.
And hey! Guess what?! I spent that year reassessing things, and I found out that all that angst is unnecessary! I am brave enough to say that turning 30 made me feel like I could finally take a truly deep breath and relax my overactive mind.
It was truly a huge relief I can tell you. I no longer feared the Dirty-30s. I think a better adjective here is actually “mindful”. I am in my Mindful-30s. I even look forward to each birthday because I realize that each extra year brings even more excitement and opportunities into my life.
My 30th year of life turned out to be very transformative. I started to look at life very differently. For example, I’ve been exploring more of a spiritual direction and simplifying my life to what’s really important. I spend time now with like-minded people and I’ve changed my diet over to a plant-based focus. I meditate each day and it has guided me into a more mindful life.
But the best thing is that I’ve started to love myself more, which I truly believe is the key to happiness. And I’ve discovered quite a number of other powerful techniques that I wish I knew sooner! Things anyone can do to transform their lives from being worried and lonely to having a true sense of inner peace and connection.
So stick with me as I travel through the next 10 years, as our 30s truly take hold, and I share with you the actions and ideas that can really bring about lasting change and inner peace. And actually, this stuff works for anyone at any age, so feel free to pass this link along.
Time to say goodbye to those awful Tension-Filled-20s. And it’s time to ditch the idea of the disastrous Dirty-30s. Join me instead as we enter our incredible “Mindful-30s” or whatever age you are right now. It’s going to be transformative and we’re just getting started.
