Tag: Tips For Twentysomethings

7 Things You Should Have By The Time You’re 27

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Hey readers! This week I decided to post something birthday-related like I did when I turned 25 (one of my favorite posts, ever!). I talked about it on instagram but I always super excited to turn 27 because the number 27 has literally followed me since I can remember. Many important things, dates, etc. in my life have always been on the 27th or related to the number 27. The point is this birthday is a birthday I was looking forward to for a while. Obviously this year is nothing like I imagined buuut I’m still interested in seeing how 27 plays out.

I wanted to keep this post a little light and playful so while most of these suggestions are super serious and things I believe are needed for overall wellness, some of them are also just me making jokes about things that I like. Here are 7 things I personally think EVERYONE should have by the time they ring in their 27th birthday!

1. Self-Awareness

The other day I had a session with my therapist and I was venting about something (surprise surprise) and I noted how my role in the situation I was talking about. My therapist then gave me one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten; she said that I was really self-aware. I think the sooner the better when it comes to fostering your self-awareness, but I personally think from age 26 to age 27 is when mine has improved the most.

2. A Solid Group of Best Friends

By no means am I saying that you will have every friend you will ever have or that you will lose every friend you will lose but I definitely think by age 27 you should have your solid group of best friends. I will tell anyone who will listen that I’m a girl’s girl and will literally go to the end of the earth for my friends. Obviously your group of best friends does not have to be one gender, I just don’t have very many male friends in general and definitely not any male best friends.

3. A Core Set of Values

Your values are always changing so this one may be a trick one but I do think by age 27 you should know how to assess your values for that current moment in your life and stick by them no matter one. I remember when I was in undergrad I attended this event and one of the speakers emphasized how important it is to know your values. She said that you have to know your values otherwise you will not know how to navigate making difficult decisions when they arise. If you don’t know your values, you won’t know when to say no to certain opportunities or other things that may go against your values. I think it’s really important to know how to know to do a values inventory by the time you turn 27.

4. A Therapist

First I must address that I know that therapy is nowhere near as accessible as it should be (which sucks) but I do think everyone should try to go to therapy by the time they are 27. Personally, I went from the first time when I was 26 but I definitely wish I had gone way sooner. Having a therapist has been a major game-changer for me. Not only am I able to regulate my emotions better when I’m not in therapy, I don’t have to always be the friend who is venting about my issues when I talk to my friends. I never want to be that person and I think getting a therapist has helped me make sure I am a better friend, daughter, student, and everything else than I was before.

5. Hobbies You Aren’t Trying to Monetize

There was a point in time when I thought I needed to profit off of everything I enjoyed/was good at. Can you blame me? As millennials and Gen Z there is a constant focus on having side hustles. This is due to us trying to make ends meet and the cost of living rising without minimum wage doing the same. Anyways, something you should have by the age of 27 is a hobby that you throuhouly enjoy that doesn’t make you money. I learned over the years that if you try to make money from everything you do you know longer enjoy your hobbies like you used to and it changes the creative process of it all. I do still think it’s important to have a side hustle but everything doesn’t need to be a side hustle.

6. A Go-To Brunch Spot

This is more of a fun suggestion since the rest of the list is pretty serious. I don’t know about y’all but ya girl loves a good brunch. It’s literally a part of my brand at this point, hahaha. As I get older the long nights out at the club shifted to day drinking and in my opinion, brunch is one of the most fun ways to engage in day drinking. If you’re not a big drinker (I’m getting there slowly but surely) brunch food is also just really good and a great meal to eat while catching up with friends! If you and your friends are brunch-enthusiasts, it’s so important to have a brunch recommendation when they go come into town. With all of this being said, I think everybody should have a go-to brunch spot by age 27, especially if you want me to visit you because brunch is my favorite pass time!

7. A Signature Drink When You Go Out

I don’t think that 27 is some old age but it definitely doesn’t feel the same as the youthfulness of 21. I’m not sure exactly when this happened but when I was in my early twenties I could drink whatever I was handed. Now-a-days my body only responds well to certain types of drinks and will go completely insane if I try to drink the forbidden ones (I’m looking at you, vodka shots!). I really do think having a signature drink or a few if you like to switch it up is an important part of being a more sophisticated drinker. There’s something about going up to the bar and already knowing what I’m going to order each time and what I always order that makes me feel more grown, haha!

Of course, it goes without saying that we all enjoy different things and there is no one right* way to be in your late 20s. These are just some of the few things I think everyone should have by the time they are 27, or at least what I’m glad I have now that I’m 27.

What are some things you hope to have by age 27? If you are 27+, what advice do you give to early-20s and mid-20s readers? Sound off in the comments below!

3 Fun and Virtual Ways to Practice Social-Distancing #StayTheFHome

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Hello my amazing readers! I hope you are holding up well. I know last blog post I said I didn’t want to write about the current global pandemic but it’s been brought to my attention that many people are not understanding that we need to practice social distancing right now to flatten the curve. For information on that click here.

As an Aries sun and extrovert queen I am completely aware of how hard it is to stay home and not hang out in person with our friends. However, this entire COVID-19 situation has helped me learn various ways I can hang out with my friends virtually until we are able to leave our homes for more than essentials. These virtual hangouts are a great way to get that social interaction in without putting yourself or others at risk of spreading COVID-19.

Have A Zoom Party

I know, we are over Zoom as many of us are attending Zoom University or Zoom School of Law but listen, Zoom parties/hangouts have been getting me through this entire social-distancing thing! In the past few weeks my friends and I have done everything on Zoom from our school hosting a Virtual Bar Review (Bar Review is a law school event when student organizations  take turns hosting an event at a local bar every week), Wine Wednesday, my birthday party, and a regular Zoom party (ya girl was the DJ). While it’s clearly not the same as going to the bar, it is still a fun time and you get to see everyone’s faces. Group Facetime could also be an option but not everyone has an iPhone and we don’t want exclude our Android using friends. Make sure to have a password for your chats as people have been getting hacked on their Zoom calls.

Host a Movie Night on Netflix Party

I am so upset it took social distancing for me to discover Netflix Party because it is truly a Godsend! One night a group of friends and I watched 3 episodes of Black Mirror (White Christmas, Black Museum, and Hang The DJ for all my Black Mirror Fans out there wondering) and it was literally so much fun. How it works is you download the Netflix Party extension here and then someone invites everyone through a link and all of you can watch the show/movie/whatever you decide to watch synced together at the same time. You can even pause it if some needs to use the bathroom or get some more snacks/wine! I really enjoyed it because there is also a chatbox on the side and you can type your feelings while watching. It’s especially fun when you watch something as crazy as Black Mirror with people who have never seen it before. I am super excited to have more Netflix Watch Parties in the future. This is not only a good tool for social-distancing. My best friend lives in Tulsa and I already know I’m going to plan some movie nights with her from now on, even after this social-distancing life is over. It is also useful for couples in long distance relationships to plan their own version of Netflix & Chill, hahaha! To download Netflix Party extension click here!

Play some Virtual Card Games

You and your friends can play different card games here. I haven’t had the chance to use this particular resource but one of my friends shared it in our group text and it sounded like so much fun. They even have they have their own version of Cards Against Humanity called Remote Insensitivity. Set this up with a separate video chat and it will be a blast. I have yet to use this resource yet but I’m looking forward to doing so on some of the other virtual chats I will have over the next month or two or however long.

These are just a few of the many resources we can use during this social distancing time. I’m sure there are many that I will discover as we continue this practice of staying home and interacting with our friends on their internet. We can also use the good ol’ fasioned Facetime, Skype, Google Hangouts, and other video chats that exist.

Do you have any favorite virtual ways to social-distance and still hang out with your friends? Let me know in the comments below!

A Guide To Alcohol-Free Fun For Twentysomethings

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The other day I was talking to some of my friends and one of them said something that has been stuck in my mind. She said “I need to find hobbies or things to do that don’t involve alcohol.” Ironically enough, this was after we had spent the day at a bottomless mimosa brunch and we’re getting ready to start pre-gaming to go out, but she had a point. I realized that many millennial and generation Z-ers, myself included, usually socialize when there is something involving alcohol. Well, as I dive further into my health + fitness journey, only socializing with my friends if we are drinking doesn’t really align with my current goals. This inspired me to write this post about activities we can do that don’t involve alcohol.

Host a Breakfast Party

Just think, brunch, without the mimosas (or the overpriced french toast). While, in my humble opinion, mimosas may or may not be the best part of brunch for some, breakfast food is also a star on it’s own. On NYE some friends and I cooked our own brunch (and added mimosas) and then sat down and talked about our goals for the New Year and other things. It was honestly so much better than trying to have conversation at a crowded brunch restaurant trying to see how many you can drink in the two hour limit. Even without the mimosas, I’m sure it would have been fun to have the breakfast without mimosas. Each friend can be assigned a dish (the friends who can’t cook can cut up fruit or something) and then you can enjoy the meal you all helped contribute to. This can also apply to lunch or dinner if breakfast is not your thing.

Get Active

Whether it’s going on a hike, snowboarding, taking a group fitness class, or even a pole dancing class, participating in exercise with your friends can be so fun, especially if it’s activity you or your friends have never participated in before (these make for the best stories). I especially enjoy hiking with other people because you usually don’t have service on mountains and allows your friend group to have great unplugged conversations about everything in life.

Channel Your Inner Artist (or crafter)

One of the things I missed about being in undergrad with my sorority sisters is the many arts and crafts nights we had whenever recruitment or some other equally important event was around the corner. A good way to hang out with your friends sans alcohol is letting your creative juices flow. Whether it be a vision board party, paint night, or whatever else, arts and crafts bring people together. If it’s one of the holidays you can also incorporate that into your night in with friends. Halloween? Carve or paint (my personal fave of the two options) pumpkins. Celebrate Christmas? Have a Gingerbread house decorating contest.

Go Volunteer

Giving back to your community is a great way to build friendships and feel good about yourself. Instead of having a hangover, you will feel happy that you helped a greater cause. Some ideas are soup kitchens, pet shelters, or even helping set up a 5K. Google community service opportunities in your city for more fun ideas.

I’m sure there are many other things you can do with your friends and without alcohol. My friends personally love to go out to eat together but I wasn’t going to list that because it’s probably the most common thing friends do besides going out to drink. Go out (or stay in) with your friends and get started on these activities. I’m sure you’ll have a blast!

Is there something you do with your friends that doesn’t involve alcohol that I didn’t list here? Let me know in the comments! I’m always open for more activities to do.