Get used to it. Seriously. The world is designed to keep you down (unless you’re a nepo baby, which it doesn’t sound like).

Trying to hold all those pieces of the puzzle together is stressful, and things will just keep piling up, and sooner or later it will all come crashing down.

Just take it a day at a time. Prioritize the things that are important, keep a list of things that require regular attention, and have some general idea of where you’re going and how to get there. But don’t stress too much about everything working out exactly as planned; be flexible because real life is dynamic and things always change, including your own priorities.

Make time for yourself and doing the things you enjoy, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and don’t be afraid to “do nothing” from time to time. Spend a little bit of time each day outside breathing fresh air. It’s all you can do, really…

Well, without any context it is hard to say. In very general terms, I have a little advice.

Find a job you don’t hate. You’re going be spending a lot of your time there, if it sucks your soul out you will never be happy. I think this is a super important one.

Don’t acquire needless debt. It’s so easy to fall into the buy now, pay later mentality. Especially when Klarna and Afterpay are shoved down your throat with every online purchase. It’s a slippery slope.

Quality is much more important than trendy. Sure, there is stuff that is quality and trendy. But you don’t need to buy a Le Creuset when a Lodge will do just as good.

Get a cheap hobby. Maybe there is a little up front capital to get started, like for tools or something. But if the rest of it is cheap, you’ll be able to do it more often. One of mine is restoring antique fountain pens. I needed a pen press, a buffing wheel, jewelry pliers, sac shellac, some 100% talc. But broken pens and sacs are cheap, so it is something I can do anytime for a few bucks. The detail work is soothing. And consumes hours.

It gets increasingly difficult to make friends after you’re out of school. So, hang on to your closest ones. Make time to keep seeing them, even if you don’t feel like going out.

I don’t know how young “young” is, but I think it’s pretty normal to feel that way in your early 20’s. It’s a time of big changes. And don’t compare yourself to social media. It’s not real life.

Well, I’m a millennial and I feel like I’m an alien in nightmare hell. So my best advice is to adjust your expectations. If you’re at all like me, you won’t. In which case, seek a healthy community now that will last you a lifetime, and to take really good care of your body and mind, you’re durable, but will still take on real damage because this is real life. Investing in yourself is always the right choice, but listen to your body. Be gayer. Drink more water. Wear sunscreen. Wash your butt. Environment means a LOT more than you realize. Listen to people’s actions, not their words. Inaction is still action. Correlation is not causation. Define what freedom means to you. All relationships with people, including yourself, are relationships that are temporary and always bidirectionally negotiable, for better and for worse. Stretch more. Air quality matters, co2, humidity, mold, particulates, smoke, temperature, smell, familiarity, etc. Learn to be with yourself and who you are. Advice is a form of nostalgia, be cautious but patient with those who supply it. Don’t be a dick. Love and kindness is always the answer. Make peace with death so that you can live your life. Being different isn’t easy, but there’s nothing wrong with it. Every single person is fucking stupid, including you, and that’s okay. Confidence is not a signifier of competence. Practice makes permanent. You are going to fail a lot, but you will also succeed. Find out what you truly enjoy, but accept that your tastes may change. Define integrity. Understand what a fad is. Don’t expect to be entertained. Practice empathy, but don’t put up too much with those who don’t. Don’t vape or smoke. Suck dick at least once. Eat butt puss at least once. Realize that most people are just like you, but that you are not default or average in anything. Seriously, drink more water. Sugar is water soluble. And learn how to properly brush your fucking teeth and go to the dentist.

The key to happiness is not to have any hard expectations. I’ve heard the phrase “strong opinions held loosely” at work. But in life, soften the strong part. Random chance will have more impact on your path than anything else, so flow with it.

Cut people out of your life that mistreat you. Do not make yourself miserable for some hypothetical better future.

It’s okay to try things without a full plan in place. It’s okay to drop things that aren’t working out; but do not rush to do so.

Invest yourself fully in your efforts. It’s okay if it doesn’t turn into anything. Even if you don’t end up with a tangible outcome, you’ll learn skills, you’ll learn about yourself, and you’ll find clarity in the bigger picture.

Do not constantly bog yourself down by repeatedly self-assessing. It’s a waste of energy and you’ll end up disappointed in the outcome of whatever you’re focused on.

Free yourself from fear of judgement. Look at how many morons are in positions of status and power. Criticizing you is a waste of time and energy. It’s foolish when others to do it, and it’s foolish to pre-emptively criticize yourself to get ahead of what others might say. (If you take any lesson here, let it be this one.)

Don’t be afraid to take a chance.

Take your time and find yourself and your place.

I feel it took me longer than most to find my place in life, but looking back everything I did in life lead up to this. It’s really special to finally get here. But I also took my own pace to get here, and thats not a problem at all.

Welcome to the club. The dirty little secret is nobody knows what they’re doing and any adult who tells you differently is lying to you. We are all flying by the seat of our pants in life, and just doing our best to make it. Enjoy the ride and try to have fun while you’re here.

You’re kinda fucked. The world needs a reboot.

In the meantime, figure out which professions pay a decent enough wage and do the one you find most tolerable/ least objectionable.

Plan to change jobs every two years to ensure a steady increase of income.

Dont borrow a shit ton of money till you got a career going you like.

Save some money. Doesnt have to be a ton but just a few dollars per week will be better than 0

Dont lend money to friends (if you do, dont expect to get them back)

Life gets better

I was struggling too when i was around 20.

Life is awesome now years later

Do people really use the picture on the box to lay puzzles? That sounds boring.

You’re probably not struggling as much as you think you are. Not in a “your problems aren’t that bad” kinda way but more in a "your responses to those problems aren’t as pitiful as you think they are. Just because the problem wasn’t 100% fixed doesn’t mean you didn’t deal with it like a boss. It’s not like everybody else is out there dancing through their problems with the grace of a ballerina. 90% of them have the fridge door open at 2am eating shredded cheese right out of the bag too. You’re doing great, don’t be so down on yourself.

Don’t necessarily do what everyone expects of you. Do what you need and want.

For that, you really need to know yourself. What makes you happy? Who do you want to be?

You will make mistakes along the way and the answers to those questions will be harder than it seema at first and also change over time. You might think you know yourself but that might change too.

Do what you think is right and wing it like everyone else.

Feel free to ask if you want some more detailed advice.

You really don’t know what the future holds, so don’t get bogged down planning too far ahead. Set yourself some achievable goals for the near future. It’s ok to have some vague plans for the distant future, but keep in mind that there is a good chance that your future could look very different than what you imagine it might be.