Adulting - The Myth, The Struggle, The Reality

 Adulting—that magical phase in life when you go from living with your parents to wondering why you can’t afford things on a regular basis. But here’s the thing about adulting it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Sure, there’s the freedom to eat junk for dinner and no one to yell at you for having laundry piled up, but there are also bills, responsibilities and decisions that could change the course of your life, like whether to splurge on a fancy coffee at Starbucks or settle for a cutting chai at the roadside tapri.

The Magic of Bills

Remember when you were a kid the most stressful part of your day was figuring out if you missed an episode of your favorite cartoon in Cartoon Network. Now, you open your mailbox and find a collection of bills, each one a little reminder that you are in fact a full-fledged grown-up.

üUtility bills? Check

üCredit card bills? Check

ü EMI’s ? Check 

You begin to wonder if "adulting" is just a never-ending series of transactions with a side of existential dread. And don’t even get me started on the joy of trying to remember passwords for your various accounts. You’re juggling bills and logins like a circus performer with no idea what’s going on but doing it because you’re an adult.

The Laundry Saga

You would have imagined that by the time you reached adulthood laundry would be a breeze. Wrong. There is a reason why "laundry day" sounds more like "a day of reckoning" than a fun, fulfilling chore. The process starts innocently enough. You throw in a load convinced you’re on top of it. Then, after a few days of searching for your favorite top and realizing you still have no clean towels, it hits you: "I can’t live like this anymore." You attempt to tackle the ever-growing mountain of laundry only to fall victim to procrastination once again. So, it goes… the endless cycle of hope, denial and that sweet moment of throwing the last load in.

Cooking: AKA The Art of Getting Takeout

When you were younger, cooking was something reserved for “grown-ups” with fancy kitchens and even fancier aprons. Now as an adult you’ve figured out how to make stuff. You might tell yourself, “I’ll cook more this week!” But then, reality hits. You realize why Swiggy and Zomato are flourishing. And then you realize that’s not good for health and end up cooking and eating the same food for at least three meals, still pretending to enjoy.

The Social Calendar... Or Lack Thereof

Being an adult means social events aren’t about who can make the best prank call, but about coordinating schedules. “Wait, you want to hang out next Saturday? Hmm, let me check my calendar.” A few years ago, you would casually meet up with friends at a bar on a whim. But now you need to put a strategic planning meeting just to catch up for lunch. And those weekends? Well, you don’t really need to go out - there’s laundry to do, Netflix to watch, and a grocery list that’s long enough to put War and Peace to shame.

The Perpetual Battle With “Motivation”

There’s always that one person who claims, “I’ve never procrastinated in my life!” And you can’t help but think, “You’re either lying, or you’re a robot.” Because as a certified adult, you’ve mastered the art of procrastination. From that report you need to send to the one email that’s been sitting in your inbox for days, you’re always finding ways to delay while engaging in deep, meaningful activities like scrolling through social media or checking the weather forecast for the next two weeks.

The reality is, "adulting" comes with a constant internal battle of do I need to do this now? vs. I will do it later, when I’m ‘in the mood’. Spoiler alert: you are never in the mood.

The Impossible Task of Maintaining a “Routine”

We all know that “healthy adult” stereotype the one who wakes up at 5:00 AM, goes for a run, eats a green smoothie and reads self-help books before breakfast. Meanwhile, you’re just trying to keep your eyelids open by 9 AM and your “exercise” consists of walking to the fridge every 30 minutes to check if there’s anything new in there. That “routine” you had planned? Yeah, it doesn’t exist. You try but, your inner chaos is always right there, whispering, “Just hit snooze. You deserve it.”

Why Do I Need a Plant?

You’ve likely tried your hand at keeping a plant alive. Maybe it was a succulent because, you know succulents are low maintenance. But suddenly you realize your once-green plant is now a tragic, dried-out piece of foliage. You’ve killed something that doesn’t even need much care. But adulting is full of small failures and you’ve just added “plant murderer” to your list of adulting regrets.

In conclusion, adulting is like trying to assemble an IKEA furniture without the instructions: kind of making it harder than you thought. But let’s face it you are still doing it. Sure, you might still be wondering if you have really figured out what our tax slab looks like after the new budget, but the fact that you’re managing to keep yourself fed and alive is enough of an accomplishment.

So next time you’re crying over your bills or staring at your laundry pile like it’s Mount Everest just remember you’re not alone. We’re all pretending to have it together, one at a time.