I turn 24 tomorrow and ever since I was a teenager, 24 has always seemed to be the first actual ‘adult-sounding’ age. To quote our Lord and Saviour, Miranda Hobbes, 24 is my ‘scary age’.

Which I do now recognise is stupid on account of the fact that 24 is not even remotely close to being old, but it does sound somewhat more sophisticated and chic than 23 ever did, so in the spirit of celebrating the end of my 24th year around the sun, here are 24 life lessons that I have learned in 24 years.

AND THIS IS A GOOD THING.

I am putting this one first because honestly, it’s the one I want every young person struggling with insecurity to know.

You forgot to iron your shirt today? I promise you, no one is taking any notice of it. You got drunk and made a joke that didn’t land? Everyone has already forgotten about it.

We are the sole main characters in our lives and so we can end up overthinking our actions and how other people may perceive us, but the best part about that is that everyone is so busy focusing on their own lives that they really don’t have time to obsess over yours! And if they do, that says way more about them and their priorities than it does you. So stop worrying so much about what other people MIGHT be thinking and allow yourself the grace to make mistakes, learn and grow, because that is quite literally the point of being alive.

Growing up, so many TV shows and movies were focussed around teenagers to the point where I was convinced that my life would peak between 13-19. Yikes.

Fortunately, this is not the case because honestly, between going through puberty and studying for exams, being a teenager SUCKED. There are definitely a lot of fond, formative memories I like to look back on, like having energy drink ‘tea parties’ and hanging out in homestuck cosplays at shopping centres with my friends (you WISH you were as cool as I was), but objectively, life has gotten a LOT better in my twenties because I can actually DO stuff without the hindrance of teenage mood swings or age restrictions (okay I am still bitter about not being allowed at 35+ club nights but we’ll get there eventually).

I’m not saying that you need to resent your teenage years, but I do want to say that generally, life will get a LOT better the older you get. Just check out last week’s blog if you still don’t believe me.

This one could be divisive.

I am a fan of a fun little cocktail or a glass of wine, but I have concluded that, at my big age of (almost) 24, getting drunk really isn’t as fun as I convinced myself it was for the past 5 years.

When I was in my first year of university, everything involved not just drinking, but specifically getting drunk, and because I was having so much fun being in a new city and making new friends, I really aligned drunkenness with the ultimate happiness.

Which is actually quite a sad sentence to read back lol.

It’s only since doing some soul-searching the past 6 months that I’ve realised that blacking out, vomiting, feeling depressed and anxious and just plain unclean actually really doesn’t make me feel great (shocking!!! I know!!!) and so I’ve reduced my drinking A LOT. So while I am partial to an espresso martini or a margarita every so often, I really can’t recommend replacing a few drinks with a diet coke ENOUGH.

I am by no means a minimalist when it comes to shopping, but I can confidently say that if you’re ever wondering whether or not you should spend your money on a new hoodie or concert tickets, you should always opt for the concert tickets because ultimately, experiences are what make up our memories.

I suppose this is a lesson that is neatly packaged into ‘A Christmas Carol’, what with the message being that caring for others and surrounding yourself with love is better for you than surrounding yourself with things, and I do think this one is really important to remember in today’s overly consumerist culture where influencers and brands are pushing you to spend your money on products, but keep in mind that a truly fulfilling life is built on the relationships you have with other people, rather than whether or not you make a lot of money and can afford overpriced shoes.

That being said…

As someone who used to just sleep in oversized t-shirts and hoodies, I really do advocate for a cosy pair of pyjamas to help you lock in to being ready for bed. I am personally slowly collecting all the pyjama sets from Cotton On and trust me, they are the reason I feel like I’m finally getting my act together.

My line manager at my last job (miss u Rebecca!) taught me this and I am so grateful for this knowledge.

While I’m pretty settled on being a long-layers brunette girly, I have had pink hair, short hair, blonde hair, and blue hair just to name a few styles. If you want to change your hair, you should do it, because it WILL grow back and you may end up falling in love with a new signature style.

I am typing this while swirling tap water around in a rose-coloured coupe glass from Oliver Bonas and feeling very Oscar Wilde while doing so. Plus you can thrift unique glassware from charity shops and eBay so sustainability WIN.

And neither does the number on the scale when it comes to determining whether or not you should like yourself enough to enjoy life.

I used to have so many Pinterest boards full of outfits that I thought would only look good on me when my body looked a very particular way, but you know what? Truly good outfits look good regardless of your size, so don’t let that annoying voice in the back of your mind prevent you from finishing your meals or force you to obsess over numbers.

On the topic of bodies though, please for the love of God take care of your joints and muscles by doing some stretching or light yoga or something because I pulled a muscle in my foot last week and could not walk properly for FIVE DAYS without being in agony. So like, yeah.

I promise I will actually post to the ‘Culture’ section of this website with a book rec list, but genuinely, reading books will make you feel both entertained (unless it’s a boring book ig) AND like you have your life together because of John Stuart Mill’s branch of Utilitarianism. Yeeaaaah.

Okay actually this is a bit of a lie because I haven’t memorised the whole dance yet but trust me, when I do, it is going to be one of the best things I will have ever learned.

Every postcard ends up being a treasured decoration in our flat, I adore them.

This may be because I only ever really run when I am late for a train or trying to catch the bus but I just can’t fathom that something that leaves my chest in so much pain can be good for me??? Hot girl walks FTW.

Honestly, most of my journals are full of cryptic poems about whatever’s on my mind, which makes for interesting readability (but luckily it’s just me reading them so it’s fine).

Sometimes, the most effective way to get your emotions out is to just write whatever sporadic words come to mind and not to worry about whether or not it makes sense. The journal should serve YOU, not the other way around.

I took a high dose for a few weeks because I was deficient and WOW I was truly walking on sunshine (which is impressive for living in Manchester during the autumn and winter).

If you’ve had a conversation with me whenever I’m in Essex visiting family, you’ll know I can go on and on and ON about how much I hate the hard water here!

Like sure, I was used to it growing up, but since moving to Manchester over 5 years ago, I have discovered how good the soft water here is for your hair so NOW, whenever I wash my hair in Essex, it goes brittle with the mineral content and BREAKS OFF WTF. This website is NOT a safe space for hard water enjoyers!!!

Back to the topic of hair! I know that it would be more feminist of me to take a neutral stance on body hair but fuck it, it’s my list and I think given how so many women are berated for keeping their body hair, there’s no harm in celebrating it a bit more than we currently do.

Like firstly, you’re probably saving you money, and secondly, there is a certain je ne sais quoi about having things with interesting backstories. For example, I have this super cute leather handbag that I got in a charity shop in Orkney for £5 and honestly, being able to tell people that already makes the £5 SO worth it, because then the bag has some character added to it. Plus:

Most days, life is going to be much the same. Wake up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed etc, but allowing yourself to take pleasure in the little things makes a big difference in how you feel about seemingly ordinary activities.

For example, take a few moments to appreciate the world around you by looking around, hearing the sounds of the city (even if it is a street fight outside the local Spar).

I like making picture blogs for TikTok because it encourages me to frame the mundane moments in my day in a more fun, picturesque manner, and idk, that just makes life feel a lot more enjoyable.

Before I moved to Manchester, I rarely took the bus because it was A) weirdly expensive??? And B) hugely unreliable, so finally moving to a city with TRAMS and MANY BUS ROUTES was actually mind-blowing for 18-year old me. I remember getting on random buses with my student bus pass just so I could stare out the window and pretend I was in a music video and honestly it truly was like having enrichment time in my enclosure (except the enclosure was ALL OF GREATER MANCHESTER WAHEY).

I feel like this experience needs to become more universally available and so local governments really need to fund public transport and discourage people from driving everywhere because honestly the highlight of my 2023 was hearing Liam Gallagher do the stop announcements on the Eccles Line tram and I feel bad that not everyone got to experience something as whimsical as that.

I fear for my life whenever I open our glassware cupboard but unfortunately I love them all so idk where that leaves us.

Sincerely, I just ordered a third perfume for my collection because I start a new job next week and that requires a new scent (I’m aware of my hypocrisies for criticising consumer culture while also overconsuming, and this awareness completely absolves me of my guilt I’m pretty sure).

Okay let’s end on a final serious one.

I think that it’s good to take a step back and assess where you are compared to where you want to be. Sometimes, that might mean changing jobs, changing habits, trying something new. Which can be scary.

But it’s never too late to switch things up. I strongly believe it’s better to pause and take a step back rather than to move forward filled with regrets, and I personally believe that you are never too old or too far gone to do that.

I have seen far too many people talk about the things they wished they had done while clearly resenting the choices they’ve settled for, which is why I believe it’s important to live by the advice of Kim Cattrall and never “be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself”, because quite frankly, life is too short not to live it happily. I know this well, given how these 24 years have flown by.

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