It's giving ✨mid-life crisis✨

I announced on the 24th April via Instagram that I was going to be continuing carrying on my blog and to expect a new blog post soon. It's now 2 months later and have I posted a new post? Of course I haven't. I've had in my head that promoting my blog is something to be scared of in case people judge or talk about me. But it's something I love doing so I've decided to bite the bullet for real this time and just go for it. People talk anyways so may as well give them something to talk about!

Before I start I just want to say how appreciative I am of all my family (especially my Dad <3), my friends and to the people I barely know who have messaged me about my blog for really pushing me to continue on with it. It's still a really scary thing for me to publish and promote my own blog properly so all the extra words of encouragement has really helped. 

So hello and welcome back to unfayezed, my own lil blog where I fill you in on what's going on in my life as a 23 year old gal who hasn't quite figured it all out yet, and maybe some cool or inspiring stories along the way. This post is actually a bit long and I intend most of them to be short and sweet but had to get the intro etc out of the way but I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Today's topic is something that I've been struggling with a lot lately, and the silver lining of it all is that it's what's been pushing me to really make an effort to consistently posting on this blog. Although the blog title sounds a bit dramatic (as you get to know me, you'll learn that dramatic is my middle name), I have been feeling pretty burnt out recently as I've been working tons (which I normally love) but I've also been worrying about what on earth am I gonna do with my life when I graduate. So any time someone has asked me how I have been, I've been telling them I'm having a mid-life crisis, to which most people respond with "I think you mean a quarter-life crisis" (like hello where's the advice I was expecting?).

I'm currently in my final semester of my MSc Marketing degree at Ulster University and I've finally got to the stage where I'm like oh sh!t (mum doesn't approve of swearing so this will do) I probably should be applying for jobs and realising that a lot of change is going to be happening once I finish uni. I'm actually in the library right now where I'm meant to be writing my proposal for my applied project (which is due Friday and I'm working 50 hours this week between both of my jobs). 

But anyways besides the point, I've been a lil stressed out the last few weeks worrying about my future because to be honest, I don't have it all planned out and I have been stuck with this constant feeling that I should have my life sorted by now. 

I think it's really easy to jump to conclusions and think that everybody else has their lives together, especially in your twenties. It's a weird feeling when you go on to Insta and see that so and so has bought a house and oh this couple from school has just got engaged while you're sat at home in your pjs at 3pm and you're deciding if you want to start watching Euphoria again for the tenth time or not (which is totally acceptable). 

Even all my own friends are all at completely different stages of life to me, one of my best friends has just left her grad job and has jetted off to America for the Summer (miss U girl) and one of my other besties has retired from being a full-party girl to certified lover girl instead (TikTok reference here for anyone who is confused by the term certified lover girl). 

But in the stress of the last few weeks I've realized that that social media is so deceiving and we all just show the best parts of our lives. I've also discovered that most people my age are feeling as stressed as I am, even when it seems they have their lives sorted. One of the biggest realisations of it all though is that there is a lot of beauty in not having it all figured out. 

When I was an undergrad at Ulster (I did Journalism with English, which is when I discovered how much I enjoy writing), I was accepted to study in America through a study abroad scheme called ISEP. Studying abroad was something I've always wanted to do growing up. I had it all sorted and was on cloud nine at the excitement of it all, but COVID struck and my dreams were pretty much ruined. I was pretty heartbroken and low-key still have a grudge about it to this day. If you're an undergrad at uni and you're reading this, I highly recommend looking into it because there are so many places you can go and study abroad for the year, or even a semester. It's a really good opportunity if you're trying to branch out and become a more independent queen or king (like just imagine being a cool city girl/boy in Stockholm or Paris, what's not to love?).

Sorry got sidetracked but anyways, the crushing of my dreams (dramatic again I know) has inspired me to start looking for jobs abroad because moving away, even just for a while, is still something I would love to do. Since I have no plan set out, the world really is my oyster and I'm going to spend the summer finishing off my degree and looking into working abroad somewhere for a year or maybe do some travelling next year. Realising that because I don't have it all worked out, I actually have so many options and that's pretty cool.

I feel like the extra stress I've been experiencing over the last few weeks is actually what I needed to inspire me to really think about what I enjoy doing and what I want out of life. Even if you don't know what you want, that's completely ok too. Just grab a notebook (or your phone, whatever works best for you) think about what you love doing and make a list. Then just go from there and see what comes into mind about how you could start doing more of what you love. I promise it'll make you feel a bit better if you've been experiencing anything similar to what I have been, and it makes you a lot more appreciative too of the little things in life. 

I always want to finish off my blog posts with either some advice or just a positive lil message to take away with you. So today's message from me to you is that it is totally ok to not have it all figured out. Really, when you look at it simply from a different point-of-view, you can literally do anything and try anything you want when you don't have a plan. As Heraclitus once said "change is the only constant in life" (Greek philosopher in case you're like who now?) so you might as well just embrace it and enjoy your mid-life crisis (or quarter-life, whatever you wanna call it) like I am. 

Chat soon,

Faye xo