Adultin?: A Reformed NEET’s Guide to Showing Up

Up at 5Office at 8Back by 10 PM Somehow, I love it. If someone had told me 2 years ago this would be my new normal, I’d have laughed in their faceMe? The ADHD poster child and lazybum extraordinaire? The degenerate NEET who couldn’t be bothered to leave the house unless absolutely necessary? But here we areIt’s Sunday and I’m already prepping myself mentally for work tomorrow Don’t even get me started on the workaholic jokes. If there’s one thing I’m glad for last year, it’s getting the chance to speedrun 3 years worth of corporate experience in a couple months. And honestly? It’s basically: Show up at workDo something (even if it’s nothing consequential)Repeat x5 days a week. Simple, right?Except it’s not. Some days it’s sad, some days it’s aiit, but here’s the weird part, I realized I feel shitty when I don’t go to work on a weekday, even if I’m not doing anything particularly important at the office. I think…I actually enjoy working at corporate (Eww). My biggest gripe is just the traffic since I live far from work. But there’s something genuinely fulfilling about getting out of bed each morning to do something, to be around people I’m getting familiar with, to help out or contribute one way or another Or maybe I just like getting paid lmao. <h4>The Monday Everything Fell Apart</h4> The day I realized I was really in this adulting thing was a Monday morning that started like absolute garbageSomehow, in the 5 minutes between leaving my house and getting to the terminal, I’d lost my budgeted transport fare for the entire week. Just… gone. Cash I couldn’t afford to lose, vanished into thin air. I can’t even begin to describe how shitty that morning feltEvery fiber of my being wanted to turn around, go home, and cryMaybe ask someone for help But…I didn’t Two thoughts kept looping in my head: “No one’s coming to save you” and “We promised to do better” It was a Monday, I literally couldn’t skip. Besides the fact that I’d basically gotten into trouble throughout my first month due to certain marvelous misadventures My boss had already been on my ass for not informing her the day before the last time I missed workSo I had no choice but to suck it up. It could’ve been a completely shitty dayHell, it should’ve been. But by the time evening came around, I was actually glad I went to workAnd here’s what really got memy feelings of discomfort weren’t as overwhelming as I thought they’d be. Yes, I lost a lot of cash Yes, it really sucked and I would’ve loved nothing more than to skip work, cry, and indulge in something sweet and unnecessaryBut the bills won’t pay themselves. I couldn’t just wallow because of a bad 15 minutes, or even a bad 24 hours. And most importantly? I discovered I was stronger than I always thought* The New Year’s hereThere’s a lot to do, experience, and explore But my biggest lesson last year was realizing that being a young adult doesn’t necessarily mean having all your shit together. It means trying and doing Keep trying to do what you need to do regardless of circumstancesDo the things you have to do because literally no one else can live your life for you. And honestly? Most of the battles we fight, the ones that feel impossible in the moment are happening in our headsThe gap between how bad we think something will be and how bad it actually is? That gap is where reality lives. “Adulting is basically trying to be an adult, add emotional regulation and useful habits, and voila~ Adult” It’s not perfectIt’s not Instagram-worthyBut it’s real And apparently, it’s me now

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