Since turning 26 and officially entering my “late twenties” in November, I’ve noticed subtly changes happening with myself and the people around me.
- Getting together with friends has started to consist of work out classes, cooking and catching up on TV instead of happy hours that last until midnight.
- You’re expected to know about politics and what’s happening in the world.
- Hangovers last forever! My hangover the day after my 26th birthday was the longest hangover I’ve ever had. It’s not uncommon for me to still feel a bit queezy on a Monday morning after a party-filled Saturday night.
- Starting to pay more attention to wrinkle creams because each day is a day closer to 30 and – you know – it’s never too early to start a skin-care regiment…
- My metabolism has gotten slow! Anyone else remember eating a whole bag of chips and a pint of ice cream for dinner in college? Now I’m lucky if I can eat a quarter of each without feeling guilt in the form of gut rot.
- There’s a different type of peer pressure plaguing your life. In college you had to be the life of the party and then – BAM – all of a sudden you’re supposed to be getting married, having children and buying houses.
- Crushes on teenage boy bands start to sound…eh…a little strange. My love for One Direction didn’t seem as weird in my early twenties, but all of a sudden now I’m a creeper.
- It’s considered a crazy, wild night if I’m still at the bar when the lights come on at 2am. Just a year ago, staying out until 2am was the norm.
- Your group of friends gets smaller and smaller because people are getting busy with husbands, kids and just being tired from life.
- And finally: people are getting pregnant on purpose.