Five Things I Wish I'd Learned Long Before 25

1. It's okay to have a quarter-life crisis. We all manage stress differently, and we all respond to struggle in our own private or not so private way. For me, the process of fumbling through my first professional job pushed me to think long and hard about my future. I know I'm lucky to even have a career since so many of my classmates are still struggling to break the limbo that is the entry-level job world, but this is not enough for me. As I approach age 25, I still have no idea where my professional life is going and that scares me to death sometimes. I celebrated my first emotional breakdown on Thanksgiving this year and it undoubtedly won't be the last - but that's okay. I'm doing a million things at once and sometimes, it's okay to cave.

2. Your heart will mend. I know it sounds sophomoric but I have to "go there" because it's a point I want to pass to younger women. I arrived late to the dating scene, so I made up for lost time by stumbling through consecutive terrible relationships, all ending in obnoxious crying scenes. I swore I would never recover, and I always did - quickly. What I see in retrospect is that I fell into the trap of thinking that passion is the same thing as love. Passion has nothing to do with compatibility, compromise or respect - it is simply the expression of desire. The guys I thought I would love "for-eh-veeer" turned out to be men I simply desired. I can't claim to be in a position of authority when it comes to relationships, but I can say with certainty that if you think you'll never love again - chances are you will. And it'll be so, so much better.

3. Domestic goddess or career woman, you gotta have hobbies. I'm no housewife, and I never could be, but I give major props to the women who are. I keep a clean house and take care of my pets, but I've learned that my hobbies lie outside the home domain. I need to do things that maintain my physical and mental health because life does not provide those things naturally. While one could argue that traditional tasks like gardening and cooking are enough to establish that stability, I think each person finds their therapy differently. I don't know how to sew and I don't cook often, but I adore any type of movement (pilates, dance, hikes) and graphic design when I'm stressed out. I Photoshop little business cards and invitations for friends, and I blog about my daily life when I can. I realize now that hobbies aren't simply fun - they're necessary.

4. Look your age and enjoy it. Why is it that girls try to look older through their teen years and younger once they hit their mid-20's? It's as if our beauty ideal is stuck in some weird homeostasis at age 21. Personally, I get a kick out of the fact that I don't get carded any more but I also get mistaken for an intern at work. It's awesome to look like a young woman instead of a teenager, and I welcome that switch with open arms. I've decided to stop dying my hair and I don't wear make up, because it's so much easier, cheaper and more fulfilling to receive compliments knowing I've earned them naturally. On that note, women in their early 20's should also learn to appreciate their bodies with all their curves, or lack of them. I know this all sounds very Dove advertising campaign, but if you can't enjoy your body in its prime, when WILL you enjoy it?

5. Happiness is a lifestyle, not a temporary high. Much like the environment, a life must be maintained to ensure sustainability. Burning out at work, partying too hard outside of it, and treating relationships recklessly are all fast ways to a lonely life and an early grave. In my idiotic college years I spent my time chasing delusions of grandeur while blowing off every relationship I made. In my adulthood, I treasure every bond I forge and I live my life slowly - instead of hurtling toward some abstract lifetime goal. I want to live well into my old age, long enough to rock my grandchildren on my front porch while still typing away in my blog. I'm glad to say that I think I'll reach that happy senility someday.