Quarter Life Epiphany by Emily
Emily is a twenty something living in Oxford, England. She’s enjoyed setting up her new blog Feet Meet World as a way to document her journey through her twenties – through travel, fashion and general everyday musings.
A quarter life crisis is very real. A time when you feel so confused, lost and alone. You may have panicked conversations with some of your friends also going through a crisis, which can help, but you can still feel like you’re the only one going through it.
I’ve suffered (and honestly, still going through) a quarter life crisis, however the thing I have learnt through all of this spirals down to one word:
Acceptance.
Although you may feel that your life is a mess and that you’re running out of time, this is something that you must go through to become the person you want to be and that panic, can sometimes promote the greatest ideas in life. Also, you need to remember that there are parts of your life that you may have ‘sorted’ that other people are worrying and having their quarter life crisis over.
Friends of mine would call me brave for moving to a strange city by myself or for travelling solo – things that never really fazed me when I decided to do them. It made me realise that people have different perceptions on the way we can handle our own lives. Travelling solo is fine. Finding a career path I’m happy with? That terrifies me to my very core.
This is a fantastic age to be. There is only a certain time in your life when you have the freedom to do certain things and you should take advantage of them while you can. In between worrying over where my life was headed I would often daydream about travelling off to distant lands. ‘One day’, I kept saying.
This is the time that you can move to a new city – just because you can. You can go travel and explore different cultures – just because you can.
I suddenly realised that as much as I want to get to the point when my life is settled, there are things I needed to do before I got to that point in my life and that this is the only time of my life when I can.
More about Emily
I OCCASIONALLY travel solo, because I think it is…
A great way to find out more about yourself.
I get through long flights by…
Making sure I’m on a flight with my own tv – I once caught up on an entire series of Downton Abbey!
When traveling, I always miss…
My mum’s Mac and Cheese.
I REALLY want to visit…
Australia and New Zealand.
Best travel tip?
Learn at least a couple of words/phrases of the language that the country you visit speaks. It shows a lot of respect.
Best packing tip?
Luggage scales. Before flying out I use them to make sure I’ve got plenty of space for gifts – also don’t forget, if you go swimming the day before you fly home, those items are likely to be heavier!
Worst travel experience? What did you learn?
Never take a holdall on wheels. I was thinking it was a good compromise between a backpack (I get a bad back so didn’t want the weight on the old back) and a suitcase. You’ll pack your bag really well then when you stand it up everything tumbles to the bottom and it throws the balance of the bag out of whack – meaning whenever you try to wheel it around it’ll keep tipping over!
Also, because there’s no structure to the bag, when everything falls to the bottom it makes the bag seem much bigger. I looked like I had a bag for 3 people when I didn’t actually overpack!
Current city versus home city?
I live in Oxford, which is a beautiful city but quite small. It means it has loads of amenities and lots going on without feeling like it’s too overrun. My hometown is a small town in Wiltshire, where there are lots of charity shops and estate agents. There was never anything to do growing up and still not much to do there now. That being said, my family and closest friends are all there so it means that I still love to visit there as often as I can.
Favorite place to live?
Oxford!
Favorite place to visit?
Portsmouth. I went to uni there so it’s very nostalgic. Plus it’s by the sea – winner!
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Check out the other posts of the Quarter Life Epiphany series by clicking here
A short vacation in Thailand turned into a life abroad with a canceled ticket home. Nearly a decade later and after living in Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Puebla, and Puerto Vallarta, Steph is on to her next adventure and living back in beautiful, cosmopolitan Mexico City. She is living, traveling, and working (both as an expat therapist and an international health insurance representative) around the world to find the beautiful, inspirational, and interesting while sharing it with you!
