I turned 25 years old just over a week ago now, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Aging has always been an interesting thing for me. In many ways, it felt like I couldn’t wait to grow up – and suddenly, it was happening too fast and I wanted time to slow down. Today, I feel like I am exactly where I should be. I feel 25 in my soul and I am over the moon to be at this stage of my life.

My early twenties (and late teens for that matter) were a bit of a crazy rollercoaster ride. In terms of mental health, things were pretty rough and only got worse up until this last year, as I’ve written about before. Recent setbacks have also shown me that my commitment to prioritizing my mental health needs to be taken more seriously than ever. I was really all over the place, especially in my early twenties when I lived in many different places, was trying different jobs out, gaining and losing friends, and more.

I suppose that’s maybe what your early twenties are for: exploring, discovering, learning. But for me, I always felt a bit unsettled. Anxious, perhaps. And the older I got, the worse my mental health seemed to get – until I really started to prioritize it, about a year ago now. With all of these factors combined, it felt like there were many times over the past few years when I didn’t think I would make it to this stage. These moments, combined with the truth that many people truly don’t make it and have the luxury of growing older, makes me realize that aging really is a gift. I am choosing to celebrate it that way, now and moving forward into the future of aging as well.

Having spent so much time in the past few years trying to run, or up-level myself in some way, or always move on to the next best thing – I am now working on just sitting, and being content. Content with myself and where I am at. It is hard to unlearn old patterns, but it also feels right. It’s been a hell of a journey for me to get here, and I don’t need to push myself to do more, be more, reach for more – I can be content with where I am at, and spend some time enjoying it. Being content is something I am hoping to continually practice and carry with me as I head into the next phase of life.

I am truly looking forward to the next year, and stages of my journey. It definitely doesn’t mean I have things all figured out – far from it. Some days I still feel like I am starting at square one. But above all, I am grateful for everything that has brought me here, content with where I am now, and happy to be hopefully moving forward to better days in the future.

So here’s to 25. It’s here and I’m more than okay with that, and I’m just getting started. There’s a lot more living to come. Cheers to what the next year will bring! <3