Youth is a precious thing, in that you often can only appreciate it when it’s in the past. In your teenage years and 20s, it’s so easy to feel like you have all the time in the world and then, suddenly, you blink and you are thirty five with a mortgage. Like with any skill or investment, most of us probably wish we had started planning a lot earlier.
Someone asked “How did you “waste” your 20s?” and netizens shared the things they maybe should have done differently. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to comment your own thoughts and experiences below.
#1
Caring what people thought of me.
Image credits: Mrmakabuntis
#2
Image credits: SHIRER47
#3
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#4
Image credits: Brief_Sector_8397
#5
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#6
I married my first boyfriend. We were not a good match. I basically k*lled my body and mental health trying to be enough for him. I’m 30 now, about 4 years divorced, wayyy happier and learning what I want in life and learning who I want to be.
Image credits: Opening_Top_5712
#7
Image credits: Just_Photograph_2679
#8
Not exactly wasted, but all I did was work, go home, sleep and repeat. Lost 95% of my friends, was a virgin all through my 20's . Now, 3 years past my 20's . I have a stable job, own my own house, but I am also one of the most introverted people I know, and that doesn't help with being single.
Image credits: Agreeable-Drummer545
#9
Image credits: Forthe-dawgz
#10
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#11
Image credits: Fearless-Bee-8105
#12
Image credits: Odd-Hyena-9704
#13
As a slave to the Jehovah's Witnesses cult.
Image credits: uglyokie
#14
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#15
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#17
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#19
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#20
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#21
#22
Being reckless with my liver and my p*nis.
#23
Image credits: QuotidianTrials
#24
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#55
Wasted mine by having a poor body image and low self esteem when I was actually thin and in shape.In a toxic relationship and not understanding how to invest in myself. I’m still working on the second part.Spent way too much time worrying about the future instead of enjoying the present.Caring for others and always putting them first. I came 3rd or 4th or 5th. Everything suffered. Everyone took advantage.I have stayed for a company that doesn't value my work and contribution to them, I have wasted a lot of opportunity because of that, I myself have to blame for it too I didn't have the courage to explore and try something new for my growth and development.Went from going out drinking as much as possible to literally working 330+ days a year. Turns out you only have friends when you’re the fun guy lol.My job took me around the world in my 20s. I got to travel to some pretty cool places and a lot of not so cool places. I got to hang with locals and see a lot of things tourists never saw. It was a cool experience.
The problem was I was a heavy drinker at that point in my life. Instead of using what little free time I had to see and learn about where I was at and see the sites I was focused on drinking and strip clubs. Yes we did go see some things and do cool s**t, but I could’ve done so much more. I passed up on opportunities to see things while I was traveling to spend time in dank, smelly bars or strip clubs where pathetic guys like me were drooling over women.Falling in love with a narcissist abusive piece of s**t that was my snitch for being involved in his crimes. Spent 4 years of my life in jail. Lost time I’ll never get back.Staying in my bedroom, playing video game instead of living
Started when I was 18, i will be 26 in 8 days and im still living like this.Being with friends who don't have a care for their future or their well-being. Choose you company well OP.Drifting from one low-paying dead-end blue-collar job to another.Waiting for a guy to propose and not pursuing a PhD.Trying to believe I’d be a professional musician.Traveling the world. Had a lot of catchup to do for retirement starting in my 40s.Got a woman I barely liked pregnant, married her out of obligation and marriage was terrible and only lasted 3 months, worked s**t jobs to provide for my boy, got put on child support, got depressed, got fat, dreams went down the toilet, now I'm fat, old and poor.Did online nsfw stuff instead of therapy lol.I'm in a toxic relationship and having trouble figuring out how to invest in myself. I'm still trying to work on it.Laziness. Started getting my s**t together at 25, but I still feel perpetually behind at 30.I lived at a bar and was the worst version of myself.Depression. ??.Going to medical school and becoming a doctor. If you want a personal/social life outside of work, 0/10 would not recommend
Edit: obviously looking at some of these comments there are obviously worse ways you can “waste” your 20s, but the sentiment still stands ?.In a religion that controlled most aspects of my life. Pushed getting married and having kids while in early 20s. I essentially gave away the freedom most people in their 20s have.Studying a degree i never used. 4 years at Uni, 2 years doing a masters and a ton of debt.Basically a combo of bar scene, then Skyrim, then getting fat with beer, and then figuring it out in my 30s.All these responses are actually making me feel a bit better about my wasted decade.
All I did was play games. A combination of chronic pain and a crippling fear of strangers made me give up on a normal life and live as cheap and humble as I could. I couldn't get my driver's licence out of fear, couldn't hold a job for panic, have no friends or even many acquaintances and can't afford most hobbies.
I'm nearing my 40s now and the experience at least helps save money. I learnt to enjoy things that are free and have even made money from some. Things like propogating plants from clippings. It took my twenties to get going.
I continue to waste my life by most people's standards to this day.My 20’s were mostly a blur, I get flashbacks of it every once in a while. From what I do remember, it was just saaad.Chasing women and running slowly when women chased me.Alcohol and a Cuban woman. I only regret the alcohol.I was a legitimate mid-level d**g dealer with a tremendous d**g addiction and I dated a stripper from 20-28.Maxed an ironman on oldschool runescape.By being over weight. For fit af for my thirtieth and haven’t looked back!!Currently in 20's but wasting it because I'm afraid to venture out, kinda introvert here:(.Getting into legal trouble. Years wasted dealing with probation officers, s****y lawyers, court hearings, jail time, fines etc. It’s so hard to dig out of once you’re in. Almost like it was designed that way..I went to college, graduated, and now I can’t find a job. I could have been working gaining experience and money this whole time instead of wasting time in college.Long distance relationships. Not worth it. And I did it twice.By not doing anything. i basically became a hermit from 23 or so and did pretty nothing but sit in my basement and play video games.
as my friends all moved out of the area, my social life went with them, and i never went out and created my own social life. instead i just.... sat at home and watched the world go by.Drinking, smoking weed, then my dad died at 26 and I woke up.Got a huge student loan to go to film school. Spent my 20s as an actor crippled by the loan. Lost my agent at 29.To echo another comment, worked too much in the hope that it would set me up for the future. It didn’t. I got a PhD in the humanities, served me right for doing a useless major. So I gave up friends and fun in my 20s, and now I have no career and no friends.World of Warcraft, an obscure internet message board, and a dead-end job.I borrowed money from my parents to live in crappy apartments and took longer than I should have to finish university. Got out feeling like I was 4 or 5 years behind everyone. Left with more debt than I would have otherwise had. .Trying to figure out how to become successful.Chasing the wrong things !I wasted my 20s started during pandemic, i invested my time to my work that stopped my growth and development, work that depleted my confidence and enthusiasm.Worked too much. I’ve never had a full week off for vacation. Yeah I have nice and cool material things, but spent what may be the best decade of my life punching a clock for a job I hate.S**t marriage and military service.I married my best friend. Turns out now that I'm 35 he doesn't love me anymore and wants a divorce. I'm so angry thinking of all my youth I wasted on him!!!I wasted my 20s to the wrong person for years, I am trying to get over it until now.Skateboarding, d***s and lots and lots Graffitii.Wasted my 20s being a loser.
