I am currently 26 and will be turning 27 in a
few months. Since graduating college, I have had one of THE worst (self-proclaimed)
quarter-life crises and it’s really affecting my just-engaged mood L
For the past half a year, I felt ready to move
on to the next stage in life with my boyfriend of 8 years. We’ve been together
long enough to where we have hashed out and compromised over most, if not all,
of our individual differences; we both graduated and have settled into stable,
growing careers; and we’ve bought a house together earlier this year (although it
is currently being used as a rental property). So when my friends asked, I
would tell them that I felt ready, and I truly did! My boyfriend and I even
went and picked out an engagement ring setting together at the beginning of the
year. Everything seemed to be in place for the next phase in our lives.
He recently proposed to me and although I was
happy while in the moment, the quarter life crisis has kicked into full gear
and I’m more than a little nervous. It’s not that I’m unsure of being with him
for the rest of my life or that I want to seek out better options. But coming
from a traditional family, I have moved back and still live at home with my
parents after college. That being said, the boyfriend/fiancé and I have never
lived together.
As childish as it sounds, I’m afraid of moving
out and leaving my comfort zone. What really scares me is the dreadful reality
that time doesn’t stop. Being engaged feels like a real step forward into
adulthood. While I have demonstrated myself to be a dedicated worker and commit
to my projects, this is a major life changing event that requires permanent commitment!
It just sucks to think that my “girl years” (in my culture/family, you’re not a
woman until you get married) are over and it’s a time I will never get back…
Has anyone else felt these jitters so early on
in their engagement? L