Young adulthood can be a time of drastic change. This age range generally starts around early twenties and goes through mid-thirties, and this period of life is often marked by exciting milestones like first full-time jobs, growth in relationships, and learning more about the world. However, with the wonderful experiences of emerging adulthood also come new stressors and situations that you may need help to handle mentally or emotionally. Read on to learn advice for young people from mental health experts.
For most people, young adulthood is a time of chaotic change in human development. It is considered the most socially acceptable time to make mistakes, engage in more risky behaviors, and discover who one is. Milestones in early adulthood may include starting or graduating from college, moving away from home, meeting someone special, marriage, family formation, building a career, gaining financial independence, and more. This transitional period in development precedes adulthood and offers the potential for great happiness and the formation of memories that will last a lifetime, but it can quickly feel overwhelming at times as one accepts young adult roles.
New experiences bring new emotions
If someone didn’t experience much stress or hardship as a young child or during adolescence, then the real world can be quite a shock. Late teens often face new social expectations and responsibilities as their life transitions to adulthood. Even if someone experienced challenges while growing up, young adulthood often presents an entirely new set of change to face, which can create more stress in anyone. Cultural differences can also affect how we define this period. Research on human development has a focus on understanding the physical changes and social expectations during this first stage of adulthood, which can help us better support young adolescents as they transition through puberty into later adulthood.
The impact of stress
Stress is a regular part of life for most, but many people don’t understand the full extent it can have on physical well-being. According to medical professionals, stress is the cause or a contributing factor to a wide array of physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. The Mayo Clinic warned that stress could also contribute to serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Why practical coping skills are so essential
Recent research shows people have two categories of responses to stressful situations—healthy (adaptive) and unhealthy (maladaptive) coping skills. Maladaptive coping skills can often include risky behaviors like binge drinking or smoking to self-medicate.
Coping with stress
Here are some common adaptive coping strategies to manage stress in the twenty first century for people of various ages, from late twenties to middle adulthood and even older adults:
Remove yourself from the stressor until you feel able to cope
Ask friends, family, or medical professionals for help
Problem-solve to find solutions to stressors
Prayer and religion can be a great stress relief for many people
Meditation can help someone recognize and process thoughts and emotions
Changing the perspective of the situation can help reduce stress
Positive thinking can often help people get through tough times
Working with a licensed therapist is an excellent way to develop healthy coping skills and maintain good health in all aspects of our lives
Deep breathing techniques have been shown to help with stress levels
Writing about emotions can help one cope with them and track changes over time
These strategies can be helpful for individuals at different stages of their lives, whether they're transitioning to young adult status or navigating the second stage of adulthood, which is generally defined as a time of increased stability and responsibility.
Experts' advice for young adults
Mental health professionals recognize young adulthood as a critical development period in a person’s life. The rapid changes in development that they experience can significantly impact their overall well-being and mental health. Several psychological experts pin-pointed practical advice to help establish and maintain stable mental health and positive coping strategies.
Building a support system
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), a strong support network can be crucial to stress management. The APA says emotional support can be an essential defensive factor as one copes with the stress caused by the everyday and unexpected stressors of life’s difficulties. Having a network of trusted people to lean upon in times of trouble can tremendously help mental health, both in the short term and over time. Furthermore, according to the APA, loneliness has been linked to various health troubles, such as high blood pressure, cognitive decline, reduced immunity, and cardiovascular problems.
If you’re a young adult in a situation without a support network, consider getting involved in local community or college group activities where you may meet people in your age group with similar interests. This can also broaden one's knowledge base by exposing them to other people's life experiences.
Adapting to life changes in adulthood
You’ll likely face substantial life changes throughout young adulthood. Whether you’re experiencing building a career, navigating family connections, falling in love, maintaining a healthy relationship, moving into a home, marriage, children, loss, disappointment, failure, success, finding a passion, or something else, all present unique opportunities to grow and learn while adapting to the ever-changing situation.
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Maintaining mental health
According to the U.S. Surgeon General, mental health challenges are the leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes among young people, making it one of the office’s priorities. Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation can be extreme during young adulthood. The constantly changing circumstances and development can amplify symptoms and leave a person feeling overwhelmed and lost.
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or urges, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text 988 to talk to someone over SMS. They are available 24/7 to offer support.
Managing success and failure
One of the most important lessons to learn for a successful adulthood is how to win—and lose—gracefully. Most healthy, well-adjusted adults have a repertoire of adaptable coping skills to help them handle life’s emotional ups and downs. While one should strive for excellence, there's also a need to learn how to lose because no one is expected to win or succeed all of the time. According to a recent study, failure can be a valuable teacher, but it can be crucial to develop coping skills and the ability to manage the resulting emotions.
Recognizing healthy relationships as a young adult
Experts at Youth.gov published a list of characteristics often found in healthy and unhealthy relationships. According to the organization, respect for yourself and your partner is critical to a healthy relationship. By contrast, one partner may try to exert control over the other—physically, emotionally, or sexually—in an unhealthy relationship. The complete list offers a comprehensive overview of many relationship red flags and some insight into the possible reasons behind them.
Practice self-care
Researchers at Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry provide common tips for self-care and overall wellness. “You can’t pour from an empty cup” may be a cliché, but those sayings often persist for a reason. Self-care is a vital part of adolescent health and well-being and it's important to care for yourself first.
Here are some tips for practicing self-care.
Be kind
Exercise or undertake regular physical activity
Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Maintain an adequate sleep schedule
Don’t use your phone before bed
Practice deep breathing to relax
Connect with others and enjoy the boost to neurochemicals when spending time with friends
“Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. When it comes to mental health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase energy levels. Even small acts of self-care in your daily life can have a big impact.”—National Institute of Mental Health
Keeping an open mind
When someone is open-minded, they’re more likely to be receptive to ideas and information from various sources. It can help critical thinking and rational reasoning and help prevent the cognitive dissonance caused when rigid, inflexible thinking meets conflicting truths. Being open-minded doesn’t mean they're gullible or believe everything; it simply means they aren’t closed off to new experiences or ways of thinking and are willing to consider other perspectives.
Many people benefit from the expert knowledge offered by a licensed therapist. Whether they’re coping with unresolved emotions from childhood or struggling to manage feelings about a recent event, therapy can help them understand and process the experience. Working with a therapist can help you recognize how emotions influence behavior and find healthy methods to make meaningful changes during young adulthood.
How therapy can help to identify, process, and communicate emotions
Working with a licensed therapist online through virtual therapy platforms like BetterHelp can be an available, affordable alternative to in-person treatment for those in young adulthood. A qualified therapist can offer professional support and guidance through coping with emotional turbulence, as well as teaching you healthy ways to identify, process, and communicate thoughts and emotions to others. Online therapy also provides the convenience of flexible appointment formats, so treatment can always fit into your busy schedule.
Therapy can be an excellent tool for maintaining mental health. For many people, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is used to recognize and replace unhealthy behaviors and thought patterns. Recent studies indicate that online CBT can be as effective as face-to-face treatments, and in some cases, more so because the level of convenience makes it easier to attend therapy reliably. Many people also said it has found it easier to open up about personal subjects with the added distance, outside of the traditional therapist’s office environment.
Takeaway
Although life’s difficulties can affect adults of all ages, from young people to older adults, young adulthood can present a number of unique challenges that can affect a person’s emotional and mental health. Early adulthood tends to encompass several age groups, from early twenties to mid-thirties, and the challenges and changes during this period can affect men and women and people of all genders and backgrounds in numerous ways.
You will likely face a lot of new emotional experiences throughout young adulthood. The information offered in this article may help you recognize the importance of mental health care and practical coping skills to manage your stress. If you are experiencing difficulties evolving during emerging adulthood, you may benefit from speaking with a compassionate counselor to help guide your life course. If you don’t have time for traditional in-office therapy at this time, you might consider online therapy, which research shows to be effective for a number of mental health challenges. With BetterHelp, you can be matched with a licensed therapist who has knowledge of adult development and experience working with young adults. Take the first step toward connecting with a compassionate and knowledgeable therapist and contact BetterHelp today.
Frequently asked questions
Read more below for questions commonly asked about this topic to explore in therapy.
Why are we called young adults? Why YA is an important stage of life? Why is being an adolescent difficult? What is good about being a grown-up? What are the challenges and emotional tasks of adolescence? What are adolescent physical changes? Are teens considered adolescents? What do you think is the most important task of late adolescence? What is the common problem of late adolescence? How do you deal with adolescents?
The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.
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