Why Adulthood is Basically Just Googling Stuff and Pretending You Are Fine

So lately I've been thinking...is adulthood just one long loop of googling stuff and pretending we're doing fine? Because honestly, that's what it feels like most days. One minute I'm confidently making a to-do list, and the next I'm looking up "How to fold a fitted sheet" like I haven't been alive for the last three decades.

No one really prepared us for this part- the constant second-guessing, the weird pressure to look like we've got it all under control, and the quiet panic when someone asks, "So what's your five-year plan"?I don't even know what I'm having for dinner. Half the time, I'm nodding in conversations, hoping no one asks follow-up questions.

Adulthood, as it turns out, is less "freedom and success" and more "Googling, is this a normal amount of hair to lose in the shower in the 30s?" It's a chaotic blend of nailing it, pretending to have it together, and celebrating small wins-like actually folding the laundry the same week you washed it.

And sure, every now and then we have it together-we pay the bills on time, drink enough water, maybe even floss. But most of the time? We're just figuring it out as we go, googling things we're too embarrassed to ask, and hoping no one notices the mild chaos behind your eyes. This, my friends, is adulthood in all its glory-equal parts confusing and completely relatable.

So grab your fourth cup of coffee(or third attempt at drinking the first one), and let's unpack the beautiful, baffling chaos that is being a grown-up in the 21st century.

Are we Fine? Or Just Pretending?

We are all giving a great performance. We are all doing the casual "I am fine" act. You know what I mean. You are running on four hours of sleep, your to-do list is laughing at you, and your brain feels like it's buffering. But when someone asks how you're doing, you smile and say, "Oh, I'm good".

It's not that we are trying to be fake. It's just easier sometimes. Admitting you're overwhelmed or confused or barely holding it together can feel heavy, and honestly, no one has the energy to unpack all that in the middle of a grocery store aisle or during a Zoom call. So, we default to fine. "I'm fine." Just busy. "Hanging in there!".

But under that surface-level small talk? A whole storm. We're juggling deadlines, figuring out life decisions we are not remotely prepared for, and trying to act like we didn't just Google "can stress make your hair fall out". And still, we push through. Because that's kind of what we've been taught to do: keep it together, keep going, don't let the cracks show.

I don't have many readers yet, but I think most of you who are reading can relate to this. Almost everyone is doing it. We're all walking around pretending to be fine while secretly wondering if anyone else is struggling too(Trust me: they are). Maybe next in my next team's meeting, instead of "I'm fine", I will try "Honestly? Today's a bit of a mess, but I'm managing ". It's still adulting with a little more truth and a lot less pressure to have it all figured out.

No One Really Knows What They're Doing

Okay, let's just say it- none of us actually knows what we're doing. Like, not really. Some people are just better at pretending. You might see someone confidently walking into a meeting, or casually posting their morning smoothie with "#grinmode" in the caption..but behind the scenes? They probably just spent 10 minutes standing in front of the fridge trying to remember why they opened it in the first place.

Seriously, we're all out here improvising it. Half the time, I am just hoping no one notices I'm figuring things out in real-time. Like, I'll be on a video call nodding along like, "Mm-hmm, totally", while mentally scrambling: What are we talking about again?

I used to think adulthood meant knowing what to do all the time, like there would be this moment when I just got it. But that moment never really came. Instead, it's been more like: try something, mess it up a bit, learn, move on..repeat. And honestly? That's kind of how it goes for everyone.

We all have our weird little gaps in knowledge. Someone might be great at budgeting but has no idea how to boil an egg. Another person might seem super organised, but is secretly living out of laundry baskets. No one has the full package. We're all just doing our best, stumbling through, faking confidence when we need to.

And Yet....We Are Doing It

Despite the chaos, the guessing games, and the YouTube repair rabbit holes, we are surviving. We are showing up, making it through Mondays, filing our taxes(even if it's last minute and under emotional duress), and sometimes even thriving. Sort of. On a good day. With coffee. And a nap later.

Sure, your plants might be dying and your inbox is 82% unread emails, but you paid your bills, didn't forget your friend's birthday(this time), and maybe even cooked a real meal last night(without burning the cooktop). That's a win. You moved through the day with whatever energy you had, and that counts. Sometimes the little wins are the big ones: remembering to drink water, making it work on time, checking up on your family if you live far away. That's real-life progress.

Adulthood isn't perfect- it's pieced together like a puzzle where half the pieces are missing and the rest are upside down. But it's weird and wonderful, and exhausting all at once. It's growing into someone who keeps showing up, even when it's hard. Even when you are unsure. Even when you are just pretending to be fine and Googling your way through it all. But somehow, you're making it work.

The Google Generation: Our Search for Answers

We really are the Google generation, aren't we? Anytime life throws something confusing at a weird symptom, a random adult responsibility, or just an "I have no idea what I 'm doing" moment-we're straight to the search bar. No hesitation. Just a quick "Is it normal to start getting grey hair in the 30s" or is it normal to feel overwhelmed on a Tuesday? And the best part? You know you are not alone when the autofill finishes your thought. It's kind of comforting, in a weird way-like, okay, other people have no clue what they are doing either.

Sometimes it feels like we trust Google more than our own instincts. We just instinctively reach out to our phones. It's just not about answers, it's about not feeling completely lost. We don't just search for facts- we search for reassurance. For permission not to have it all figured out. For a sign that we're not the only ones out here feeling lost over the simplest things. And, somehow, even when the answers are vague or contradictory, it still helps. Because we're not really searching for perfection- we're just looking for something to hold onto when everything feels a little blurred.

Final Thoughts

So no, we don't have it all together, not even close. But we do have Wi-Fi, decent Googling skills and the ability to pretend we are fine while internally circling over whether it's normal to forget our PIN every single time we are at the ATM. Honestly, that's the real adulting starter pack.

And maybe that's the secret no one tells you: adulthood isn't about having the answers- it's about knowing where to look(read: Google), laughing at the chaos, and surrounding yourself with people who also have no clue what they are doing but are willing to fake it alongside you.

In the end, we are all just out here trying our best- one search, one snack, and one awkward small talk interaction at a time. And if that's not the most relatable definition of Adulthood, I don't know what is.