Barely Functional Adult: It’ll All Make Sense Eventually

by Meichi Ng

At first, I laughed. Because I genuinely thought my manager was joking. I often accidentally laugh at things that I misinterpret as jokes—a habit that has come at a great cost to me over the years. Sadly, my manager wasn’t joking, and my laughter did not help. I should’ve known better—my manager never joked. Jokes are for humans.

Experienced this 💯

In an effort to be a better friend candidate, I spent the next few months willing myself to be a happy, social, and extroverted person. It was terrible.

💯

And whenever I feel that creeping sensation of inadequacy and self-doubt driving me too close to the edge, I stop, and I whisper to myself, “It’s okay to not know things. Not knowing things is the first step to knowing things.” It is, of course, completely unnecessary to whisper, but that just makes it all the more necessary.