Turning 30

-:ABOUT THE BOOK:- Adulthood doesn't come with instructions. At the threshold of thirty, Aaira finds herself asking the questions that hit harder with age: How long should she keep pushing in her career? What does it mean to rest without guilt? How should she care for her parents as they grow older? And why does adulting feel so lonely? Through Aaira's journey-and the lives of her closest friends, Shubh and Anamika-Turning 30 opens up the conversations you've always wanted to have with your best friend (if only you both weren't so busy). A tender, relatable story about the quiet struggles of adulthood-loneliness, self-doubt, responsibility-and the surprising joy of realizing you're not alone, this book is for anyone on the cusp of thirty, or still figuring life out. Turning 30 is the best friend who listens without judgment. Contents A - Almost Always Confused B - Boring and Me? C - Could I Just Be Average? D - Dear Adulting, Will You Ever End? E - Evolving Forever Is the Way to Go F - Fear of Missing Out G - Giving Up Is Okay H - Happy Forever Is a Myth I - Increasing Social Circle Is Tough J - Just About Every Part of Your Body Is Hurting K - Kudos for Anything You Can Accomplish! L - Long Term Is the Only Term That Matters M - Money Can Be Very Complicated N - Not Everything Is in Your Control O - Overthinking Is Completely Normal P - Praying for Strength to Deal With Personal Losses Q - Question the Norms R - Roles Get Reversed! S - Spare Time Is Precious T - Things You Talk About Are Not So Deep Anymore U - Unwinding Truly Is Essential but Happens So Rarely V - Valuing What You Have Is SO Important W - Wow the Hype over Everything X - eXhale, Inhale, Repeat Y - You Will Be Lonely Z - Zoom Is How the Time Goes By WHY THIS BOOK? Ever since I crossed the age of 28, I started feeling like something changed in my life. There was a change in my attitude: from being mostly carefree to thinking more about everything going on around me-my career, my family, my health, everyone's health; not to mention the guilt of missing friends' and family's events, the guilt of not catching up with everyone I wanted to... I felt alone, as if I were the only one going through this random change. Within a short span of time, my ways of chilling and relaxing changed-from going out for dance parties to sitting at home with select friends over dinner or board games, or sometimes just talking for hours. The change was omnipresent. My way of shopping changed-I started thinking more about household items than my own wardrobe. My way of planning changed-I started thinking more about where to invest money than planning our trips. There were so many new things that I was now supposed to think about-buying a house, planning a family, thinking about a long-term career plan. Along with these, I suddenly started worrying about things that no one ever told I was supposed to think about, like parents' health, their future, their life schedule; or meeting friends or handling growing apart from friends who were so close just a few years ago. All these thoughts and worries made me feel very aloof, but the more I talked to people around my age, the more I realised that these are not just my worries. These are the worries of this age and generation-the generation that wants to balance their careers and personal lives and excel in both, the generation where many of us have moved out from our childhood homes in promise of a better life, the generation that always feels they are missing out something or the other, the generation that probably never feels what they are doing is enough. This book is for this ambitious yet confused generation, which worries too much, feels a lot and yet wants to have a sorted face in front of the world. You're not alone. We are all battling this "adulting" together. And yes, while it is tough, it is okay. And you are doing great! INTRODUCTION Aaira, a 28-year-old girl living in Delhi, wakes up late one Saturday morning-with a slight headache. She had been partying late last night with her friends and wishes she just came back earlier and slept on time. Waking up, she stays sitting on her bed for a few minutes, trying to shake off sleep, only to have her mind bombarded with the list of things she thought she would complete this weekend-some of her office work and a lot of her house chores. She feels sad when she realises that she obviously can't complete all this work in a weekend. She sighs and gets up, starting her day by checking her phone and trying to fit in some chill moments in a fleeting weekend. Aaira hails from Ahmedabad and is an engineer, a graduate from XIT College in Delhi. She has been working as a consultant at BMB for four years now. This was her first job out of college and she loves her job, her work and the team-well, at least most of the days she does. She got good grades in her college and has been putting in extra effort in her career, trying to remain among the top performers. She has always been an outspoken girl, who loves to be outdoors, hanging out with her friends, and travelling- anywhere. Even though life is good, she has her low days where all she wants is some peace, which she tries to find in some alone time and with some close people around her. She has started feeling the need for more of such comfort recently, as she is nearing the end of her 20s. She is also grappling with all things that come with "adulting," that no one taught her to deal with. New responsibilities, new emotions, new issues in life that she's just discovering. These are some things that she will just have to learn as she goes through them, hopefully with her friends who also learn along the way.