Early Adulthood: Before reading these chapters, had you thought of early adulthood as a period of aging? Why is it important for young adults to be aware of influences on biological aging? Early adulthood

Early Adulthood

Early adulthood is a time of rapid personal development during which people experience major life changes (eg, leaving home, education, employment, cohabitation, and parenthood). As children and teens, we eagerly look forward to each birthday, waiting for the next big one—the day when we finally grow up and have all the freedoms and rights enjoyed by people our age. There are options for going to college, joining the military, drinking, living alone, dating, living together, getting married, working, having kids, buying a house, driving, buying a car, voting, moving out on your own and more. Staying healthy physically and mentally, dreaming and making plans for the future, meeting new people to share your experiences with, and trying out different positions can all make our time beautiful. While we realize that this freedom comes with a lot of responsibility, it can also be difficult, stressful, and scary. Chances are we’ve all seen the “growing up is hard” coffee mug or the “I can’t grow up today” T-shirt (usually worn by young people!). continue…