Diary of a Gen Z Student: Knitting, a sleep schedule, and bird-watching... am I a grown-up?

Jane Cowan: "My frontal lobe isn’t fully developed yet, but with my knitting, baking, electrolytes, and sudden interest in ornithology, my late 20s siblings can’t help me."

So, apparently, my frontal lobe won’t be fully developed until I’m 25. 

Some advice I’ve received in relation to this is to take advantage of my youthful impulsivity and carefree ways while I still can.

The advice comes from my older siblings. They have told me to go skydiving before I develop a fear of heights, to swim with sharks before my brain will fully contemplate the very real danger, to go out as often as possible before I experience the full force of a grown-up hangover.

I scoffed at this advice, flaunting my collagen-rich skin at my siblings in their late 20s and early 30s, as they experience the beginning of the ageing process. 

You know, adult things: a worry about your fibre intake here, a twang of knee pain there.

They have to consider things like paying their rent, getting enough sleep, monitoring their caffeine intake. 

I, however, can regularly be found on my fourth coffee of the day, running late to college, wondering what my next irresponsible purchase will be (with thanks to the rent-free living made possible by my parents).

But it happens to the best of us. One minute, you’re listlessly eating Cocoa Pops for breakfast. 

The next, you’re hearing yourself say things like “what month are we supposed to start supplementing vitamin D for the winter?”.

You once enjoyed lying in on Sunday mornings, lazing around in your pyjamas until the afternoon. 

Now, you think about how good you’ll feel if you get your laundry finished and get out for a nice walk in the morning.

I thought I was immune to such regimented living. I thought living by every vagary was the secret to happiness.

But then I got to 21, and that frontal lobe was really making its presence known in my life. These days, I bring my moisturiser all the way down my neck.

For instance, as the nation lost its mind over Traitors last month, I was also very much invested in the game.

But equally, I was lamenting the intrusion upon my sacred sleep schedule for those three nights each week.

The show finished by 10.30pm, but by the time I would make my pre-bedtime chamomile tea, eight hours’ sleep was slipping further and further out of reach.

I’d find myself stressing at 11pm, contemplating the exhaustion that would greet me the following morning. That constitutes a major problem in my world.

If I’m honest, ageing signs have been there for a while; I just didn’t want to accept them. And they’ve manifested in more ways than just concern for my sleep schedule.

For one thing, I’m knitting myself a jumper, so I can ‘unplug’ in the evenings. A hobby fit for a grandmother... and a 21-year-old trying to form healthy habits.

I used to think there could be nothing more dull than the genre of bird hanging out in the back garden. So, finding myself saying things like “what type of bird is that?”, was jarring. But I really do want to know. It seems important.

I monitor my daily screen time. I’ve also started drinking an electrolyte with water after consuming any alcohol. 

Because my hydration levels are important to me, all of a sudden. My future self always thanks me for the electrolyte.

And if I’m ordering a dessert in a restaurant, there is now a real chance that I might find it ‘too sweet’ — a phenomenon I thought my parents were lying about until very recently.

But if that restaurant plays music so loud I can’t hear myself think, enjoying any dessert is an impossibility.

The noise will induce a tension headache. I also worry about my dental health, and feel compelled to floss daily.

I consider my protein intake. I don’t go to the cinema if the movie starts after 8pm. I like to bake bread and scones on the weekend. I even notice the fabric softener I’ve used in my laundry.

What I’m saying is, I fear I’m too far gone. My frontal lobe isn’t fully developed yet, but with my knitting, baking, electrolytes, and sudden interest in ornithology, my late 20s siblings can’t help me.

My body went straight from puberty to middle age. So, I’ll tell you what I told my sister. It’s not the fear of heights that would put me off doing a skydive.

I just probably wouldn’t be able to sleep the night before. And sleep is something I’m not willing to sacrifice, at this age.