Turning 30 is a huge milestone—but it’s not the end of the world. Any bigger anniversary is a time to reflect on the past, evaluate your present, and make plans for the future. And as it happens, hindsight is always 20/20: sometimes we wish we could go back in time and give our past selves a few pieces of great advice to make life more joyful and far less problematic.

Though we can’t help our past selves (we just can’t get that darn Time Machine(™) to start working, so it’s back to the drawing board for us), what we can do is make others aware of the biggest pitfalls we’ve encountered. That’s what some redditors did in a very informative and enlightening thread on r/AskReddit.

Scroll down to read their life advice for anyone who is 30 and under that will most likely make you far happier and more at ease than you are now. We’d love to hear the advice you’d give someone younger as well, Pandas, so drop by the comment section to spread some of your hard-earned wisdom.

Suzanne Degges-White, Ph.D., kindly shared her thoughts about how to stop worrying about work so much and how to let go of past regrets with Bored Panda. “We never get do-overs in life, but we can use prior errors to guide us to better choices moving forward,” the Licensed Counselor, Professor, and the Chair at the Department of Counseling and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University told us. Read on for our full interview with the professor.

Read More: 30 Older Internet Users Share The Things They Want Everyone Who’s 30 And Under To Know About Life

#1

“No” is a complete sentence. Get comfortable and confident with saying no and meaning it.

Image credits: KikiKittiKai

#2

Spend time with your parents,. You never know how much time you have with them left. Until they are gone you have no idea how much you will miss them.

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#3

make sure to pick friends and partners who build you up, not knock you down

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#4

Relationships do take work but they shouldn’t feel like a chore. Don’t stay with someone who treats you poorly, it’s better to be alone than in a bad relationship.

Image credits: CrayolaSocks

#5

Invest in experiences, not things.

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#6

Wear sunscreen. At least 30 Spf as well. Don’t be the people that settles with 15 because they want a tan. Any dermatologist will also tell you that 30 and up is the way to go.

Image credits: Neve_Dreve

#7

Don’t worry about being “behind” other people, whether it’s personal goals, career, financial, whatever.

Once you’re out of school, there is no timeline. Everyone does things at their own pace and there is no perfect time to do anything.

Everyone thinks they are behind in something in some way. So, if everyone thinks they are behind, no one is.

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#8

If you drink alcohol a decent amount, or tend to only socialize with alcohol involved, I would advise to give up drinking for at least a year before you are 35. Learn how to socialize and have fun without drinking alcohol. The older you get the harder it is to stop, and before you know it you’re an alcoholic. Maybe a functioning alcoholic if you’re lucky, but often not. I’ve got a couple mates in their late 30s who can’t give up, they need to drink every day. They waste so much money on pointless drinking, they have burnt friendships, ruined relationships, and for what?

Alcohol is dangerous if you don’t keep it in check. Learn how to rewrite your relationship with alcohol otherwise it could end up in control of your life.

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#9

Take 10 minutes a day and clean a different part of your house/apartment. Do this every day until it’s a habit.

Also when you are done with it, put it away.

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#10

Enjoy that hair while it lasts.

Image credits: KokonutMonkey

#11

Develop an ability to delay or deny yourself things that you want. Actions taken impulsively are often looked back on as mistakes. Sleeping on big decisions or purchases is like a cheat code to making better choices. The ability to resist impulse will be a big predictor of your future success.

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#12

You will overthink things. Fun things, big things, small things. Relax, take a breath. You don’t have to go hard all the time.

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#13

In a working environment, everybody is replaceable.

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#14

If you don’t make decisions and plans in your life, life will make decisions and plans for you. There is no auto pilot here. You must actively participate if you want a decent life.

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#15

Invest.

Invest in your health by making good choices about nutrition and fitness.
Invest monetarily by saving money and not living outside your means.
Invest in your future by setting goals and putting in the work to get there.

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#16

Live and let live, be kind.

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#17

When the stakes are not that high, don’t be afraid to take a chance. Failure is often fleeting and short, you will learn something, and the things you will regret later in life were the chances you didn’t take.

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#18

Work out regularly. As in, have a gym or exercise routine that is part of your weekly life.

The older you get, the harder it is to start.

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#19

Sit up straight

Future you will be thankful

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#20

Find your voice. Use your voice. Advocate for yourself.

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#21

Don’t devote all your time and effort to your career. It is important as it gives you the means to survive, but it is not where you should devote yourself to. I have spent the last seven years of my life focusing solely on my job, I wish I could go back and focus on living my life and finding out what brings me peace. Doing that now and couldn’t be happier.

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#22

Make time to call/talk with your loved ones.

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#23

Learn to cook, get a good (not expensive) knife. Learn to budgeting. Don’t buy trendy things.

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#24

Your 20’s are for you. Do everything you want to do; travel, study, party, whatever. Don’t settle and start a family until your 100% sure you got all that out of your system.

Image credits: Pim271986

#25

Don’t be afraid to fail. The only way to learn is to practice. You have to make mistakes in order to get better. No one is automatically great at everything. Let yourself love the journey of practicing and doing instead of the endpoint. If you concentrate on the endpoint, you’ll end up so miserable that when you finally get to the endpoint, you’ll feel let down. Try to have fun the entire time.

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