By - Jui Deshpande
Being in your late teens and early twenties is often a state of confusion. You’re excited to live and experience this new era which looks like freedom. Yet it is time people feel most stuck. It is a phase where nothing feels completely figured out, and the perfect life plan exists only in your diary, not in reality. Watching others achieve things that still feel distant to you, or seeing people afford what you can only dream of, quietly creates a lingering pressure. The fear is not always loud, but it stays : the fear of falling behind.
We see countless stories on the internet that highlight only success, rarely show us behind the scenes. The stress, struggle, or privilege behind it. This creates a constant feeling that no matter how much effort we put into our own journey, it is never enough. For many, comparison with friends and peers quietly grows, even when they try hard to avoid it. Watching others achieve stability, clarity, or success can create a silent pressure to keep up. Over time, this comparison slowly begins to shape how we see our own progress and worth.
This fear begins to affect the mind more than reality itself. It slowly turns into self-doubt, constant overthinking, and emotional exhaustion. Many begin to question their choices, their pace, and even their abilities. There is a quiet feeling of being lost, as if everyone else is already sailing while you are still searching for direction. The pressure does not always come from outside; often, it grows silently within.
When I spoke to people my age, a common pattern appeared. Many admitted that the fear of falling behind is strongest when it comes to career and stability. Watching friends secure jobs, plan higher studies, or seem more certain about their future often creates silent comparison, even when journeys are completely different. Some described feeling out of place, as if everyone else understood life better or moved faster. Interestingly, many also realised that this fear is often created by comparison rather than reality, a race where each person is unknowingly running on a different path.
Over time, many begin to realise that this fear is not always rooted in reality, but in comparison and expectations. Every individual moves at a different pace, shaped by different circumstances, opportunities, and choices. They are aware of this but accepting this fact is harder. Success, too, holds a different meaning for everyone : for some it is stability, earning money, for others peace of mind, growth, or simply becoming a better version of themselves. When viewed beyond comparison, the idea of “falling behind” begins to lose its weight.
Perhaps life was never meant to be a race with a fixed timeline. The fear of falling behind reminds us more about our doubts than our reality. Progress is not always visible, and direction is not always clear, yet movement continues in its own quiet way. In learning to trust our own journey rather than measure it against others, we may realise that we were never truly behind, only moving differently.