Everything Starts at 30: A Journal of Becoming
On the day I turned 30, I felt overwhelmed in a way I hadn’t expected—an odd mix of excitement and unease. People love to say, “It’s just another day, it’s no big deal,” but for me, it was anything but. I felt the weight of turning thirty almost immediately.
It did begin with a bang, though. My family knows how to celebrate, and my mum outdid herself with a pink, fluffy tea party that started at lunchtime and somehow stretched well past midnight. But then again, you only turn 30 once… right?
What surprised me most was how different thirty felt from twenty-nine. At 29, I still felt untouchably young—free to make mistakes, quit jobs, and reinvent myself as many times as I wanted. Turning 30, however, came with an invisible pressure, a suffocating belief that life should now be neatly figured out, that happiness and security should already be in place.
It’s taken me the first two years of my thirties to unlearn that myth. To realise that you’re allowed to change—again and again—if it leads you closer to happiness. Life truly is too short. It sounds cliché, I know, but some truths only fully land once you live them.
Since turning thirty, I’ve had to face some hard truths—one of the biggest being my mental health. It’s become an area of my life I can no longer ignore. Through education, self-reflection, and honesty, I’ve started to understand what truly supports my wellbeing and, just as importantly, how to be kinder to myself and allow space to rest.
Mental health feels especially fragile in your thirties. The weight of expectations, life pressures, and the constant sense that time is moving faster than you can control can feel overwhelming. Learning to pause, to give myself grace, and to acknowledge that I’m doing the best I can has been one of the most important lessons of this decade so far. But more on this later.
When it comes to my relationships, I know how fortunate I am to have the support I do. My partner is kind and compassionate, and although our relationship is far from perfect, he wholeheartedly supports my hopes and dreams. That support has grounded me more than I ever expected.
Some of my greatest inspiration comes from the strong, independent women around me. Since turning thirty, I’ve learned to lean on them—to ask for advice, guidance, and help when I need it. I’ve come to understand that asking for help is not a weakness; it’s a quiet form of wisdom.
As this is my very first post, I’ll leave it here for now. Consider it a brief introduction—a glimpse into who I am and what this journey will explore. In future posts, I hope to dive deeper into all the areas I’ve touched on today: the highs, the challenges, the discoveries, and everything in between. I’m excited to share this chapter of my life and, hopefully, create a space where we can reflect, connect, and grow together.
Please do contact me if you have any feedback or want to connect, thank you for reading.
-Amy Nash-Matthews