12 Adulting Tasks That Leave Brits Feeling Completely Lost
It turns out that adulthood isn’t quite what we thought it was, is it? From figuring out how to file taxes to learning how to check tyre pressure and deep cleaning the garbage disposal, there are so many quirky adulting tasks that leave Brits admitting that they’re still just winging it. Despite the endless “how to” blog posts and tonnes of YouTube tutorials, there are some adulting life tasks that continue to stump even the most responsible among us. Here are some adulting tasks that leave Brits feeling hopelessly lost.
1. Filing Taxes
Filing taxes is one of the worst adulting tasks and you have to do it year after year of your adult life. It is infuriating and people dread it. Whether it’s completing a self-assessment, understanding how deductions work or even just grasping all the legalities around filling out the paperwork. The whole process is hard to say the very least. It’s one adulting task that most Brits don’t understand even a little bit.
2. Reading Utility Bills
It’s not just stressful knowing that you have utility bills to pay but also opening up that envelope and reading the utility bill is hard. It’s an obligation that most British adults weren’t adequately prepared for. The confusing terminology and understanding of meter readings, variable rates, and more make reading utility bills one of the most dreaded adult tasks. One that most don’t even understand but just look for the “due now” part.
3. Ironing
Ironing is one of those adulting tasks that seem simple, but once you actually do it, you realise it’s not. There’s so much involved with ironing! From figuring out the right temperature for each fabric, avoiding scorch marks, and learning how to make your clothes that perfect crisp, ironing is full of quiet complexities that you instantly start dreading when you become an adult.
4. Booking and Organising Healthcare Appointments
Maintaining health as an adult can feel like a full-time job in itself. Staying on top of routine appointments and booking follow-ups is an adult thing that most Brits feel like they’re just not getting. It leaves most feeling frustrated and lost. Having to register with a GP, try to navigate the NHS online platform, get a referral or see a specialist, the entire process feels overly complicated and similar to a logistical nightmare. It’s something most British adults just haven’t got the hang of yet.
5. Sorting Recycling Properly
British adults can all agree that recycling is extremely important. However, when it comes to sorting said recycling? It feels equally impossible as it is important to do it right. In fact, it’s confusing for even the most eco-friendly adult. “Is this recyclable?” “Do you have to rinse containers before recycling?” “Do you need to remove labels?” It’s so complicated! It’s one of those tasks that feels like it should be simple but it’s surprisingly super hard!
6. Planning a Funeral
Planning a funeral is one of the most emotionally overwhelming tasks you’ll need to do as an adult. In the depths of the heavy grief, you must make a million choices, like choosing a funeral home, arranging transport, doing all the paperwork and more. The decisions are endless. It’s such deeply personal choices in a heartbreakingly short amount of time. It’s a reminder that often as adults, we’re navigating life’s hardest moments completely unready, without guidance and carrying a heavy heart with us.
7. Setting Up a Pension
A complicated, essential and annoyingly confusing part of adulthood is planning for being older, i.e., setting up a pension. It’s hard to even know where to begin. The process feels like it’s filled with red tape, rules and regulations, and a lot of British adults just decide to deal with it “later”, hopeful that at some point the process might get easier.
8. Negotiating a Pay Raise
Everyone wants a higher wage, but asking for it? That’s a different story. Negotiating a pay raise is an adult milestone that, while it sounds empowering, feels terrifying. Many Brits struggle with the thought of asking for more money. They don’t want to come off as pushy or ungrateful. The British tend to avoid confrontation or self-promotion, so negotiating a pay raise is a nerve-wracking part of adulthood that they still don’t feel good about.
9. Managing Online Shopping Returns
Online shopping returns are nowhere near as simple as making the original purchase. Brits often get confused about all the labels you need to print, shipping paperwork, confusing return policies, refund delays and more. Many adults are left wondering why it can’t be as simple to return items as it is to buy them.
10. Booking Appointments For Pets
When you’re an adult and you have furry friends, you need to remember your medical care as well as theirs. Booking appointments for pets can feel like a complicated maze. Having to find a good vet and keep up with vaccinations, dental check-ups, and pet care quickly turns into a massive to-do list added to all the other adult obligations you already have.
11. Folding a Fitted Sheet
Everyone’s closets are filled with fitted sheets all rolled up in some kind of weird ball because folding a fitted sheet is an adult task that nearly no one can do. It’s a mystery that even the most intelligent struggle to figure out.
12. Actually Understanding What the Dentist Is Saying
Most adults just nod and when the dentist says to rinse, you do that. Actually understanding what the dentist is saying is a puzzle that barely anyone can solve. It’s “does this hurt?” or “how many times a day do you brush your teeth?” and that’s it.
Wrapping Up
To sum it all up, it turns out there are several adulting tasks that leave British adults feeling confused and lost. These seemingly simple tasks are ones that aren’t taught in school or growing up. They’re things you’re supposed to just “know” at some point. And, for the most part, British adults don’t.
