8 signs you have your life together — even if you think you don’t

There's a reason the term "adulting" has gained so much popularity in recent years. The term has elicited passionate op-eds arguing that it undermines young adults' skill-sets (especially women) and that it makes simple tasks like cooking dinner or buying groceries seem self-congratulatory — but the sentiment behind it is easy to understand.

For many of us in our 20s and 30s, we feel less "together" than our predecessors. Millennials have taken on 300% more student debt than our parents, and are only half as likely to own a home as young adults were in 1975. In the traditional sense, we don't feel as grown-up as we are supposed to.

Still, despite the fact that my life often feels like it's close to chaos at any moment, there are a thousand small ways in which I reclaim the term "adult" in my everyday life.

Here are eight signs your life might be more "together" than you think.

You make the time to vote.

Regardless of whether you have a ten-year plan or even know what a 401k is, taking the time to vote in elections (yes, even local ones) is a sign that you’re an adult.

Only 61% of people — and only 50% of millennials — voted in the 2016 presidential election. That number is even lower in non-presidential election years. 

Being an active and engaged citizen makes a big difference, and shows you're grown up. 

You lean into your guilty pleasures.

Whatever brings respite or even a passing moment of pleasure in 2017 is valid – no matter how trivial.

Although you may not think bingeing reality TV is a "hobby,"a study claimed that when people find something they're really passionate about, it can help them relieve stress and live a happier life. 

Whether you stan Ariana Grande with all the fervency of a 12-year-old at the Jingle Ball or prefer young adult romance novels to James Joyce, staying strong and unabashed in what makes you happy is something adults struggle with their entire lives.

You know approximately how much money is in your bank account.

A 2016 poll found that nearly a third of young adults in the UK are afraid to check their account balance.

Even if the mere act of logging into your bank app is enough to make you start to break out in hives, pressing the button to find out exactly how much you spent at the bar last night is both mature and necessary (and much, much harder than it sounds.)