Young Adults in Frankfort: Finding Direction When You Feel Stuck or “Behind”

Author: Full Circle Counseling & Wellness

Featured Therapist: Asia Rios, M.S., LPC-Intern

Serving: Frankfort & South Suburban Chicago (In-Person + Telehealth Options Available)

“I Should Be Farther Along By Now…”

If you’ve found yourself thinking that lately, you’re not alone.

Many young adults in their 20s and 30s — including college students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals in Frankfort and the surrounding south suburban Chicago area — quietly carry the same fear: that they’re somehow behind everyone else.

You scroll through social media and see:

• Engagement announcements

• Career milestones

• New homes and travel photos

• “Hustle” success stories

And suddenly your own life feels stalled.

Maybe you’re switching majors. Maybe you’re changing jobs again. Maybe your relationship ended. Maybe you’re unsure what you even want.

That feeling of being stuck doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Often, it means you’re in the middle of growth — and growth rarely feels comfortable.

The Myth of the “Right Timeline”

There’s an unspoken cultural script that says by a certain age you should:

• Have a clear career path

• Be financially stable

• Be in a serious relationship

• Know exactly who you are

But adulthood today is not linear. The economy shifts. Career paths change. Relationships evolve. Identity deepens over time.

When you measure yourself against someone else’s highlight reel, you’re comparing your internal uncertainty to their external presentation. That comparison fuels anxiety — not clarity.

Therapy helps young adults shift from:

“Why am I behind?”to“What direction feels authentic to me right now?”

Career Anxiety: The Pressure to Choose “Correctly”

One of the biggest stressors young adults face is career uncertainty.

You may worry:

• “What if I pick the wrong field?”

• “What if I waste years figuring this out?”

• “What if everyone else advances while I’m still exploring?”

This pressure can lead to paralysis. Instead of choosing imperfectly, you avoid choosing at all.

In therapy, we often discover that beneath career anxiety is something deeper:

• Fear of disappointing family

• Fear of instability

• Fear of not being “enough”

• Fear of making a mistake you can’t undo

Working with a therapist helps untangle those fears so decisions become thoughtful — not panic-driven.

Relationship Uncertainty and Identity Questions

Your 20s and 30s are also a time of relational and identity shifts.

You may find yourself asking:

• “Why is dating so exhausting?”

• “Should I be married by now?”

• “Do I even know what I want in a partner?”

• “Who am I outside of work or relationships?”

It’s common to feel caught between independence and connection — wanting stability but also growth. Therapy provides a safe place to explore those questions without pressure to “solve” them immediately.

Identity isn’t something you finalize once. It’s something you refine over time.

When Anxiety Turns Into Avoidance

Feeling stuck often shows up as:

• Overthinking decisions

• Avoiding applications or conversations

• Procrastinating important steps

• Feeling numb or unmotivated

You may label this as laziness — but often it’s anxiety.

When your nervous system feels overwhelmed, it defaults to freeze mode. Therapy helps regulate that response so you can take action without spiraling into fear.

How Therapy Helps Young Adults Build Momentum

At Full Circle Counseling & Wellness, Asia Rios, M.S., LPC-Intern, works with young adults using a strengths-based, collaborative approach. Her work centers around building self-efficacy, emotional regulation, and practical forward movement.

Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” Asia helps clients ask:

• “What’s getting in the way?”

• “What feels realistic right now?”

• “What small step could I take this week?”

Momentum doesn’t come from giant leaps. It comes from consistent, manageable action.

1. Rebuilding Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy is the belief that your actions can influence your life.

When you feel stuck, that belief weakens. You may begin to think:

• “Nothing I do matters.”

• “I’ll probably fail anyway.”

• “Other people are just better at this.”

Asia helps clients rebuild self-efficacy by:

• Setting small, measurable goals

• Tracking progress instead of perfection

• Challenging harsh internal narratives

• Identifying past strengths and resilience

Confidence doesn’t appear overnight — it grows through experience.

2. Developing Practical Coping Skills

Many young adults were never explicitly taught how to manage stress or self-doubt.

Asia works with clients to develop tools such as:

• Grounding techniques for anxiety

• Cognitive reframing for negative thought patterns

• Mindfulness to reduce overthinking

• Structured planning to reduce overwhelm

These tools help create emotional steadiness, even when life feels uncertain.

3. Setting Flexible, Realistic Goals

Perfectionism often disguises itself as ambition.

You may believe:

• “If I don’t know exactly where I’m going, I shouldn’t start.”

• “If I can’t do it perfectly, why try?”

Therapy reframes goals as experiments. You don’t have to commit to a 10-year plan. You only need clarity for the next small step.

That might look like:

• Updating a resume

• Exploring one networking conversation

• Taking a class to test interest

• Having one honest relationship discussion

Small actions compound over time.

You Are Not Behind — You Are Becoming

The uncomfortable truth is that growth rarely feels inspiring in the moment. It feels confusing. It feels uncertain. It feels like you should know more than you do.

But uncertainty is not failure — it’s transition.

Many young adults in Frankfort and surrounding communities seek therapy not because something is catastrophically wrong, but because they want support navigating this in-between stage of life.

You don’t need to wait until anxiety becomes overwhelming. Therapy can be proactive — a space to reflect, recalibrate, and rebuild confidence before burnout sets in.

Local Support for Young Adults in Frankfort

At Full Circle Counseling & Wellness, we serve young adults throughout:

• Frankfort

• New Lenox

• Mokena

• Tinley Park

• Orland Park

• And the broader south suburban Chicago area

We offer:

• In-person sessions in Frankfort

• Secure telehealth therapy across Illinois

Whether you’re a college student balancing classes, a professional navigating career changes, or someone rethinking life direction entirely, support is available.

What It’s Like to Work With Asia Rios, M.S., LPC-Intern

Asia creates a space where clients feel:

• Heard without judgment

• Challenged without pressure

• Supported without being rushed

Her style is collaborative and empowering. She understands that comparison, anxiety, and self-doubt are common — especially during major life transitions.

Therapy with Asia isn’t about pushing you into a predetermined path. It’s about helping you build confidence in your ability to choose one.

You Don’t Have to Figure It Out Alone

If you’re feeling stuck, uncertain, or “behind,” consider this: maybe you’re not late — maybe you’re just on your own timeline.

Therapy offers something rare in today’s fast-paced world: space. Space to think clearly. Space to explore identity. Space to take small, sustainable steps forward.

And sometimes, that space makes all the difference.

Finding Direction Starts With One Step

If you’re a young adult in Frankfort or the surrounding south suburbs who feels unsure about your next chapter, support is available — whether in-person or virtually.

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a starting point. We are here to assist you if you need.