In this final article of her series looking at how those in their twenties view their lives, Jacqueline Isaacs cites the work of clinical psychologist Meg Jay. Jay sees many clients who wonder what they have to show for their twenties. However good support and an understanding of the shift of pace in life at this time, can steer the individual well as they turn to their thirties.
"Calling this period the odyssey years gives it a sense of adventure, which strikes me as appropriate. Certainly more upbeat than calling it a quarter-life crisis. The reality is that the slowing down of life is not a crisis—that’s just what it means to be in your twenties.
You will exit your educational career, be it high school or college, going too fast, and you will have life encounters that cause you to slow down—like reaching the end of the staircase or hitting the car in front of you. How you respond to this reality is up to you. Your response to the slower odyssey years of your twenties will determine whether or not you have a quarter-life crisis. You can keep calm and carry on, actually enjoying the adventures of your twenties, or you can get stuck in the slow down and panic when you hit thirty."
https://tifwe.org/carrying-on-examples-from-the-work-of-meg-jay/