‘My Redundancy Gave Me The Gift Of Time’

Being made redundant can come as a huge blow to anyone who receives the dreaded news. 

But for Hannah Clayton, that decision spurred the 25-year-old to realise her dream of getting her passion project off the ground. 

The former Castle Rushen high school student is the woman behind ‘@twennysmthn’ (Twenty Something) – a self-help Instagram account which aims to help teens and young adults see the reality behind the ‘rose tinted’ lives portrayed by many influencers on social media. 

Despite launching less than a month ago, the account has since amassed hundreds of followers. 

In this insightful Q&A, Hannah speaks about the inspiration behind the page and her hopes for the future…

The Twenny Something Instagram Page.

Q: Can you explain the concept of the page to us?

A:  I am 25 years old. ‘Twenny Something’ is something I have been sitting on for a while now. I have personally had a lot of ups and downs in my twenties. From graduating University, to finding my first job, relationships. It feels like there is a lot of expectation at our age. Especially with social media. You are always looking at what everyone else is doing and what your life looks like. I got made redundant earlier this year and I just thought now is the time to give this a go.

Q: What content do you offer?

A: I have a few different subjects that I speak about. It mainly stems from my personal experience and advice that I can offer. Based on how my twenties have panned out. It could be relationships, whether it be platonic and romantic. Living with your parents during your twenties. Talking on experiences that I have had, such as anxiety, maintaining a positive mental attitude. The main goal for what I’m trying to achieve is a sense of community. I also want to talk about female health later down the line. It is mainly a lifestyle, wellbeing page.

Q: Did being made redundant kickstart you into setting up the page?

A: I had been sitting on the idea for roughly three years. Once I graduated from University and I was trying to get into the world of work it was the first time I was ‘adulting’ with no sort of compass. From being in full time education and then thrown into the deep end. It was something that I initially couldn’t put the time into, but my redundancy almost gave me this gift of time and I just thought I really wanted to put something out there.

I am a huge advocate for mental health and being open and vulnerable online. A lot of social media is very rose tinted, we get a false perception of how people are living their lives. I think it is important to showcase our struggles and show that other people feel the same as you might.