I absolutely understand this. For me, I have struggled considerably with the feeling of.. I'm not homeless and I'm able to (barely) make ends meet. I have a roof over my head, clean clothes, food, electricity and even some luxuries like cable, internet, some nice things, etc. But I should be much further in my life than I am. I oftentimes feel as though I had to start my entire life over once I ended my homelessness journey, but I wish I were so much further along than I am. And when I have those thoughts, it's then I have to tell myself to be grateful. Be grateful you're safe at night. Be grateful you don't have to worry about your next meal, or about where you're going to be sleeping. Be grateful you have an income. Be grateful that you have a home and a sense of stability, since it is so intensely what you desired and craved. I have to tell myself that regardless of the fact that I don't have a lot and I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be, I'm working on it. I have so much more than some people and I'm working towards improving myself every day.

I'm much younger than you, OP. I'll be 20 this year, but I completely understand the feeling of isolation and feeling like you're behind everyone. In my case, I should be a sophomore in college. I should be planning my career path, setting up a life for myself. But I ended up getting pregnant, and now I'm looking into a full time call center job just so I can make ends meet. It's tough feeling like everyone else is so far ahead of you. But you've done great! You're so far ahead of where you were and you're contributing to society by having improved yourself and making your life "normal" for lack of a better word. Be proud of yourself and keep your head up. I hope you adjust to things and just take it easy. Think about where you are and where you've been. You're doing great. There's nothing wrong with starting out, no matter how old you are or what you've lived through.