Sitting down with People as part of their ‘Beautiful Issue’, Hudgens explained that she found herself at “crisis” point when she reached the age of 27.

“I remember waking up at 27 and that was the first moment where I was like, ‘Oh. I am not a kid. I’m not a teenager. I’m an adult and I have responsibilities,’” she said.

“I felt like I had no idea who I was or what I wanted or what I was going after.”

Rather than allow herself to be swallowed up by her “momentary freak-out”, though, Hudgens decided to lean into her feelings, address her fears head-on and work out why she was experiencing them.

“I’m very grateful for it because then it forced me to reassess who I am and what I believe in, therefore giving me just a better understanding of myself,” she said. “Now that I’ve reached 30, it’s so nice feeling free to just speak your mind.”

Vanessa Hudgens just got real about going through a quarter-life crisis at 27