You Just Finished College! Now what? Tips for Post-Grad Depression
First off- congratulations! You did it! You accomplished a huge goal- and now for the hard part, the part that we don’t learn about in school (ironically)- post grad life. Post grad life looks different for everyone, some may go directly into the workforce, some may take time off, others may volunteer to gain experience or build a network of referrals, etc. The common theme is that there is a higher risk for post-grad depression once this big goal is finally over.
Healthline defines, “post-grad depression, meaning they feel so low, tired, or unmotivated they begin to have a hard time functioning in daily life.” These symptoms can creep up on you, or hit you like a brick wall. And why not? Of course it is hard to go through an abrupt life transition. You are abruptly changing: where you live, who you interact with daily, the level of stress you juggle, which city you are in, your daily routine, the types of projects you are working on, do we need to go on? Abrupt change is something that is difficult for our brains to absorb, which can lead to feelings of depression.
Another contributing factor to post-grad depression is the pressure our society puts on newbie adults to “succeed”. But defining success is different from person to person. So if you start to feel that pressure of performance, think about what does success mean to you? What would that look like? What are steps to get to YOUR version of success? If other people hadn’t reflected on these questions, we probably wouldn’t have a lot of the cool stuff we use every day. Some of these people who went against the norms and dropped out of college or don’t use their degree according to CBS include: Steve Jobs, Oprah, Bill Gates, and Kat Cole (owner of Cinnabon!). Now i don’t know about you… but I am definitely grateful for some of their accomplishments- especially the delicious ones.
The gist of what I am getting at is this- you are allowed to live your life authentically. You are allowed to define what success, goals, and a meaningful life mean to you. If you start to get overwhelmed by the pressures of “getting it right” or “knowing exactly what to do” from post-grad life, think about if those phrases are from you or the world around you. You have time! You have options. Just because you got a degree, doesn’t always mean you have to instantly use it. If you do want to jump into the workforce or building a career- do it! But do it on your terms, and not just because it feels like societies next step.
Tips if You Are Navigating Post-Grad Depression:
Talk to a therapist: Sometimes getting that professional outside perspective can solidify new ways to think about your current situation. They can help you navigate emotions, find personalized mini goals, and provide space for you to identify what is contributing to your symptoms.
Set mini-goals: Post grad life can feel destabilizing because you go from a regimented daily schedule, to potentially no schedule at all. Setting mini goals for your daily, weekly, and year can help you visualize the small steps that lead to big change.
See what services your college offers for alumni: Most colleges have alumni support services. Check in with your school to see if any of their resources could help you feel more supported post-grad. Some of these may include: career counseling, counseling services, workshops, or professional mixers.
Maintain your boundaries: Some college students end up moving home to alleviate the financial burden of “what is next”. If this is the case, talk to your parents about expectations for when you move home- what boundaries do you want to communicate with them as an adult living in their house?
Take a break, a REAL one: A huge hurdle our society has lovingly pushed onto us is overworking. This is an opportunity to release that pressure and take a break! Potentially one of the only big breaks you may experience if you enter the workforce after your hiatus has ended. If you have the option to, go somewhere fun, travel to visit friends/loved ones, take some time to just live your life. This is something people who don’t get unlimited PTO dream of! Allow yourself to rest, even if that is taking up a hobby at home without expectation of what is next.
Create a routine: If you are in the purgatory of applying to jobs and waiting to see where your next move is- try setting a routine for each day. Maybe it is going to yoga on Mondays/Wednesdays. Maybe it is taking a daily walk with your childhood dog. Or keeping yourself on a timed schedule for how much time you are allowed to apply to jobs, do self care, see friends, or whatever else you want to be in your daily schedule. Burnout can happen post-grad if you are spending the majority of your day applying to jobs. That is a job, so treat it as such. Set limits so maintain life balance.
Whatever you try to use to support yourself, remember you got this! This is just one stage of your life. It may feel never ending, or overwhelming to decide on what is next. But the beauty of life is you don’t make one decision, you make millions of tiny choices that lead to the life you have. If you are having trouble identifying the type of life you want, maybe make a collage of how you want your life to look a year from now, 5 years from now- whatever feels right to you. Take those big picture ideas and start whittling them into mini goals. No one has it all figured out- we are all just trying to do our best at living authentic to our own wants and dreams.
If you are in the state of Washington looking for support from a therapist, feel free to contact me to see if we have openings!
