Life After Graduating College – 7 Tips to Reduce Post Graduation Depression

If you’re someone like me who’s life has been in school and had their personal identity developed in a classroom, then that first year out of university must have been really hard. Those 17- 18 years, you only had to worry about school. Not only that, school ingrained some sort of structure and routine in you. You knew exactly what you needed to do and get done, similar to a checklist – go to school, learn a topic, complete an assignment, project, or test that showed you understood the material, pass the class, and so forth. After receiving your degree and walking into the real-world, it was a slap to the face, right? Instead of worrying about only one thing, now you have your whole life in front of you that you need to navigate for the rest of your life. What the hell, right? You didn’t want this. I didn’t want this. We were both not prepared for this, but I got your back.

If you’ve felt like this or still feel like this, I got a few tricks up my sleeve that will make adulting, especially right out of college less suckish. Here are a few tips to help you navigate post-graduation.

 Explore and Discover You

One of the greatest things that one of my mentors told me during university was that, “Its not about who you want to be. Its about what you aspire to be.” Repeat that and let it sink. We grew up surrounded by adults asking us who we want to be when we get older and then expect us to have our lives figured out once we’re done with school. And because of that, we’re so stressed out as soon as we graduate because we believe we should have figured it out. No, you don’t. This is actually the perfect time to explore and discover you!

If you always wanted to travel to Thailand, do it. If you always wanted to bungee jump, do it. If that dream internship or job you landed right out of university made you realize you don’t want to go into that career path, then pivot. This is the time to try, learn, do new things, but most importantly make mistakes and take risks. Figure out what you do and don’t like whether this is in your personal life or professional life.

Disconnect from Social Media Occasionally

School definitely instilled competitiveness in me.  I remember trying to be one of the top students who was recognized from faculty and staff whether this was from awards or words of affirmation. Then when I didn’t perform well, there were disappointments all around. If this was similar to you, trying to navigate life right out of university will be difficult, especially if you keep looking at your phone. You’ll see your former classmates, including your friends highlighting their life which will most likely hinder you and you begin to compare yourself to them.

If you feel like you’re “falling behind”, you’re not. Their success has nothing to do with you. If social media gets overwhelming for you and it is bringing you down, its okay to disconnect. But don’t disconnect completely! Social media is a great tool to stay connected with people who cheer you on, as well as meeting new connections in your professional career.

Set Up Goals

After graduating, you’ll feel like a sense of structure and a routine is gone. There’s nobody telling you what you need to get done or do (aside from your job) within your own personal life. Its all up to you now. Scary, right? But that’s the best freakin’ part! Now you have control. You get to dictate what you need and want to do.

One of the best ways to do this is to create some goals for yourself or build a vision board. Read my 18 Power Questions to Ask Yourself When You’re Creating Your Own Vision Board. This will definitely get you started in setting up your goals and reflect where you want to take your life.

Start Saving

I am not a financial representative. I am merely a post grad student telling you that life after university is hard. Aside from navigating your career and life, there’s bills that we need to pay so we can live and breathe. The least you can do for yourself is start saving, especially for emergencies. Life is going to throw you a lot of curve balls and the least you can do for yourself is be ready for them.

Continue to Learn

Even though you graduated and don’t think you’ll return back to school, never stop learning. Now that you have control of your life, you get to choose how you’ll learn whether this is reading a book or picking up a new skill. Don’t let the years of school stop you from continuous learning.

Build Genuine Relationships

Throughout school you probably heard the word “networking”. You know, meeting someone at an event, learning their first name and occupation, doing small talk, and then getting their social, especially LinkedIn and never speaking or seeing them again. Let’s not do that anymore, and be more intentional and genuine when we network.

What I mean by this, is that regardless if we meet new people in our lives, professional or personal, make the effort to get to know them rather than gaining an extra follower on your social platforms. One of my business professors told me that the one thing people like to do is talk about themselves, so take advantage of that. You never know if you have similar interests as them or they were in the same boat as you when they were in their 20s and managed to pivot their life and career. What’s amazing about following up and being more intentional with relationships is that you never know if that person will become someone important to you and will help you excel through life.

Enjoy your early 20s

The last note I want to make is enjoy your freakin’ 20s. You don’t need to have it all figured out, but the least you can do for yourself is start building the stepping stones for the life you always imagined. Stop stressing about the future and enjoy the present while being intentional of your actions. You got this, I’m rooting for you.