5 Post-undergrad lessons

1.Take care of your body & mind first: you might want to jump into your goals head-first, but it’s okay to take time for yourself and listen to your needs. Make sure to give yourself some grace; sometimes you don’t want to do anything productive and that’s okay

2.Reconnect with friends: you could be feeling a sense of displacement, and there are people who are here for you. Reach out to people you who give you the most joy. They may be feeling similar things as you and it’s nice to know that you’re not alone

3.If you’re living at home again, set boundaries: family dynamics can be complicated and I affirm the anxiety you might be feeling about living back at home. There is only so much you can compromise, so when you are able to, make sure to let your family know what kinds of expectations/support you need to make this work. This could be something as simple as people knocking on your room door before they come in

4.If you are able to, start the process to look for a therapist asap: you may want to compartmentalize your feelings and keep going, but it is so valid to start looking for a therapist soon after you graduate. You’ll be able to get tools to understand and process everything you’re going through. I’m particularly feeling a lot of post-grad stagnancy, and I hope therapy will allow me to push past that

5.Get in touch with yourself: nurture the essence of who you are—whether that’s reading, listening to podcasts, journaling, going on hikes, exploring old or new hobbies. This is your time to recharge and re-contextualize your life

These are 5 of many things I’ve been thinking about. Post-grad life is a process and hopefully each day gets better for you. –S.A.

“We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us.” 

– RUMI