by Sierra Birthelmer, Head Writer As a student graduating in the next few months, my new least favourite question has become, “What are your plans after graduation?” I remember several times in school having to write an essay about where I wanted to be in ten years. When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian. As I got older it became a teacher, doctor, artist, and author. Now, it feels like my life in ten years is no longer ten years away. It feels like it’s here, and I still have no idea where I see myself. Scary!
#1. Spend Time with Friends One of the things that always makes me feel better is spending time with friends. In any scenario, being with friends is always a distraction from stressful or frustrating situations, but specifically in the context of graduation, talking to people who relate to me always eases my worries. Most of my closest friends are also graduating soon, so they are sharing many of the same uncertainties as me. I find it to be relieving that they also share these anxieties, because it makes me feel like I am exactly where I’m supposed to be, that it’s okay to not know where I’m going, because nobody else does either. I promise, most of your friends are probably experiencing or have experienced the same feelings as you and being able to relate to someone can really help with those fears. #2. Take in Every Moment Something I’ve noticed is that I tend to live for the future. I live to get to the weekend, or a fun day I have planned, or for summer vacation, etc. One thing I have been trying to do this semester is live in each moment as it comes. This sounds super cheesy, which it is, but it has also helped me feel better about graduating. Now I know that when the time comes for me to move out of my house and away from Guelph, I will have taken advantage of every moment, even the simplest ones. This can be a difficult thing to do, especially as a student. However, I have found that actively putting myself into the present moment has made this semester more enjoyable, and the thought of the future less scary. #3. Set Small Goals for the Future Although the main source of my stress for the future is not having an exact idea of where I see myself in the next year, I have found that setting smaller goals has really helped me feel like I have a sense of control over that time period. For example, one of my goals for next year is planning a trip with some of my friends. Although this goal isn’t academic or career focused and won’t necessarily help me figure out what I want to do with my life, it is an experience that I really want to have. Having things to look forward to and to work towards makes me feel motivated, and excited for what’s to come. Goals do not always have to be as big as traveling the world or finding a great job to pursue as a career, most of my goals are much simpler. I want to focus on goals such as trying a new workout class, spending time with friends that I didn’t get to see much while I was at school, etc. All these things keep me focused on the exciting things I can do once I graduate. Final Thoughts Learning to embrace big changes in your life can be hard and overcoming the fear that comes along with those changes takes time. If you are feeling scared about graduation, or any other change in your life for that matter, know that you are not alone. I hope that some of these strategies will help you overcome this change like they have helped me. Sierra is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph, Co-President for the Psychology Society and a Head Writer on GetPsyched. Are you interested in submitting a post to GetPsyched? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us so we can showcase your ideas!
Edited by Harjot Boora.
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