College graduation marks a major milestone and is the start of a significant life transition. While you pause to reflect on this tremendous accomplishment and everything you’ve gained in the process, it’s also quite likely that you experience “transition nerves” or stress and worry about your next steps.
Researchers found that identifying and maintaining social supports and taking purposeful, meaningful action (such as physical activity) are key factors in overcoming stress during times of major transitions, such as graduation. You can use this knowledge to take charge of your well-being in the days, weeks, and months prior to and following college graduation.
- Stay connected with friendships you developed through college. Make it a point to reach out a few times a week at first. It’s normal for friendships to shift; it takes effort to maintain relationships.
- Form new connections by making yourself visible. For example, if you’re in a new job, talk with people in the lunchroom rather than staying in your office space, checking your Instagram account. Get to know new people and put extra effort into getting to know those you’d like to get to know better.
- Maintain and identify new interests as there’s a world of opportunities for you to be involved in perhaps similar or different than those activities and organizations you were involved in during college. Searching sites like MeetUp and VolunteerMatch can help you find ways to stay active and follow your passions.
- Forge your direction by creating a plan of action before you graduate from college. What are your goals? How will you create meaning in your life? What is a realistic budget to do those things?
- Practice mindfulness by using your senses to better understand, not avoid, your anxiety. Mindfulness practices help you to recognize the emotions and thoughts you’re experiencing, to accept and allow yourself to experience them, to investigate them with curiosity and care, and finally to find ways to nurture yourself with self-compassion.
- Enlist the help of a therapist if you need help processing your anxiety about graduating from college and planning for a positive future. Therapists at your college counseling center (or even your faith organization) will offer you free help with this. Alternatively, Open Path Collective also offers low-cost counseling.
While “transition nerves” are common, staying active and connected will help you overcome challenges that accompany major life transitions.
