If life after graduation has meaning, I haven’t found it.
Ever since I was young, I had always thought about what my life would be like once I graduated.
And I simply couldn’t wait to graduate so I could get a cool job and earn my own money and just be my own person. And while I did land a great job right after graduation, I find that I am not completely happy.
I assumed that if I had a great job, I would be happy. But that is not the case. While professionally I feel like I am doing well, I have now realized that is not what life is all about. Some days I feel like I don’t have enough time for myself, and that the 9-5 routine is wearing me down.
And then I think about how this is what I will have to do for the rest of my life
And then I find that I feel suffocated with this thought; that this is the format for the rest of my life. Work and then come home with a few hours to myself before I go to sleep. And within all of this hubbub, I feel depressed because I don’t even get to see my friends that often.
And considering that I am someone who actually loves her job, I can only imagine what other people who are in the same phase of their lives feel like, those who don’t even like their jobs.
This transitionary period of life after graduation is intense
Realizing that there are no more summer or spring breaks to be had like I did all my life makes me sad as well. Because I think about how I might never again be able to have time for myself and life will only get busier and busier from now on.
Life after graduation is not how the movies and TV shows and the aunties and uncles lie about
But after talking to older cousins and friends, I feel a little better because apparently all of them went through this phase and adjusted pretty well after a few months of settling into the routine. Considering that everyone has gone through something like this after graduation, really does make me feel better because I have hope that I too, will feel better.
And with all of this, I have realized why maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important. And for that, I have adopted the habit of not taking any work home. Other than that, when I get home I try to spend as little time on social media as I can.
I spend time with my family, my pet cat and try to do some chores; anything which makes me feel productive and like I did not waste any time. Because I identified that the reason I felt down was that I felt like the only productive things I did were at work and not for myself at home, and once I started doing this I have felt better.
Life after graduation really is a rude awakening. Life isn’t glamorous but it’s okay, after the adjustment period, life seems pretty good again. And maybe even as good as you had it to be as a kid.
Do you have any tips for this transitional phase of life? Let us know in the comments.
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