I’m a student about to graduate and as the academic year winds down, one thought consistently looms over my head like a dark storm cloud — what happens next when the life I’ve built over the past four years suddenly disappears?
Even though the year isn’t officially over, I can feel the anxiety creeping in as I mourn the familiar routines I haven’t even left behind yet.
The comfort of daily lectures, late-night study sessions with friends and the consistent sight of familiar faces will soon be replaced with an entirely new reality — one I don’t fully understand yet.
Anxiety, in any form, has a way of making you feel completely alone. No matter how often you hear “everyone goes through it,” the experience is always deeply personal.
After weeks of dragging myself through days like Benjamin Braddock in the first half of The Graduate, I finally decided to dig into the feeling I had been calling “preemptive post-grad depression”.
After learning that post-grad depression is in fact a real thing that others experience, I wanted to fix the preemptive part of my problem. With just a month left of my university experience, I want to soak up every moment and not spend my days worrying about what comes next.
Fueled by determination and an undeniable urge to make this April unforgettable, I put together a simple yet successful guide to combat preemptive post-grad depression head-on.
Colorado psychologist Sheryl Ziegler perfectly explains an aspect of preemptive post-grad depression..
“They are following their friends on social media and have this out-of-proportion sense that everyone else has figured it out and is getting jobs,” she said in regard to depression in young people, “which causes them to further isolate themselves.”
As a fourth-year student, hearing friends and classmates talk and post about their exciting jobs, master’s programs and travel plans inevitably makes me compare. Suddenly, my own post-grad plans don’t feel like enough.
But the truth is, the online highlight reel never tells the full story — everyone is struggling in their own way.
While this is much easier said than done, if you find yourself comparing your life to others — stop immediately. We learned pretty quickly throughout university that nobody’s journey is the same and this applies to post-grad too.
Whether you have a solid plan or you’re still figuring things out, embrace the uncertainty —there’s power and comfort in the “I don’t know.”
The final step is a complete cliche but it’s crucial: Enjoy the moment.
Before we know it, summer will arrive and we’ll be clutching our diplomas. When you look back on these last weeks of university, do you want to remember fun filled memories of soaking up every bit of your familiar routine or Ben Braddock levels of lethargy?
Change is scary, but remember it’s also an opportunity. I know my advice won’t erase the anxiety and uncertainty that often follows graduation, but hopefully it helps any graduating student still struggling make the most of their remaining time at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Graphic by Alan Li
