Post-college depression. I had no idea this was a legit thing until I was talking to a friend about my feelings and she used this term. For all my life I was a normal happy girl. I honestly don’t think I was ever actually depressed until I graduated college. Like most people I’m not fond of change and graduating college is a big change. In fact, going to college was a big change, but it was an exciting change. Leaving college, on the other hand, is an exciting, but mostly scary change.
When you graduate and even before you graduate college all of your senior classmates are going on and on about resumes, interviews, and job offers. Some land great fancy jobs, some were handed jobs, and some graduate with no job in hand with hopes to find one in the future.
Let me tell you something, having a job after college doesn’t grant you a free pass from post-college depression.
I was a lucky one and was granted a job after countless interviews and resume sending. Yes, I got a ton of sales job offers because of my degree, but I did not want to go down that path. (Sales is not a bad path; I just know it wasn’t the path for me.) Even though I had a job and was working full time right out of school I was ended up depressed.
I was bored. Every day, I did the same things. Work, eat, sleep; I had NO life.
In college, I was surrounded by friends, super busy with school work & group projects, and on top of that, I had a full schedule of sorority events. I never had the time to be bored. So with this new change of pace in life, it left me with sadness, emptiness, boredom, and confusion of my future.
I was losing a purpose.
After having a major break down and I mean HUGE break down (you know the ones) and talking with friends who were going through the same things I knew what I needed to do. I needed to do something that I have always wanted to do. Something that I have been regretting, for quite some time and enough is enough. I needed to restore purpose and fulfillment back into my life and starting this blog was going to do exactly that!
Graduation may have been the start of adulthood, but post college depression was the real start to this blog.
I’m not saying everyone needs to create a blog to get rid of your depression okay, I’m not a Doctor…. Far from it lol. My advice to you if you are a recent college grad coping with change is to do something new. Make a bucket list and start crossing things off, join a gym, take a cool class; get out there and meet new people. NETWORK! I did, and things are turning out pretty great.
If you don’t have a job and are looking for one, look at the people you know. I personally hate asking for help but sometimes you have to pull up your big girl pants and surrender. I swear networking is a huge thing in finding a job. A professor once told me “it’s not all about WHAT you know, sometimes it’s about WHO you know”.
I promise things will get better and I’m here going through the exact same thing sister. So take my advice or leave it, but this is exactly why I made this blog. This blog is for me to share my adulting experiences and to help others who are experiencing the same as me.
I promise I won’t have sad posts all the time; the next one is quite exciting, so be on the lookout. Until next time!
Love always,
Alex
