You think you’ve got it all figured out. You were accepted to the college of your dreams and you have the next four years planned, down to what you’ll wear under your graduation gown. You’ll study abroad and get an internship at your dream job, where after graduation you’ll get hired. It’s the perfect plan.
And then suddenly it’s not. You wake up one day and realize you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. You have no idea why you chose your major, no idea what you want to do with your life after college. Do you even want to finish college? You don’t know. You don’t have the slightest inkling of what you want and you don’t know where to find the answers.
I am currently going through this thought processes. I feel totally lost and unsure of what I want to do with my life, but here are several steps I have come up with to help organize my thoughts.
Step one: Breathe. It’s going to be okay.
Step two: Gather your thoughts. Write stuff down. If you keep a journal or a diary, put your thoughts and feelings onto paper. If you don’t then consider making a list on a sheet of paper. Write down what you’re thinking, write down your goals as they were and your goals as they are now. If you don’t know what they are yet then don’t worry about it. It may sound stupid but writing things down is a good way to organize your thoughts. If writing doesn’t appeal to you then go for a walk or a run, even a bus ride into town. Do whatever it is that you do to find your thoughts.
Step three: Prioritize. What are your plans for the immediate future? What are your goals for tomorrow? Take it one day at a time. What are your priorities for today? Once you have today figured out begin on tomorrow. Think about what you absolutely have to do, and then think about what you want to do.
Step four: Explore your options. Maybe you just need to see a change in your life. It may be time to quit your job, or it may be you need to take some time off to think about what you really want. You may want to transfer to a different university, or maybe you want to go to culinary school. It’s good to think about what you enjoy doing and what careers you can get out of it. Not everything is always clear but it doesn’t hurt to look around. And it don’t think that you have to look for a big change all of the time, sometimes it could be a simple fix of meditating for twenty minutes a day.
Step five: Don’t stress about it. If it’s stressing you out too much then go see CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services). They’re really good about lending an ear and helping you to come up with short-term and long-term solutions. They also have some information about self-help on their website. If you don’t want to talk to a counselor then talk to friends or family members. Another great option is to go to the gym and work-out your frustrations and stresses. Consider yoga or swimming.
I kind of feel like Dory from Finding Nemo sometimes; I forget where I’m going and why I’m trying to get there. It’s okay though. I know my family has my back and that I’ll be supported no matter what, I know I’ll figure it out. When I last spoke to my mom I jokingly said that I’d join the circus (apropros considering the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey are visiting Mason right now). I think that as long as you find what makes you happy everything else will eventually fall in to place.
Everyone gets lost and confused sometimes, you will be okay. Just remember you are important, you are loved, and you will get through it. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there because lots of people understand exactly what you’re going through and they want to help. Let them.
Picture credits:
http://www.yvonnelieblein.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/tumblr_m4cv50S0…
https://redeeminggod.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/lost-inside-myself.jpg
http://m5.paperblog.com/i/64/642366/even-when-im-stable-it-feels-like-im…
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LK3tkIH5tE4/UThyI-W0nAI/AAAAAAAACDI/vDleJeVKaE…
http://wir.skyrock.net/wir/v1/resize/?c=isi&im=%2F2845%2F79142845%2Fpics…
http://brightsidelive.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tumblr_inline_mjvhq…
https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/webdr02/2013/9/…