Senior year is quickly coming to an end, which feels completely unreal, and I am definitely feeling the senior year blues. Even though graduating from college is such an exciting milestone to reach in life, I can’t help but feel a ton of mixed emotions that aren’t all positive.
Don’t get me wrong, I did have a lot of moments where I was stoked to be done with college, particularly when finals hit and I was busy cramming a bunch of work. However, more often than not, I feel a bit sad, stressed, and anxious about my future, and I think this is perfectly normal.
Come to think of it, I think most of us have been in the same routine of waking up, going to school, doing homework, and hanging out with friends during our free time for the past few decades. This has been second nature to me, and now that I realize a big change is happening, I am starting to feel a bit uneasy.
It also doesn’t help that I don’t have a set plan to follow, compared to my friends who have a post-grad plan set in stone—at least, that’s what it seems like. If any of you are also a senior and are feeling these same thoughts, 1) let’s be friends and 2) here are some things that I’ve been doing to focus on the happier moments that might be helpful for you too!
Take a photo/video of something fun or memorable every day of senior year
Truthfully, I don’t think I do this every single day, but I do it quite often and I love it. It doesn’t have to be anything eventful, just as long as it was a positive moment for you. If you’re dying of laughter over a simple thing your friend did, take a video. Sometimes I can’t get a snippet of the moment in real-time, so I like to write a caption that recaps the moment and save it to my memories on Snapchat.
Hang out with friends & family as much as your schedule & mental health allows
During college, it’s super easy to find the time to get together with friends, especially when we’re all in the same place at the same time. However, post-graduation things will change, so make the most of senior year by making more exciting and goofy memories with your friends before life gets in the way!
Journal your thoughts away
I don’t do this every day or often, but when the anxiety and stress of graduating college hit me super hard and keep me up thinking, some late-night journaling always works wonders for me. It doesn’t solve my issues, but writing allows me to address how I feel at the moment and gives me a sense of peace.
Remind yourself to trust the process
During my freshman year, I was freaking out about not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. A mentor of mine told me that the easiest thing to do is to trust the process. I didn’t believe her then, but 3 years later, I realized that she was right. Everything is okay now — for the most part — and everything will be okay in the future! It’s definitely something that I am learning to accept once again, now that I’m feeling the senior year blues and the same uneasiness, but it’s what we need to try to do and trying is what counts!
Senior year blues suck, but I know for a fact that we’ll all get through this! To all the seniors graduating, this is our year and we’ll do our best to make the most of it. Congratulations, and I wish you all a wonderful semester!