Navigating the Post-Grad Blues & Reconnecting with the Little Beth Inside of Me
Post-grad has been, honestly, one of the weirdest transitions I’ve ever had to go through, and that’s coming from someone who has moved states four times. You spend 17 years working towards something very specific, surrounded by your friends and family, and all of a sudden, that goal is accomplished and your friends are scattered all over the country. Everyone is taking all sorts of different opportunities, going down so many different paths. For the first time, you’re not in the exact same “place” as everyone else around you. It’s uncomfortable and weird all while at the same time being kind of freeing? Kind of exciting? Kind of beautiful? Everything feels a little bit deeper than it had before, good things and bad things all the same. Sometimes it’s hard not to get overwhelmed by the depth of the change, but there are some things that have helped me navigate this change a bit better.
Reconnecting with friends who graduated before me has been so helpful. Of course, I stayed in touch with them after they graduated, but with conflicting schedules of work and school, it was hard to really foster the same level of friendship we had when we were both in college. This is something I’m still navigating now with my friends who are still in school, even though we’re in the same city, we have such different schedules that I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like to. Reaching out to the people who are a few years ahead of me in their post-grad years has helped me see some light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve always been a girl who requires her alone time to survive, but post-grad has felt like a bit too much alone time because I’ve been so used to seeing my friends literally every day for the last four years. This year, I’ve had to redefine what alone time means to me and revive my genuine love for it. One way I’ve redefined alone time is by getting my ass up and vlogging my day on TikTok, and I’m dead serious. On those days when I don’t have much going on (and don’t want to spam text my friends with every thought that enters my brain), vlogging my day gets me out of the house and yapping to the camera. Y’all should see the amount of drafts I have of me putting my two cents into whatever TikTok topic of the week is on my mind.
Without a doubt, the thing that has helped me conquer the post-grad blues the most has been reconnecting with the little Beth that still lives inside of me. I’ve never been as busy as I was in college. Between work, internships, my sorority, friends, and classes, I had very little time to myself, so when I did have time, it was strictly for decompressing. I got so swept up in college life that I kind of forgot what I actually like to do in my free time. Being post-grad, I have so much more free time to fill, which was somehow both relieving and intimidating at the same time. Over that first Summer and Fall, I spent a lot of time outside because I loved it and it was easy, but then Winter hit, and me, personally, not so much an outside girl in these Chicago Winters. So what was I supposed to do? Sit at home watching TV? Surely that couldn’t be the only thing I liked to do at home. That’s when I saw a clip of Brittany Broski talking about reconnecting with childhood interests on her podcast, The Broski Report. That sentiment really clicked for me. What did I enjoy before I got swept up in some newfound freedom and responsibility? I thought back to all the short stories and diary entries I used to write as a kid and, obviously, I started writing again. I started writing with no real purpose yet, just writing to see what came of it and if I still enjoyed it as much as I once did. Well, clearly I did, so I started this blog! Little Beth also loved fashion and marine life, so I started playing around with the pieces in my closet and watching documentaries about whales. I started going to the thrift store more, I started donating to marine life relief efforts, I started appreciating and paying attention to high fashion again, I watched Blackfish for the 10th time in my life (Not an exaggeration), all things I knew would light up my mini-me. As it turned out, they still lit me up too. Some things never change—and maybe that’s the point.
I’m not claiming to be a professional at navigating the post-grad blues — and honestly, I might never be. But now, almost a year out from graduation, I’m realizing that part of growing up isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about giving yourself permission to be a beginner again, to reconnect with the parts of yourself you forgot along the way.
Finding the little Beth inside me — the one who loved writing, fashion, and whales without needing a reason — has helped me remember that life doesn’t have to feel so heavy all the time. It can still be playful, creative, and full of curiosity, even when everything around me feels new and uncertain.
Maybe that’s what post-grad life is really about: not chasing who you think you’re supposed to be, but remembering who you already are.
To be completely honest, this week was quite the shade of navy, so this topic was heavy on my mind. Writing about it and remembering what actually helps me through these blues felt beyond cathartic. Sending my love to all college graduation survivors, I see you girl and you’re werkin’ it.
Write you soon!
Beth
