A Note On Graduate Mental Health

In this blog, Emily talks about her mental health as a recent graduate and gives advice to those in a similar situation. 

-Emily

When I took my final exam back at the end of May, the one thought that went through my brain was not �I finished my degree, time to celebrate and relax for a while!� It was �I finished my degree, what do I do now? What happens next?� All of a sudden, the life that had been lectures, assignments, exams, and stress was over � forever. I didn�t even have the distraction of the university paper to focus on as the final issue of the academic year had already been printed. 

As a Graduate, which has taken a lot of getting used to, I do think that in some respects, I am lucky in the fact that I have had jobs throughout the summer and have a pretty exciting opportunity lined up. About a week or so after finishing my degree, I was browsing the Internet for jobs in Europe � imagining myself teaching English in a sunny country like Spain or Italy. I came across an advert for a job with Education First (EF) teaching English in China and I just thought �why not? If I don�t do something this extreme now, I never will!� That�s how I�ve ended up preparing to go and work and live in China for a minimum of fifteen months. 

My Graduation ceremony back in July was quite a surreal blur of an experience. I was more interested in getting my certificate to begin the process of applying for a VISA to go to China, than I was about the ceremony itself. Also, I was halfway through a month-long contract teaching English in a summer school, which was a very intense and exhausting job to do. It didn�t hit me until a week or so later that it actually happened, and this is my life now.

University is definitely like this protective bubble in a sense. We have responsibilities and our own lives, but we also have a lot of support and guidance when it comes to education, work experience, careers advice, mental health support, etc... Once we�re in the �real world� that all sort of ceases and suddenly, we�re on our own and the world feels huge and scary. Since Graduation, and since leaving Swansea, I�ve experienced a dip in my mental health. Personally, for example, I�ve been feeling as though I need to be in consistent, constant employment rather than temporary contracts here and there until I eventually move to China. Graduate mental health, I believe, is a complex thing, and it is very easy to fall into the cycle of not feeling good enough when getting rejected from job after job, and also missing the friends we�ve made at university, comparing ourselves to others and feeling as though we �should� be in a certain place at a particular time in our lives. 

If anyone who�s recently graduated from university and finds themselves feeling similar, here�s some important tips to remember:

� Remember that you�re living your life � you�ll end up where you�re meant to be when you�re meant to get there, with who you�re meant to be there with! (That�s a mouthful).

� Remember to practice self-care, which includes being kind to yourself physically and mentally. Whether it�s congratulating yourself for something you�ve done, or just doing something you enjoy doing, be kind to yourself! 

� Remind yourself that you graduated from university. It is a massive achievement. That degree certificate, that grade � whether it�s a 1st, a 2:1 or a 2:2, it doesn�t matter � it represents years of hard work, dedication, commitment, passion and focus. 

To quote one of my best friends � �No one truly has their life together; we are all on our own little journey and go at our own pace.� Keep going! 

My name is Emily (Em). I have recently graduated from Swansea University with my BA degree in Modern Languages, Translation & Interpreting; I was also passionate about and dedicated to Swansea Student Media and the University students� newspaper � Waterfront. I blog for Student Minds because I have experienced mental health issues as a student and now as a graduate, as well as other health issues, and I support friends who also have mental health difficulties. I am a passionate writer and writing has been important in my mental health experiences � both in helping me to explore and to cope with my mental health, as well as sharing my story in order to help others.