Navigating Post-Grad: 10 Steps to Protect Your Mental Health in Your 20s
Updated: Mar 12, 2022
1. Ask yourself what gives YOU purpose.
Build a post-grad lifestyle around what is important to you. Find a job or career path that moves you in a direction you find worthwhile. Locate yourself in a city with the things that mean most to you whether that's family, the outdoors, networking opportunities, etc. Find friends that lift you up and allow you to be vulnerable.
2. Find a mentor.
It should be someone who is on the other side of their twenties and can give you honest advice.
3. Do frequent priority checks. Make a list of your priorities in life (e.g. family, health, work, relationship, friendships, etc.) and try to align your life to meet those priorities.
Do YOU want to get a dog?
Do YOU want to live in a busy city or a small town?
Do YOU want to focus more on work or more on building meaningful relationships?
Are the pictures you feel jealous of on Instagram truly things you want and prioritize or are they just pretty pictures?
4. Just keep going. Every step forward is a step towards finding where you want to be. Keep forward momentum.
5. Remember that your twenties do not need to look a certain way! Stay true to you because comparison is the thief of joy.
Create a structure for yourself and stick to a routine that fits your lifestyle. Things that some people think you “should” be doing in your twenties like partying, getting married, working 80 hours a week, etc. aren’t necessarily what is right for you.
6. You can always change your mind! You’re not locked into one career path, city, relationship, etc. for the rest of your life.
Remember that you don’t have just one chance to pick which opportunity you want to take. Your first step will not be your only step. You can quit your first job, you can do a full 180, you can go back to school. Make a first step that feels right then make the next step that feels right even if it's completely different from what you thought it would be.
7. Lean on others who might be going through similar experiences.
8. With all the uncertainty at this stage of life, look for things within your control.
Your daily routine, the layout of your apartment, the hobbies you do, the food you eat, the friends you surround yourself with, etc.
9. You do not need to pursue a career in the same field you majored in!!!
10. Be gentle on yourself. You are learning more about yourself everyday. Nobody has it all figured out even if they seem to on social media!
Helpful podcast episodes on this topic: