Adding Walks to Your Day and Post College Depression
Ways to Get Your Ass Walking in the Morning
Fionna here. Listen, my back hurts.. Its been hurting for years. I never feel good, I am always tired, when I do feel good I want to do other things… like sit and play video games. My pain got worse when I was in a car accident in 2014… that was my dad’s fault… more on that later. Over the past seven years my body has been slowly dying… in a sense. I am super heavy and out of shape. I need to start walking… and that is why I picked this topic. So here we go.
So my plan is to walk for 10 minutes everyday… I’m struggling just thinking about it. The following are tips I found to get your ass on the move.
The bag drop method:
When you get home from work there is one minute in between the moment before you collapse on the couch. USE IT. Before you lose momentum, drop your bag and walk out the door. Change your shoes if you need, grab some water, do whatever you need to do in under one minute because you don’t want to lose momentum. I know it can be hard after getting home to do some walking, but if you just start with one minute of walking, you can anchor the habit of maintaining the momentum when you get home from work. Before you know it, you will be running out the door for a 45 minute walk.
Other quick tips:
- Treat yo self and buy new shoes, new clothes and comfortable walking shoes. Just don’t go crazy.
- Get up 5 minutes earlier… 15 min earlier etc…
- Go outside
- Find an exercise buddy
- Schedule it
- Sign up for a walking event
- Count steps
Hope that helps!
Post College Depression
As a college graduate of 2021, I have been feeling super strange since graduation after completing 7 years of college. So when looking at how to build up confidence for job searches, I came across post college depression. I did not know there was such a thing but it makes a lot of sense.
I wanted to share with you all how it might feel coming out of college and how to adjust. Which seems to be somewhat applicable to those who have graduated high school or people who might be going back to work after being out of the game for some time.
Post College Depression has very similar symptoms to clinical depression. I am here to let you know that the feelings of sadness, loneliness and anxiety after college are very common and you are not alone. It is normal to feel some degree of stuckness and discomfort.
Possible Causes
When you are in college, you spend a lot of time picturing where you will be once you graduate in order to motivate yourself and oftentimes when we graduate our vision of post graduation doesn’t match up with reality. This can especially be true for those who did not get to have an in person graduation, big graduation parties or an international backpacking trip in Europe due to COVID-19.
Once you graduate, you may also be feeling a lot of pressure from yourself and others to continue succeeding. This is the very case for first generation students who may feel the burden to care for their families once they finish college.
When you graduate you experience a million changes and that can include your social life. Maybe you have grown distant from your friends from freshman year and you finally have time to sit down and think about it. Maybe you are moving or your friends are moving and you feel depleted of a support system.
Symptoms
If you were a senior during the pandemic, you certainly have probably already been feeling this way. But here are some common symptoms people may experience as they move into the next chapter of their life:
- Uncomfortable with yourself or your life and you don’t know why
- Stuck or unmotivated, without knowing how to move forward or what you want to do
- Unworthy, incapable as if you have disappointed yourself, friends or family
- Isolated and unsupported in a new job, city or educational program
- Lonely
- Sad
- Loss in interest in things you used to love
- Sense of disorganization
- Sense of hopelessness
- Angry at yourself because you have not achieved what you expected or at others because they created a barrier to your goals
- Irritable or edgy
- Emotions on a roller coaster
- Exhausted and overwhelmed
Physical Symptoms
- Trouble sleeping
- Sudden bouts of tearfulness
- Change in appetite
- Change in sex drive
- Headaches
- Stomach problems
- No appetite or nausea
Behavior Changes
- Overuse technology and spend hours gaming, social media or scrolling
- Exercise too much or too little
- Overeat unhealthy foods
- Consume too much alcohol, caffeine or use recreational drugs
Solutions
Luckily there are a lot of things you can do during this transition in your life.
Accept your Feelings and Let Go of Guilt
Feelings of needing to get up and do something at all times can be a residual feeling after always being busy in college. But this may be a sign of needing to avoid your emotions. So it is important for you to take a break and practice mindfulness to listen to your feelings and what you are telling yourself. Healing will happen a lot faster once you accept how you feel and give your body and mind what it needs.
Build Healthy Habits
To avoid feelings of exhaustion and sadness, exercise and nutritious food can put you in the right direction at the beginning of every day which will make you more productive and positive.
Stay Connected
Make sure you are regularly speaking with your friends and family to feel supported and share what you are going through. This can be very therapeutic and your energy won’t be wasted on dwelling on unspoken thoughts.
Make New Connections
You are in a new chapter of your life and now you have time for all your hobbies and things you have always wanted to learn. Dive in and take a class or join a club to meet new people and don’t be afraid.
Engage
Find things that are meaningful to you and dedicate some of your time and energy to these things so you can fulfil a sense of purpose. Starting with recognizing your values is a good place to start.
Set Goals
You’ve probably heard of SMART goals a million times but setting achievable goals and making small steps toward accomplishment can make a big difference over time.
Disclaimer
This podcast includes explicit content, we discuss triggering material and are not mental health professionals. If you need immediate help please call the suicide hotline at 800-273-8255.
- Episode 8: It’s an Empty Chair
- Episode 7: As soon as this is over, it’s on.
- Episode 6: Low Pain Tolerance
- Episode 5: A Savage Bitch
- Episode 4: Small Enough?
Sources
https://modernhealthmonk.com/the-habit-of-walking-regularly/
https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/post-college-depression
https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2020/01/post-graduate-depression
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