Post Grad Depression: Causes and How to Overcome it?

If you’re feeling sad and empty after your graduation, it could be what is known as post-grad depression. It affects a considerable number of students in the US. Yes, surprisingly, such a mental disorder does exist, and many of my university friends have been through it.

According to a study by the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, around 40% of graduating students out of the 681 university students who participated in their survey were affected by depression and anxiety.

PGD does not yet have a proven official diagnosis, unlike other depressive disorders such as clinical depression, postpartum depression, Premenstrual depressive disorder, etc.

In this article, we will explain in detail the Causes of Post Grad Depression and How to overcome the feeling!

What is the Connection Between Graduation and Depression?

Graduating from university is a moment of celebration for many students, but for some, it can trigger depressive symptoms. It’s because graduating represents a big change full of responsibilities.

A major chunk of this transitional phase in life, called adulting, expects you to fit into adult life effortlessly, something that is not an easy task.

You are expected to move on and leave your carefree college life behind, including your mini world that was your support system all this while.

So, abandoning your safe space or your comfort zone of years may feel like being crippled suddenly with your crutches being taken away, causing immense depression.

Now it is okay to be nervous because you may not be prepared to take on the challenges ahead after graduating. However, if this nervousness overpowers you and literally takes over your ability to go about your daily life, it could be a problem and might even be a sign of depression.

Post-grad or Adulting Challenges

You feel the reality striking hard when life does not go your way, and just as you are getting used to adulting, you fail to land a good job.

It is worse when you come to know about your friends and peers bagging great packages, and you have no idea where you are heading to. So, you end up constantly criticizing yourself.

Fierce competition discourages you even more, and you may feel the sting every time your job application is turned down.

Ideally, this is where you should stop and re-evaluate your life to prevent yourself from going down an endless rabbit hole of negativity and toxic behavior.

The mounting frustration, in turn, is very likely to advance to feelings of uncontrollable emptiness and eventually lead to severe depression, maybe even clinical depression if the condition worsens with time and is left untreated.

Causes of Post Grad Depression

The anxiety that comes with taking up responsibilities as an adult could be the primary contributor to post-grad depressive symptoms.

Negative thoughts, isolation, and a lack of familiarity contribute to depressive feelings. When you sit back and analyze the new phase in your life after graduating, you will likely come across an unfamiliar setting and probably feel homesick too.

Moreover, you may feel like you need to catch up on personal, academic, and professional fronts.

Following are some of the causes triggering post-grad depression:

• Fear of failure
• Inability to figure out how to fulfill other obligations other than academic
• Difficulty accepting new changes and adjusting to adult life
• Maintaining more discipline and sticking to a fixed routine that is more structured, unlike student life, to honor new responsibilities is tough
• Constant comparison of our lives with others causes more discontent and frustration
• Feelings of loneliness and hopelessness as close friends move away 
• The pressure of loans can cause more stress and anxiety
• A constant struggle with managing different challenges all at once – dating, clearing student debts, job hunting, house hunting, traveling, working, etc
• The feeling of disappointment for not being self-sufficient and good enough in life
• Multiple job rejections
• The social stigma of moving back to your parents’ house
• Excessive usage of social media showing accomplishments of peers 
• Too many uncertainties in life without parents
• Excessive pressure and stress of building a new network for professional reasons
• The cons of living alone under constant financial stress
• Difficulty accepting an overall mindset change 
• The daily struggle of juggling work and household chores

Symptoms of Post Grad Depression

Here is a list of the symptoms of Post Grad Depression. If you know the symptoms, you can look for ways to overcome them, something that we will discuss in the next section.

• Highly frustrated and unmotivated to engage in daily routine or stick to a schedule
• Constant mood swings
• Increased irritability and negative thoughts
• Skeptical of taking up new tasks
• Constantly putting things or important tasks off
• Highly disorganized 
• Easily exhausted at all times

Ways to Overcome Post Grad Depression

There are many tried and tested ways to cope with post-grad depression the right way. Here are some tips.

1. Set Realistic Goals

When you set goals that are unrealistic, you may not achieve your goals. As a result, you may end up feeling depressed. So, it’s important that you set realistic and measurable goals based on your abilities so you get the outcome you desire.

2. Stay in Touch With Your Trusty Network

A great support system goes a long way in overcoming post-grad depression. Instead of focusing too much on building new connections to improve your life after graduation, emphasize working on your old connections more.

It makes sense to leverage this network as it offers maximum credibility. You know that you can rely on these people for the best advice. Sometimes you want your closest friend or colleague to listen to you and empathize with you to feel better.

So, at the cost of sounding cliched, I will say, “Make new friends, but keep the old! New friends are silver, old friends are gold”.

3. Routines are Boring, but You Must Have one

Make sure you prioritize your tasks planned for the day instead of approaching them in a haphazard manner.

If you want to avoid the downside of bad time management and disorganization, you should plan ahead. You will then get to see a drastic change it will bring to your lazy, dull life.

Admittedly getting yourself to start following a healthy routine is quite a task in itself, but it’s not as hard as it may seem. Take one step at a time, do not rush!

Have a good lifestyle that is punctuated by nutritious meals taken on time, sufficient water intake, restful sleep of 6 to 8 hours, and daily exercise.

4. Start Celebrating Successes

Small or big, all achievements need recognition and must be celebrated by you. When you set your goals, make sure to create key milestones so you have something to work for and look forward to.

You will never realize your true potential if you keep doubting yourself, and self-doubt will always discourage you from appreciating your efforts.

If you do not take pride in your hard work, you won’t celebrate your achievements as much.

So, honor your own success stories because why not. And most importantly, nobody else will reward you, as they would not understand the pain you have endured to accomplish something. It is better to take charge and do it yourself.

5. Consult a Psychiatrist/Therapist

Psychotherapy and psychiatric treatments involving different approaches can help you devise effective coping strategies for post-grad depression to fit your schedule, the severity of your symptoms, circumstances, and lifestyle.

Conclusion

If you think you haven’t achieved what you set out to achieve after your graduation and experiencing symptoms of depression as a result, pause, reassess, and take the necessary steps to overcome the feeling.

If you think your feeling of depression and anxiety is not temporary and has crossed abnormal levels, you should get in touch with your mental healthcare provider for a possible remedy.