Gracefully Navigating Through Uncertainties
Congratulations! It’s graduation season now—the moment when you can begin to go after your dreams. Furthermore, savor the fulfillment you’re experiencing at this moment. You’re so full of hope now, and I would want you to retain that, regardless of the uncertainties that may shake you up in real life.
Gracefully Navigating Through Uncertainties
Whether you already have preconceived plans for the future, you may need to read on about this. And I would like to share some of my current lessons about uncertainties and experiences that I’ve learned the hard way.
To provide some context, I, myself, also have plans that I’ve set even before graduation. I have this burning desire for music, writing, and journalism. And after I graduated, I somehow felt lost after how many months– thinking, how can I get to where I wanted?
I, then, took my first step after a couple of months, and unfortunately, things didn’t go according to my plans. And it overwhelmed me with confusion about where should I go next. That’s when I learned that the real world is truly different when you’re a student.
Additionally, many young adults have been telling us to prepare for it. Indeed, the real world as a graduate seems different from the one when we were still students.
Graduating filled me with a mixture of pressure and excitement that I couldn’t exactly pinpoint the term. It’s the thought that goes through your head that you have responsibilities and dreams.
It’s a constant question: should I start already? Or should I just rest for a while before I take my first step? I mean, I truly understand if you want to rest for a bit because you’ve set most of your energy in your studies to thrive.
Now, you may feel like life’s a bit too big than you imagined, but you’ll be fine no matter what.
I mean, it feels easy to say: ‘I wanna be something, I wanna be the best of myself,‘ and all sorts. It seems easy to plan out your life, but the process— that feels overwhelming and scary when you’re already in the field.
This is where you’ll face rejections, heartbreaks, and personal crises that you never thought you’d go through because you felt safe in your plans. However, real life will teach you that not everything will go your way. And that’s when you’ll face disappointments— and you should learn to be okay with it.
If your plans worked out well, then you can further proceed with your latter ones. But mind you, sometimes, real life will truly shake us, and it’s okay to use some support system.
Choose your circles
This is the time when you’ll find out who’ll stay as you will now be building your future. Your friends will also face the same, so it’s important to keep in touch and to widen your understanding. Surely, they’ll be as busy as you, so it might be harder to see them if your schedules don’t match.
You’re never alone in this
Even if you feel like you’re alone, there will always be someone who’s rooting for your success. May it be your friends, family, someone you met on the internet, or even the most distant stranger. No matter where you go, they will always support you and your happiness.
Be okay with losing people
Contrary to what I’ve said before, this is the time when you’ll see which ones will leave, and which ones will stay. You have to assess your circles and keep those who are with you even through tough times like this. Furthermore, if at some point, you start losing people, be at ease with it because you have your whole life to chase.
Take good care of your health
I want to stress this one out despite the uncertainties, prioritize both your mental and physical health. You are much more important than anything that requires you to give up your well-being. It’s okay to feel stressed, but never forget to take care of yourself.
Go out, be with nature, read books that fortify your mind, rest after a long day, eat healthy– you do you.
Remind yourself that it’s okay to feel tired
However, never let yourself feel the burnout. Work according to your salary, and never compromise your hard-built motivation, as it may take you a while to recover. Well, that’s adulting for you.
Keep the faith that you’ll be fine, and retain the hope that you’ll achieve great things in life
Relax, you got this! Take your time, however, having responsibilities may be a bit overwhelming for a fresh graduate. You want to rest, but it feels like you can’t because life is complex and continuous, and so should you.
Your time will come too. Keep your focus on your dreams, and never give up on it. I can see the college version of you that’s full of passion cheering on you in the present. So achieve your dreams for them!
Life may be tough, but so are you!
It may cause you to doubt yourself, your capabilities, and the way you perceive yourself— in worst-case scenarios. But listen to the people who see your potential, and the things you can do in life.
“Pahuway sa, pagkahuman, padayon na pod”
(Magpahinga ka muna, pagkatapos, magpatuloy ka ulit)
Pinang Basnay, 2021
Just keep on going, you can navigate through life’s uncertainties gracefully. We’re all trying to figure things out in life— and in the end, we will always strive according to our own timeline!
