Dealing with the Real World- Confessions from a Paused Life

Many of us have been in that void: the space between college and having an actual life. We all plan out our success during the Senioritis-filled final semester of college. Get that dream job, meet the love of your life, have your own place. Eat something that isn't Ramen. We have a COLLEGE DEGREE and will be awesome. Or some of us, myself included, planned to continue on in school with a graduate degree program.

Either way, we are going to be Carpe diem-ing that shit.

.....Then that falls through and you end up where it all began.

You lay on your parent's couch bemused: You did everything right. You did the extra-curriculars. Participated in activities related to your field, like that internship or field school. Maybe even a study abroad trip. Heck, you did your own research and presented it at a conference. Then life bitch-slapped you. Hard. Repeatedly. Like the Hulk did to Loki in the Avengers.

(I was going to put a clip of the Hulk smashing Loki....but it wouldn't work. As per usual, those responsible have been sacked)

The falling apart of your life wouldn't be that bad if others weren't having, in your opinion, pretty good lives. Friends are getting their dream jobs, or are getting into grad school while you wallow in your self pity. Or they're going the family route while you sit on your parent's couch. 

 

(Whoever made this spelled 'here' wrong, they need a sacking)

So you cave in and regroup. You apply to every business in a 10 mile radius. Unsuccessfully.

So true, philosoraptor. So true. 

PLAN B TIME. Then you apply to every retail business in a 10 mile radius, only to get a interview with one. In your mind, at this moment, this is just a temporary situation. You'll use this job to save money as you bone up on your credentials and reapply to school or to that dream job.  Or you try.

Curse you, internet!!! Why do you taunt my generation so???

Still, that nagging fear of failure and depression keeps creeping in. Then you hear back from Plan B. Failure resurfaces. Depression grabs you like a dog to a bone.

Now what. With no motivation for anything it can be hard to want to think about the future. Especially with everyone trying to be supportive and motivational. The jerks. You feel like a failure, and to be honest, people do fail. And life isn't going to be nice. You have to fight back. Find something to make you happy, make you smile. Reconnect with a part of yourself that went on the back burner during college. Take some time for yourself to NOT think about the future. Take a break from the future! It doesn't have to be NOW; sorry every sci-fi movie ever made. You are wrong.

 I can't promise that everything will work out and your future will be bright, or that you'll get that dream job. Heck, I don't even know what's going on with my own life right now. But at least for a few blissful moments, you won't be sad. You won't feel lost. I hate to admit it but all those jerks are, in a way, right: 

By everything,  I mean you. Just take a break and do something you enjoy. Eventually you will calm the F- down and work stuff out. Life won't be on ~pause~ forever. Just take a moment to be you and stop worrying about it. This might not be the most inspiring thing you've ever read as you Google your way  through pages of "how to make life work" searches (I know you're doing that, we all do that), but its what works for me and I wanted to share. This is real talk from a real paused life. Not someone who already got through their drama. And I hope I helped just a little bit. 

Sorry about the rant, oh mysterious, possibly non-existent people who peruse this blog :/ 

*I found all images on the interwebz, I made nothing. Thanks creative people!*