(ThyBlackMan.com) They’ve graduated, and they’re heading into the world and beginning the next chapter of their lives. There’s just one problem. The world right now is nuts.
With the pandemic impacting in-person learning and deeply affecting the standard college experience, grads are left wondering and worrying about what will be coming down the pipeline soon, so it’s easy for new grads to feel incredibly anxious. However, there are plenty of ways to take a deep breath after you accept your degree, read the tea leaves, and calm your stresses about what’s to come.
Speak to a therapist.
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT for teens, allows patients to learn skills that will help improve how they manage their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
By conducting this form of therapy in a group setting, rather than individual sessions, there’s a greater accomplishment in skillsets developed by a patient among their peers. The modules introduced in the skills group consist of mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
Mindfulness allows for present-focused awareness that combats emotion dysregulation, the inability to frame emotions without reaching extremes. Emotion regulation helps you to understand the function of those feelings. Distress tolerance helps you learn how to manage stress and troubling issues in a healthy fashion. Interpersonal effectiveness makes you more aware of how your behaviors impact your personal relationships.
DBT is based on the same grounds as cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, but deals with more complex problems and intense emotions that may take some deeper dives into managing, going beyond just general mood to what brings out such risky behaviors.
DBT is perhaps most effective in treating anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders and trauma that could be impacting young people at a developmental milestone in their life.
Starting A New Hobby
Sometimes the best reaction is a distraction. Finding a new hobby to take your mind off the stresses and anxiety you’re facing and open your world to new knowledge and entertainment.
Tarot cards and the discovery of astrology have been considered great forms of entertainment through the questions of mysticism and the greater unknowns. It also puts into perspective the bounty of the universe beyond our day-to-day life.
A new hobby doesn’t have to be a strain. It may not necessarily be playing an instrument. It can be as simple as listening to new music. If you’re looking for something to do with your hands, crafting and knitting could be better suited for you. If you’re looking to release that pent-up stress, exercising or joining some form of group sport could help take your mind off the next steps in your life’s journey.
Don’t be afraid to look back.
Some may say it’s best to put things in the past, but when heading to adulthood, it doesn’t hurt to think about the good times in your life so far. Self-reflection can actually build you emotionally.
It could be as simple as looking at graduation photos, yearbooks, or graduation frames to make you think back on a fun memory made with your friends, classmates, and even teachers. Depending on the circumstances, it could lift you up when you’re feeling down, giving you imagery of a simpler and easier time.
If you’re feeling the impulses of anxiety that could trigger problematic behaviors, it couldn’t hurt to reach out to a friend and reflect on the good times. You could even meet up for a bite to eat or a coffee and bring back old memories. It could even lead to plans to get the old group back together.
The world may seem crazy, and even unbearable, when you’re fresh out of school, but with a constructive mindset and the right support, you’ll be ready to tackle the challenges that come your way.
Staff Writer; Paul Jones
