by Esme Presland

Moving to university is no ill-prepared feat. We’re flooded with support from schools, peers and even online forums, advising us on how best to grapple with this undoubtedly nerve-wracking transition. But there’s a quieter, equally challenging transition that’s left slightly underdiscussed: moving back home after graduation.

We build new friendships, routines and ultimately new lives during those three years at university – a new normal. Moving back home can therefore feel like a confusing and unnerving transition, bringing with it a lost sense of structure and less opportunity to see our university friends. I’ve recently graduated and I’m right in the middle of adjusting to this transition myself. In between moving back in and preparing job applications, I’ve picked up a few tips along the way, which might help you ease into this new life period too.

1. Don’t abandon all sense of structure. It’s easily done over summer, and a post-grad break is absolutely well earned. But I quickly slipped into relaxing so much that I started feeling a little bored and lost. To bring back some structure into my life, I’ve re-joined my local gym, started volunteering and begun my job application process. Blocking out set times for these activities has also meant I can properly rest in between, without the guilt of having no routine at all.
2. Give your job search a schedule. I quickly found myself casually job hunting during every hour of the day, leaving me feeling burnt out and unproductive, without actually having sent off many solid applications. Now I treat my search like an actual task with structure, dedicating a couple of set hours a day to it, rather than letting the search bleed into the entire day. It’s meant I can properly switch off from the exhausting search, and put more energy into the applications I do end up pursuing.
3. Get outside, even when you don’t feel like it. It sounds obvious, but the research is clear on just how important exercise is for our mental health, especially in nature. In a period of change and unpredictability, don’t undermine how much a short walk can do for your mental health and well-being.
4. Reconnect with friends and family back home. This can be easier said than done once you’re actually back, as everyone else has their own routines and schedules too. I’ve made a conscious effort to schedule time with old school friends and it has been nothing short of a medicinal softening of the isolation that can creep in post-graduation.
5. Recognise the potential value of this period. It’s easy to frame this transition as a loss of many things: structure, independence and a social scene that was ingrained into university life. But it’s worth considering what can be gained here too. You likely have one of your first real opportunities to explore a completely different career path, devote time to learning a new hobby or even travel, if you’re able to. This transition isn’t permanent, and real, exciting opportunities can be found within this zone of unpredictability, if you let yourself look for them.

While this graduation transition period can feel overwhelming and uncertain, you don’t have to experience that uncertainty alone. Lean on the people around you, including friends who are going through their own version of this or even family who’ve likely been through something similar themselves. If you feel like the weight of this feels more than you can carry on your own, you can also get in touch with the support services here at No Panic, giving you a safe space to talk it through with people who deeply understand anxiety. Above all, try to hold onto the idea that this strange, in-between period isn’t something to just get through – it’s a unique window in your life, and one worth making the most of.