Life straight after high school.

Hopeful4life

I just recently finished high school over 6 months ago and ever since I’ve had this dreadful mindset where everything I do feels pointless now. High school was rough for me as I dealt with bullying so I always assumed after high school I’d feel amazing because I would be away from it. But it’s been 6 months and I have no motivation, going to work feels more challenging than it used to and hanging out with friends feels like a chore. I start university next year which I worked really hard to get into but I’m scared that in the next 5 months this mindset will worsen and I’ll carry this sadness with me to university. I just wanted to see if anyone else felt like this after finishing high school and what they did to come out of this mindset?
Have a beautiful day 🙂

Sophie_M

Hey Hopeful4life,

What a lovely username! Welcome to the Forums and thank you for sharing here.

First off: you are absolutely not alone in this, and what you’re feeling makes total sense. The final years of high school are focused on working towards a fixed goal with a life that is structed for us – school times, exam periods, being with our year group every day. Once that stops, it can feel like a very abrupt change from always being focused on the next task to suddenly having this freedom and lack of structure. While it can sound great, it can also feel pretty overwhelming, too. You’re adjusting to a new stage of life, and it is totally normal to have a time where it doesn’t quite feel right. It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, or that this is how life is always going to feel after school – just that you’re trying to grapple with a profoundly different lifestyle now.

If you’d like some extra support, Headspace have a great article on coping with leaving high school, including a guide on creating a new routine that works for you. They are also available to talk to on 1800 650 890 or webchat via their website: headspace.org.au. There’s also our lovely Support Service team, on 1300 22 4636 or online.

Has there been anything in your life lately that has given you relief from this feeling, even for a little bit? The little moments count, too. It truly is a major adjustment and we hope that you can treat yourself gently as you adjust to this post-school life.

We’re here any time you want to chat. You’re not alone in this 💙

Kind regards
Sophie M

Psychdiaries2

Hi there,

A warm welcome to the forums to you and thanks for your post. I'm sorry you're going through this tough time right now. I think high school is a lot and especially how you said you dealt with bullying. I think things can sometimes get a bit bland and demotivating when a huge part of your life is over which is normal. As humans we're always looking to the next thing in our lives and since you said you're going to uni next year, I assume you feel like you're just waiting for that to come and feel unfulfilled in the meantime?

I personally haven't been in your shoes, so hopefully someone else can provide their insight on here, but I just wanted to say that I think that when you get to uni and study something that you want to do, I reckon you'll feel better because then you'll have goals and will be busy with that. Right now though, do you think there's anything you could do to make yourself feel cheered up or even something that you can do to look forward to?

Hope this helps. Feel free to write anytime on here.

Wishing you all the best,

PsychDiaries