Amina

I want to preface this article by saying that whatever your transition may be, first and foremost, know that you are not the only person binge eating packs of double stuffed Oreos and crying to your Mom in the corner of your cubicle, and second, that regardless of how much your friends tell you they love their new jobs out of college and 'simply don’t understand why everyone is so stressed about the post grad,' well they’re liars.

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I began my twenty-something career in the non-profit circuit, hoping to 'make a difference.'  What I discovered three jobs later, is that impactful change comes in a variety of shapes and sizes.  And yet, experience has proven that these groundbreaking 'changes' are often incited by, well to put it simply, happy people.  For months, I struggled to understand why I wasn’t making the same strides in my career as my classmates (both real and fabricated).  I put in twice the hours and made about four times the sacrifices. The proof was in the pudding.  For all of the hours I had spent attempting to survive life in my own Darwinian microcosm, I had absolutely nothing to show in terms of personal gratification.  

Upon graduation, I received just about every Self-Help book imaginable.  With titles like “Go Big or Go Home: Tips for Professional Success” and “Strong Mind, Healthy Body” it was unclear whether or not my family thought I was destined for a career as a motivational yoga instructor or truly believed I was capable of sending a #thankyou to a potential employer.  Needless to say, while it might have taken me a while to skim those pages on a rough day or two, I’ve come to the conclusion that, aside from bold graphics and cheesy taglines, they might actually be onto something. And from what I can gather, 'happiness' in terms of the self-help guide pretty much boils down to three oversimplified and widely applicable suggestions.  

1. Do something you love everyday

When I first read this, I thought to myself, well obviously!  If I could, I would.  Call me Houdini, magical as it may seem, making time for something you love everyday isn’t the hard part.  Following through is.  Whether it’s writing, singing, or going for a run it's important to prioritize uninterrupted time for your body and mind to unwind.  If you’re anything like me and love making excuses for yourself, try setting appointments in your phone or work calendar.  Rather than typing 'self indulgent blogging' into the subject line, replace it with something like 'Doctor’s Appointment' or 'Conference Call.'  Not only does this assuage any left over guilt you may be feeling from temporarily putting aside a time sensitive project, but it allows you to conceptualize this personal time as an equally important aspect of your well-being.  Drive and ambition are most certainly assets when it comes to professional success, but too much of anything can lead to potential burn out in the long run.  What's the best advice I've received with this self-help tip?  'Companies employ interesting people, does sitting at a desk all day typing emails and returning phone calls sound interesting to you?'

2. Exercise Regularly

It’s no mystery that eating three hamburgers a day and snacking on banana split sundaes for two weeks straight might not be the best approach to a healthy lifestyle. That being said, exercising also doesn’t have to be reminiscent of a middle school gym class. You can find a way to fit regular exercise into your schedule without causing too much disruption or discomfort.  For those of you who use the word exercise as code for 'chatting up my friends while sitting close to motionless on a stationery bike,' here are some ideas to get you going.  While running 8 miles every morning in utter isolation may not be my cup of tea, I can definitely rationalize making time to try out a new spinning class with friends once a week or venture out to the new Pure Barre studio down the street. On days that I’m not as excited about strapping on the spandex and exposing my 'life lumps' to the general public, I might consult an online yoga video or my Nike Training App for an extra boost.  No one is expecting you to run a marathon, but mixing a little bit of exercise into your daily routine can actually provide you with more energy and a greater focus. 

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Conceptualize this personal time as an equally important aspect of your well-being.

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3. Set Goals

Easier said than done, yes, but 100 percent doable.  So much of my unhappiness in the post-grad came with the inability to easily identify time sensitive milestones.  With a four-year time cap on just about every other life experience to date, it was difficult rationalizing that I had, upon graduation, begun a highly unstructured and overwhelmingly massive chunk of life.  In absence of time structures and preset expectations, what could easily be excused as minor road blocks in the overall trajectory of my professional career, were ultimately blown entirely out of proportion as the end all be all of my life in the work force.  So save yourself some time and some much needed rest by setting standards of success for yourself. If you’re new to the planning game, begin by mapping out a set of daily goals by attributing the first five minutes of each morning to creating a To-Do List for yourself.  If you get overwhelmed, prioritize from most time sensitive to least. You’ll leave each day feeling accomplished and well adjusted.

Making the transition into the work force can be a trying experience - hence they pay you for your troubles.  It’s life.  I’m not Mindy Kaling and you may not be living the twenty-something dream, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a non-stop ride on the crazy train of self-sacrifice and willful agony. Finding happiness is merely a matter of making time for the simple wins here and there. So for quite possibly the last generation who refers to Keenan Thompson as “that guy from All That,” who actually believes in concept of adult appropriate Jellies, and who may or may not be hoarding secret stashes of Beanie Babies under their beds in hope of lucrative pursuits, I’ll leave you with this: “Exercise builds endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” 

 

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