Navigating Post-School Transitions: Lessons in Embracing Change, Processing Emotions, and Building Resilience

for a very long time you are going to be seeing them discussing freshers
guys where you going
oh my gosh guys
I’m so excited for Uni you are going to see the vast majority of your friends
move on to another stage in their life
whilst you feel like you were still stuck in the same place
first one is limit your use of social media
just do it okay
go ahead and put a screen time on TikTok
go ahead and just delete like 10
who cares go ahead and delete Instagram
this time was when I was hearing all my friends chat about uni degree
apprenticeships moving on in life
guys everything changes so fast and I’m still stuck at home
and I promise you I know you don’t think it now
nobody cares nobody cares whether you’re going to uni
you’re not going to uni you failed or you pass
nobody cares because everyone is focused on themselves
now the next thing I want you to do
after you’ve limited your use of social media
is I want you to cry it
and do what it is you need to do to process the emotions you are feeling
failure and rejection
those two guys are some of the best teachers you will ever receive in your life
just give yourself a good day or two to cry weep
go and watch Netflix go and eat that fish and chips in that tub of ice cream
go and do what you need to do
but the next day you need to decide that you’re gonna open your eyes
and open your ears to the lessons being taught
wake up we are in a classroom
what is it that this thing is teaching you about yourself
and teaching you about your approach to situations
hope you guys don’t understand that this is not an L unless you say it is
it’s not an L
unless you decide you are actively not going to move through this right
tangible is get a job get a job that you clock in
clock out of or that involves you working
or spending time with other people
that are not directly involved in your academic career
or journey and one of the best things about working
obviously in a retail shop
I no longer work this job um
was spending time with other people
that was like
the biggest thing talking to people who just weren’t in my year
or who weren’t trying to become medics or
was so so refreshing um
and is really important for your mental health
I know your friends who are going off teenage saying guys
let’s meet up let’s meet up
realistically you’re gonna be meeting up once every few months
if not once or twice in a year
coming from school
where you would have seen these guys and seen somewhat of a social network
every day of your life school
college 6
from wherever you went to
and you’re now going to a period of time where you’re actually on your own
build things build systems
set yourself up in structures
um whether that’s a job
whether that’s volunteering
working on a soup kitchen
anything like that that will help keep your social life afloat
but because loneliness is a thing
and all of you guys are messaging me as kapulani
it is real it is real
and as someone who was student head of literally 6th form
in her 6th form and was quite extroverted
I still am now but my social battery has Shrunkkk
and it can be quite daunting when you realize
oh my gosh
like how she changed in that sense
but just be super super careful with that
it’s definitely something that can be managed
but gap your loneliness is a real thing
the worst thing you can do is let it fester
um and yeah guys
best of luck on your gap years
best of luck of reapplying
resetting whatever it is you need to do
um this is gonna be an incredibly tough time for yourself
because for a lot of you guys
your academics have been some of the biggest parts of your life