Graduating in 2020: A Significant Life Transition during an Unprecedented Time
To all of the graduates of 2020--We see you.
Graduation marks something significant. It’s a period-- marking your growth, efforts, discipline, and achievement. It’s the ending of one chapter, and yet it is not an ending in and of itself. It beckons towards what is to become. It’s an invitation to the next chapter of your life and the hope and wonder of what this next chapter might hold.
It’s normal to feel so many mixed emotions around graduating--joy in making it through school, sadness over leaving this part of your life behind, anxiety about the unknown ahead, and the weight of responsibility of knowing that the day of needing to provide for yourself is drawing closer.
The graduation experience for high school, college, and grad school graduates differs, of course, yet there is this consistent similarity of reaching a finish line and yet knowing that your journey continues as this finish line helps propel you forward towards claiming the future.
For the graduates of 2020, you have this experience, yet so many layers of complexity with this Coronavirus.
Many of you may find yourselves grieving in a way even if it’s hard to name and understand what you are experiencing as grief. You looked forward to this Spring season and all of the celebrating, and none of it panned out like it was supposed to. You may find yourself disappointed and heartbroken over the missed opportunity to celebrate. You may feel less energy and struggle to get out of bed. You miss your friends and all the things that you had planned and looked forward to.
Many of you may find yourselves so anxious with the unknown. Not only was graduation not as you had hoped, but where do you go from here? How do you prepare for your freshman year of college or to enter the workforce when so much is unknown? The feeling of not being in control is palpable. You feel the anxiety in your body even if you can’t name it. Your mind may be racing with “what-ifs” and feelings of helplessness.
Even if you are not a graduate this Spring, maybe you can still relate to this. Having our lives interrupted by something we cannot control is hard. Study abroad trips were cancelled, the college experience interrupted, sports were put on hiatus, etc. Finances are affected. People are stressed. Our friendships, relationships, and communities are not normal. Life as we knew it is drastically different.
Graduates--we see that this is hard, and we empathize with all of the hard things.
And we know, cognitively, that there is more to your story, even if it does not feel like it.
We hope that you will still mark your graduation in a quiet way. We hope you will still put that period in place and trust that sometimes there is hidden goodness in the quiet ways of celebrating. And while you mark your graduation, let yourself grieve and feel and express what is disappointing. Yet, don’t stop there. Do the work to ground yourself in confidence that this will not last forever--even if it feels like it.
We look forward in hope to the rest of your story. We look forward to the other side of this virus and to the healing, restoration, and new opportunities that will unfold. We look forward to your future and the gifts you will give the world as you continue to walk forward, learn, and grow.
We celebrate you.
Elizabeth B. Burton is a licensed professional counselor and life coach with Burton Counseling, PLLC. Elizabeth lives just outside of Chattanooga, TN.; you can learn about Elizabeth here and about services provided here. Elizabeth also provides support to individuals and groups through an online course on Coping with Anxiety & Stress and through providing workshops and speaking opportunities. Elizabeth communicates about mental health and well-being through both the Narrating Hope newsletter and podcast as well as through her writing. Elizabeth would love to connect with you and welcomes you to sign up for the newsletter, listen in to the podcast, reach out about working together, and connect on social media.