Senioritis and Life Transitions

From time immemorial, high school and college seniors have been afflicted with a condition appropriately named, “Senioritis.”

For several months in the spring, after making decisions about life after high school, many seniors feel suspended in time, waiting for graduation day and the chance to get on with the next phase of their lives. We all recognize the classic symptoms: apathy, distractibility, boredom, restlessness and overall lack of motivation. These conditions are also seen when adults are making career changes. Transitions create some angst about moving toward the unknown.

Want to learn a bit more about actions that you can use to ease your transitions?

1. Look Back
   • Feeling disengaged or disoriented during transitions is common. Why? You’re leaving the familiar and routine for the unknown.
   • This is a great time for families to look back and celebrate what you’ve accomplished and the fun you have had getting there.
   • Acknowledge what you are leaving behind and how you feel about it.
   • Recognize the strengths and skills you will need and already possess that can support this transition.
2. The Zone of Uncertainty
   • Simply understanding this is a stage we all experience – the space in-between the old and the new circumstances.
   • Take care of your health. Get sufficient sleep, eat healthy and keep physically active
   • Use a “time out” from school work or job-related activities as a reward for being productive.
   • Learn from others who have done this before.
   • Build basic life skills such as balancing a checkbook, paying bills, doing laundry, or cooking.
   • Realize as you move forward that these transitions will continue, and with time and preparation you will be ready to start your new beginning.
3. Look Ahead
   • Define your clear and compelling purpose, which will motivate and energize you.
   • Create a picture of the outcomes you want. Some people write about it. Others talk about it. Some create visuals like a collage to inspire them.
   • Support helps when you are doing something new. Enlist others who can encourage you to strive.
   • Begin with the end in mind. Put together a step-by-step plan and timeline for getting to your goal, using backwards planning techniques
   • Stop “getting ready” and act; doing something, even if it is a small first step, creates momentum and energy.

For additional information on handling transitions more effectively, two books by William Bridges are excellent resources. Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes and the chapter titled “Getting Ourselves from Here to There” in JobShift: How to Prosper in a Workplace without Jobs.