Life

7 Ways Life Improves After You Graduate

by Chrissa Hardy

Commencement day is here, and while you're crazy excited to finally be getting your diploma, you also can't help but wonder what happens after graduation. You know that with graduation day comes the beginning of a new chapter in your life — and that also means a lot of your bad habits and daily college routines will come to an end once you graduate. New beginnings and new ends abound. This is a good thing, because you've probably spent the last four years with some unhealthy lifestyle tendencies. You've been working super hard to reach the day when you're handed that coveted diploma, and up until that moment, you pushed yourself as far as your body and mind could withstand.

It's understandable that you pushed your health and maybe your relationships aside in order to reach this goal. There are times in life when things are stressful, and you can only really focus on one thing at a time. But after that diploma is handed to you, you finally get a chance to relax. At least for the time being, a lot of aspects of your life will dramatically improve. You're finally an adult now, and you're about to see how much nicer the world is as a bill-paying, future-planning grownup. Here are all the things that get better (almost immediately) after you graduate.

1. Your Sleep Habits

No more all-nighters before the big test. No more late-night paper write-ups. You can finally get re-introduced to a good night's sleep. Enjoy that rest.

2. Your Brain's Ability To Function

When you're in school, your mind stays on pretty much all the time in order to remember everything and still party every night. Now you can take in forms of entertainment and education that YOU choose. And you won't be so stressed out and anxious all the time.

3. Your Book Selection

Whenever you're forced to read something, you probably don't get into it nearly as much as you would if you had picked it. You might even want to re-read the selected fiction books that you skimmed during class.

4. Your Weeknight Routine

Learn how to cook or prepare at least one meal with semi-healthy ingredients. You no longer need to order pizza at 3 a.m. to stay awake or to prevent the impending hangover. I mean, you still can certainly, but your body and organs would probably appreciate some vitamins now that you have the time.

5. Your Level Of Responsibility

You will soon have to rent an apartment, get a job, pay all of your bills, and deal with school loans. It's a major reality check, and you'll finally feel like a real member of society.

6. Your Hobbies

Because now you can actually have hobbies.

7. Your Confidence

You worked so hard for four years to get that diploma. It wasn't an instant achievement, which makes it better. You should be proud of that — and you'll definitely feel like you can handle just about anything life will throw at you.

Image: Shawn/Flickr; Giphy (7)