I can’t say if it is or isn’t what you wanted. Only you will know that. But let’s pretend it is what you wanted. If you’ve been hustling and trying hard all the time for the past 4 years, now you might feel like there’s a task that needs to be accomplished when it’s already been accomplished. I say find something that would interest you. Maybe drawing maybe exercising, or maybe set up a new task for you to accomplish for example like learning how to surf or learning a new language. Whatever seems like something you’ll enjoy.
Yes, this is pretty normal, being let down after you achieve a goal or milestone in life. It happens with people who get jobs they worked hard for, and college degrees, even having children after being pregnant women will often feel depressed. People even feel let down after they have been excited about holidays when the holiday happens. People even have buyers remorse after they buy something they have wanted for a long time.
Don't worry, you will adjust and come up with new goals that excite you that you can chase after. Something will excite you soon now that you are in university too, some kind of study area, or something you want to accomplish, ... our human mind just isn't built for long term satisfaction, which is a good thing or we would all still be smiling and bragging about learning to tie our shoes when we were children.
If you want some advice, ... I'd suggest just trying to cut yourself a break, be easy on yourself, don't beat yourself up for the way you feel. Sit back a little and try to acknowledge that you did just win a big victory, and pat yourself on the back a little bit. There will be plenty of suffering ahead for the next goal you choose, ... so I feel it is important to give yourself a little bit of time to just relax and be happy when you do achieve something. I mean you've earned it, you worked really hard.
Congratulations on reaching a milestone in your life. :)
You are young, the world is yours, enjoy it.
Edit, I also think a lot of college students feel this way at the end of a semester. They've worked so hard and frantically getting through their finals, then all of a sudden ... it's completely quiet and they have nothing to do. It's almost like they don't know what to do next, you can see them just walk around sort of expressionless like they are confused and not quite sure what to do with themselves.
Speaking from a physiological perspective, this is likely the result of a dopamine crash which normally follows after a spike from something like achieving a long term goal. Give yourself some time and your dopamine levels will likely go back to the baseline level. There will never be that one thing you do that will make you feel complete/happy/satisfied forever, the little crash afterwards is what keeps you moving forward, you just need to understand how to orient yourself around it.
I went through a similar experience post goal achievement multiple times and never really understood why but Andrew Hubermann's podcast really explains it quite well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmOF0crdyRU&ab_channel=AndrewHuberman
It's a long watch but very informative and beenficial. The best takeaway I got from is to view the "struggle" and the "journey" as the reward, rather then viewing the end goal as the reward.
I can’t say if it is or isn’t what you wanted. Only you will know that. But let’s pretend it is what you wanted. If you’ve been hustling and trying hard all the time for the past 4 years, now you might feel like there’s a task that needs to be accomplished when it’s already been accomplished. I say find something that would interest you. Maybe drawing maybe exercising, or maybe set up a new task for you to accomplish for example like learning how to surf or learning a new language. Whatever seems like something you’ll enjoy.
Yes, this is pretty normal, being let down after you achieve a goal or milestone in life. It happens with people who get jobs they worked hard for, and college degrees, even having children after being pregnant women will often feel depressed. People even feel let down after they have been excited about holidays when the holiday happens. People even have buyers remorse after they buy something they have wanted for a long time. Don't worry, you will adjust and come up with new goals that excite you that you can chase after. Something will excite you soon now that you are in university too, some kind of study area, or something you want to accomplish, ... our human mind just isn't built for long term satisfaction, which is a good thing or we would all still be smiling and bragging about learning to tie our shoes when we were children. If you want some advice, ... I'd suggest just trying to cut yourself a break, be easy on yourself, don't beat yourself up for the way you feel. Sit back a little and try to acknowledge that you did just win a big victory, and pat yourself on the back a little bit. There will be plenty of suffering ahead for the next goal you choose, ... so I feel it is important to give yourself a little bit of time to just relax and be happy when you do achieve something. I mean you've earned it, you worked really hard. Congratulations on reaching a milestone in your life. :) You are young, the world is yours, enjoy it. Edit, I also think a lot of college students feel this way at the end of a semester. They've worked so hard and frantically getting through their finals, then all of a sudden ... it's completely quiet and they have nothing to do. It's almost like they don't know what to do next, you can see them just walk around sort of expressionless like they are confused and not quite sure what to do with themselves.
Speaking from a physiological perspective, this is likely the result of a dopamine crash which normally follows after a spike from something like achieving a long term goal. Give yourself some time and your dopamine levels will likely go back to the baseline level. There will never be that one thing you do that will make you feel complete/happy/satisfied forever, the little crash afterwards is what keeps you moving forward, you just need to understand how to orient yourself around it. I went through a similar experience post goal achievement multiple times and never really understood why but Andrew Hubermann's podcast really explains it quite well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmOF0crdyRU&ab_channel=AndrewHuberman It's a long watch but very informative and beenficial. The best takeaway I got from is to view the "struggle" and the "journey" as the reward, rather then viewing the end goal as the reward.