Stanford Professor Details How Recent College Grads Can Fight Post-Grad Depression

(KPIX 5) -- It's graduation time! It's a reason to celebrate, but it also a scary time for many college grads who might be conflicted or worried about what's next.

In the featured video above, Dr. Jamil Zaki, a psychology professor at Stanford, tells KPIX 5's Emily Turner that post-graduation depression is real and details ways recent grads can fight it, including:

• The science behind how the brain rewires when you're kind to yourself and others
• How kindness towards others can reduce our own stress, including during high pressure moments like transitioning to a new life stage
• How self-compassion can help students navigate stress and why it's often so difficult for them to practice it.
• How empathy works like a muscle -- the more you use it and practice it, the easier it becomes to access and default to it.

"Graduation can be a mixed blessing, in a way. It's a time that we expect great happiness and a sense of accomplishment, but for many students, it actually turns into a source of stress," Zaki said.

In:
• Stanford