Graduations, moves and new jobs sit on the calendar long before they hit. Start packing emotionally early.

Some endings are visible months ahead, and most people waste that lead time by pretending the date is not coming. Preparing for it does not mean rehearsing grief. It means letting yourself notice what you will miss while you still have it, so the last week is not the first time you feel any of it. Endings you have looked at directly tend to land softer.

Mark the date and start the goodbyes early, in small ordinary ways. Take the long way through a place you are leaving. Tell someone now what they have meant to you.