Post traumatic finals disorder (PTFD), not to be confused with any real or serious disorder, occurs about 24-hours after a college student takes their last final. This condition tends to last for about a week or until adjustment, and occurs one time at the end of each college semester. I myself have currently been struggling with this disorder. Here are five signs that you might also be struggling with PTFD.
1. Your sleep cycle is messed up.
Those late nights and early mornings have finally caught up to you. You now find yourself unable to wake up at a reasonable time without an alarm clock and you sleep over nine hours each night as you are able. You also might have dreams because you haven’t had time to deep sleep in weeks. It is also not uncommon to be restless at night because you are in a new environment.
2. You keep thinking finals week isn’t over.
It’s hard to relax after one to three weeks of pure stress and studying. It’s also hard to come to the realization that you aren’t going back and you don’t have to take another. Somehow you can't shake the feeling you won't be packing up your things tomorrow and moving back into your old dorm room. You have become so accustomed to the harsh lifestyle, it is hard to turn it in your books for some sunglasses and sunscreen.
3. You want to do absolutely nothing (except check your grades).
You might be so mentally worn out that you don’t want to do anything, especially if it involves some form of memorization or problem solving. You may not want to answer your friends if they give you more than two choices for being sick of the process of elimination. The one thing you do have the energy for is checking for your final grades. You probably check one to three times a day, and if the grades aren’t up in a week it will start affecting your mood negatively.
4. All of your organization has gone out the window.
All of your color-coded folders and highlighting has finally wore you out. After moving your entire dorm room home, you do not know where you put anything. You are scatterbrained and all over the place. It takes you twice as long to finish a to-do list and you may forget what you were doing more than usual.
5. Everything at home feels so strange.
After such a high intensity week of finals, you get home to an anticlimactic environment. You may have responsibilities, like doing the dishes, feeding yourself, and mowing the lawn. You half forget how to do these activities and find yourself feeling like you are back in high school. Everything feels strange, even greeting your pet. However, if you are like me, you probably act like you have been reunited with your dog after years of separation.
The cure is time. This happens every year, twice a year ,and when you come home after finals you always experience these five symptoms of PTFD. The good news is after some cool down time and an adjustment period, you will hopefully be organized, happy, and accepting of your final grades. Lifestyle changes always feel weird at first so there’s no reason to be alarmed if you aren’t all put together and comfortable the second you come home.
If you are struggling from any one of these symptoms I can assure you they will fade as time goes by.
Happy recovering, fellow finals survivor!
