College is a roller coaster of emotions. But finals week makes that roller coaster go 1,000 times faster. With the excitement for Christmas but the anger of all the work you have to do beforehand, you can be Buddy the Elf for one minute and the very next minute act exactly like the Grinch. It’s totally normal and no one questions when you go from one emotion to the next in half a second. Here are some common contradictions we all face when it comes to getting the feels finals week.
1. Happy and Sad
The basics. College is a very happy time, don’t get me wrong… but finals week is a very, very sad time. You realize that today maybe you don’t have time for that nap. Or maybe you woke up too late and couldn’t go buy a bagel. But then some days you may feel so happy and life really works out for you (please, please tell me your secret). You wake up in time for the bagel and the coffee, plus you get time for that
2. Excited and Angry
It is Christmas month. How can you not be beyond excited? I mean, “Santa's coming!” If you don’t get excited over anything Christmas related, then you’re not human. Until you remember that your professors have decided to teach the entire semester in one week. You remember that eight-page paper due tomorrow. Oh, and how about that project and essay due in that other class? Don’t forget about your tutoring meetings. Oh yeah, that’s because finals are next week. Good. But in the back of your mind, keep reminding yourself that in a week’s time, you will be sitting on your couch with some hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, a fire going, and your favorite holiday movie on the TV. Just try not to get angry it’s not happening now. It’s a constant battle, I know.
3. Exhausted and Energetic
Your day consists of grabbing a large coffee followed by a Five Hour Energy and feeling like you can take on the day by storm. Then the realization that you haven’t slept in two days hits you in the face like a brick wall. And you crash. Probably in that dreadful 8 a.m. that you completely regret not dropping the first week of the semester. You can’t figure out how it is at all possible to be so exhausted but not feel the need to sleep. Your heart is telling you “bed, bed, bed,” but your mind is screaming “library, library, library.”
4. Emotionally Unstable and Completely Chill
You feel like you are drowning in work (or are those your tears?). The moment you feel like you finished one thing, you realize you have seven other things to do and you also forgot to eat lunch. So you decide the best way to approach this is by the use of tears. Many tears. Then other times, you have this feeling of complete chill. You think to yourself, “I can do this, the final can’t be that difficult.” I mean, you sat in class all semester (or most of it), so how hard can it really be? You realize that you do have time for the things you have to do. Then, you see your roommate crying over the amount of work they have and you go back to stressing out… and probably crying with them.
5. Motivated and Lifeless
During this week, you may sometimes feel a sudden urge of motivation and invincibility and feel like you have everything handled and on the path to finish this semester on a high note. But then you come to the realization that your life is slowly falling apart and you are questioning your mental stability. You want your mom, and a quick motivational phone call from her assuring you that you will survive (possibly) brings the motivation back for a brief moment that may or may not vanish before your eyes. You get to the point where you consider dropping out, then you remember you have spent four months preparing for this moment and you will soon be home for a full month, and you continue on to greatness.
So just keep on keeping on, because you’re almost there.
