DEALING WITH POST-BAR EXAM FEELINGS: a thread for #barpocalypse survivors

This is my 3rd exam and I help run a FB group related to bar prep, so I wanna talk about a common thing I see:

After every exam, I see people talk about how they feel sad, anxious, empty, depressed, etc.

(and I honestly think, given how long many of us have been studying and how hypervigiliant so many of us have been [with the many changes and delays and concerns with the software], this might actually be worse for some folks this time around than it is normally)

This is often surprising b/c they expected to feel relief! The exam is over!

But there’s a lot of really good and understandable reasons that you might not actually feel relieved right now:

Maybe you’re not sure about how you did/you’re terrified of having to do this again.

Maybe you don’t have a job lined up, and you were able to justify that while you were studying, but the job search process becomes a lot more daunting now that you don’t have that excuse.

Maybe you’re worried about looking for a job *because* you’re not sure how you did.

ALSO, I think it’s really difficult for a lot of folks to go from studying every day, for hours a day, for such a lengthy and high-stakes exam back to your normal routine or to not doing much (especially if you’re still looking for a job or not starting work for a while).

It may seem like a weird comparison, but I think it’s kind of similar to the depression a lot of athletes fall into after the Olympics: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/29/weight-of-gold-michael-phelps-hbo-documentary/

Similarities:

- lots of work and build up to this one huge moment
- all your friends and family are rooting for you, adding pressure to do well
- the end may feel dissatisfying or even disappointing

The exam is adrenaline-inducing, and so the post-exam crash is real.

I honestly don’t have a lot of advice on how to deal with those feelings.

I just want you to know they’re normal and understandable. You’re not alone and you shouldn’t feel bad about how you feel.

So maybe let yourself sit with those feelings a bit.

If you have the time and resources, this period where before you get your results (where you can’t do anything to change them or make them arrive sooner) can be a good time to really take some time to delve into your mental health.

We’ve been through so much the past few months.

Pass or fail, you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.

And no matter what happens, you deserve to be mentally healthy

post script, because this is important: talk to your loved ones. you do not have to deal with these feelings alone. https://twitter.com/jacs1924/status/1313668862907305985