Like many other Chicagoans, I am a fervent Chicago Bears fan. For those of you who do not know, the Chicago Bears are an American football team located in, you guessed it, Chicago, Illinois. Those who have followed the NFL this year will understand where this anecdote is going.
A few Sundays ago, I found myself doing an inordinate amount of work in the Tisch basement. While doing my homework, I had the Bears game going on in the background. They were playing the Green Bay Packers who are our rivals. In fact, it is one of the longest and most hate-filled rivalries in all of sports. In Chicago, we actually have a tunnel adoringly called the “Green Bay Sucks Tunnel.”
The Week 11 matchup was super intense all the way until the end. My king, quarterback Caleb Williams, majestically led the Bears down the field and set them up for a game winning field goal. After not beating the Packers since 2021, this was a huge moment for not just the team and our rookie quarterback, but the entire city. I sat in the Tisch basement, papers scattered around me, watching our kicker walk out onto the field and get ready for the kick. The ball gets snapped, he kicks it and it gets blocked, making the game-winning field goal a miss.
A scream of frustration quickly exited my mouth before my hands flew to my mouth. Like the typical movie trope, all other attendants in the silent Tisch basement turned their heads simultaneously to meet my bewildered eyes. With them watching, I slammed my computer screen shut and walked away. I ended up walking to the river that runs into Mystic Lake.
This was not the first time a Bears loss has caused me to crash out. The Bears have lost to the Commanders on a Hail Mary, they lost in embarrassing fashion to the Patriots, one of the worst teams in the NFL and they lost their most recent game in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings.
My year has been full of crash outs — ones caused by the Chicago Bears but also completely separate antagonizers. And while my crash outs have been at an all time high, I have only recently realized that they are completely alright. It is completely and utterly okay to crash out and to feel bad.
In the midst of laborious days during these trying times, the idea that we are just human beings is often lost. Whether it is from getting a bad grade for something you worked on tirelessly, finding out your campus crush has a partner, or even watching your favorite sports team lose in the most improbable way, feeling crummy afterwards is completely normal and okay.
Thus, crashing out is just an inherent part of life. And, unfortunately, that crappy feeling probably absorbs almost 50% of our time here on Earth, and it sucks. But there is no way to get rid of it. Even the most nonchalant people have had these moments and feelings.
As we enter the final stretch of this first semester (and the dog-days of the Chicago Bears’ season), remember that feeling utterly lousy is okay. Take a day to just lie in bed and eat ice cream. Take a day to binge watch a stupid show that lets you escape reality. Walk around in the cold, call an old friend, go to the movies alone or get boba.
I hope this little message reaches those who need to hear it. I, for one, have normalized my absurdly frequent crash outs in Tisch. For those trying to get some work done, it is probably smart to avoid Tisch basement during the Bears games this season; it’s only going to get worse.
Crashing Out,
Ben Rachel
