The five stages of getting your Leaving Cert results this morning

The Leaving Cert results are out today, and there are a number of emotions we all went through, whether you did your state exams in 2019 or 1999.

From sheer hysteria to eerily calm acceptance, here's how the roller coaster of a morning usually goes: 

5. The 'sure it'll be grand' attitude

It's the night before, and buoyed up with denial, (and potentially Rescue Remedy) you're feeling pretty okay. 

I mean really, how bad can it be? You only blanked on the entire English paper 2 and really, how important are core subjects anyway? 

4. Pure, petrified fear

It's the morning of, and everyone in the house is tense. Your Ma has been up since 5am, chain smoking in her dressing gown and you can't face your breakfast. 

You are just now contemplating whether or not it would really be so bad if you had to repeat. (It's not that bad, here's some inside experience)

3. Panic mode

You're in the car on the way to pick up the results, and it's taking every fibre of your being not to be sick on the way there. 

This is potentially the most nerve wracking stage of the whole ordeal. 

The driver isn't speaking much and you wish the lad on the radio would stop going on about the number of people who got all A1s. 

2. Acceptance

You're walking into school to get your results, and noticing that everyone looks similarly sickly and terrified. 

Of course there are a few people giving it large and messing, but, like most people, you have accepted that your fate is sealed inside that brown envelope. 

1. Sweet sweet RELIEF

Whether you got 600 points or just about scraped by, it doesn't matter now, it's all over. 

No matter what the results of the Leaving Cert, it definitely doesn't define what you will do in your life, and a part of you knows that as you slide the certificate back into the envelope and head off to confer with your mates.