<human>: Can you summarize the given text in a few sentences?

I defended my PhD dissertation last week (passed, with high praise!). Honestly, I didn't realize how stressed out the whole thing made me until a day or two afterwards, when I realized how much better I felt. For the week or two leading up to my defense, I sent five of my close friends (all but one are fellow PhD students and academics) a few texts/emails about my worries about the defense, basically venting a bit, and just asked them for their support. I don't think I was overwhelming (it wasn't particularly more than I communicate with them in general), and I tried to be responsive to whatever they had going on as well, but looking back on it, I probably wasn't the most attentive/other-focused friend for the two-ish weeks leading up the defense. I feel bad for being such a stressball about my defense, and I want to make it up to them/reward their putting up with me.  Any ideas?
<bot>: I realize that I was a total and probably somewhat annoying stressball before my dissertation defense. How do I make it up to my friends?