Struggles to get to grips with bachelor's feelings (5)
I believe the answer is:
vibes
'feelings' is the definition.
(vibe can mean a mood or feeling)
'struggles to get to grips with bachelor's' is the wordplay.
'struggles' becomes 'vies' (to vie is to struggle or contend with).
'to get to grips with' indicates putting letters inside.
'bachelor' becomes 'B' (abbreviation e.g. BA=Bachelor of Arts).
'vies' going around 'b' is 'VIBES'.
(Other definitions for vibes that I've seen before include "Mental or emotional sensations" , "Jazz percussion instrument - sensations" , "Feelings sensed intuitively" , "Mental or emotional stimuli" , "Mental or emotional resonances" .)