No one wants to tell you the honest to god truth about college, so I’m going to take the responsibility off of their shoulders. You have just graduated high school. You’ve got your dorm and your classes picked out, and are counting down the days until your orientation at University of Cincinnati. It’s an incredible feeling, and no one wants to burst your bubble. I don’t either. There are just some things you need to be aware of.

College is going to be one of the best times in your life. Some of the classes will bore you stiff, but others will educate and excite you in ways you didn’t know were possible. You will meet incredible new people, and some much less incredible new people. You are going to have some of the most memorable nights of your life, and also some nights when you force yourself to go out even though you don’t want to, try and get into three frats with no luck, and end up wandering home alone, drunk and sad. You’re going to feel very young, and very alive. You’re also going to be more tired than you’ve ever been in your life. It wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate to refer to college as one four year long panic attack.

This is how it has been for every college student before you, and it is unlikely you are going to break the pattern. But if you so choose, you can use these 5 methods to help manage your stress in college. I wish you only the best.

1. Sleep More

Just do it. Don’t save your studying for midnight for every test. Don’t go out to party if you only slept three hours the night before. Never getting any sleep is romantic and fun, but it destroys every other aspect of your life. You just can’t be a successful and functional person if you’re not resting.

2. Eat Healthier

The expression “you are what you eat” is funny when taken too literally. It’s not true that if you eat an avocado, you will become an avocado. But it is true that if you consume better food, you will be a better person. The ties between diet and physical health are obvious, but the ties between diet and mental health are underrated.

3. Plan Out Your Week

Every Sunday, sit down and diagnose exactly what is causing that fiery ball of stress burning in the pit of your stomach. Plan out everything you have planned, all the work you have to do, and exactly how and when you are going to get it done. It will lead to some sweaty Sunday nights, but much more manageable weeks.

4. Get More Exercise

If you find time in your schedule to break a sweat on a regular basis, you will make yourself healthier, and release endorphins into your brain which will make you feel like you can do it all.

5. Talk to Your Parents

Parents everywhere have a way of putting things in perspective. Lean on this resource.