It’s 4:52 a.m.

I’m sitting in the stairwell of my dorm hall, my laptop on my lap, my back against the cool brick.

It looks like my backpack threw up around me—books, pens, papers and the occasional Snickers wrapper haphazardly scattered in every direction as I make a desperate attempt to get my homework done before the sun comes up.

I bang my head against the wall, a small part of my zombie-like brain wishing for death right here in this stairwell.

Dramatic? Maybe... But true.

When did college become a black hole, sucking out every ounce of joy and energy I have, replacing my passion for learning with the mere obligation to complete assignments?

Do you feel me?

If you, too, are finding yourself purposely playing chicken with cars on your way to class, take a look at this list.

Here are five things to do when college is becoming a black hole.

1. Travel.

I don’t care if it’s to another city or to a park down the street— just get out of the dorm and go somewhere. Travel reminds us that there is, in fact, still a world outside of the bubble that college all too often becomes.

2. Get some coffee.

I feel like this one is pretty self-explanatory, but for all of you weirdos out there who shun the coffee life—try it. Take it from someone who's been on both sides. Coffee has a way of making Empire State-sized problems seem more like hobbit hole-sized problems, and we could all use a little more of the Shire in our lives, am I right?

3. Read a book for fun.

There is a massive difference between reading something because a syllabus told you and reading something for the sheer pleasure of it. Find yourself a good fiction book, and let yourself be transported into a whole other world, where there are no tests, essays or responsibilities—even if it's just for a few minutes.

4. Go outside.

Take a walk through the woods. Sit in the grass. Hike a mountain. Climb a tree. There's just something about being in The Great Outdoors that always seems to give a new perspective on life and its cares.

5. Breathe.

In the wise words of "Anne of Green Gables," “The sun will go on rising and setting whether I fail in Geometry or not.” College is expensive, to say the least, and it is important that we take our jobs as students seriously. But grades are not the end-all. Life goes on despite the A-'s and the D's. Take a moment to close your eyes, take a breath, let the stress go and remind yourself of that.