We've all experienced it: The anxiety-riddled rush of exam season ends, you leave campus with your head held high, and the summer celebrations begin in full swing. Maybe you've even graduated, and that diploma follows you back to your hometown, along with a car full of dorm decorations and four (commonly, more than four) years of irreplaceable memories.

But perhaps a month or two goes by, and you find yourself tired of this new rigidity-free routine. No classes to give you structure, no campus job to keep you busy. There's likely a lack of the scheduling you came to hate over the course of the school year, yet you'd welcome the sight of an overflowing agenda by the time July rolls to a slow close.

What could possibly combat such a bizarre feeling?

That initial freedom from college can quickly dissipate from an unleashed excitement to a quiet depression, a challenge that is often met with a sour job market and high expectations in today's fast-paced world.

Young people are expected to jump right from the frying pan of the university experience into a position that pays well enough to support them from the get-go, but if we pause for a moment and consider this presumption, the average fresh college graduate faces a harsher economy than ever before, coupled with a workforce that has never been so dog-eat-dog, so "take what you can get."

So how does one deal with the blistering heartlessness of reality after college without totally losing their mind, especially given the circumstances of a graduate's first summer out of school?

This relatable scramble plaguing many millennials must be met head-on: Finding the root of your unhappiness, if you are in fact unhappy in this understandably perplexing time, is the key to handling the post-college blues in the healthiest way.

Say you've finished your degree program, and you snag the degree after having been accepted to a graduate school to further your education. First things first: CONGRATS! Graduate school is an admirable endeavor, one that not many people have the opportunity to take part in. It can be tough to return to the monotony of suburbia (if, I'm admittedly assuming, you return home for the summer) after having the time of your life in college, but having graduate school on the horizon is a reassuring frame that can bring peace of mind for some.

However, if you're not working or traveling, those three months wedged between your graduation date and the beginning of a new program can be daunting if you aren't keeping your mind occupied.

It's important to stay active both mentally and physically during these dog days. It's also vital to acknowledge that you are not alone, and that the slump can be beat!

Of course, working at a part- or full-time job is ideal when you have the time to do so over summer. College students have to endure the apply-to-fifty-thousand-positions-in-hopes-of-hearing-literally-anything-back struggle, and the inevitable frustration associated with job applications can further hinder your personal wellbeing during the summer break.

But there are answers for everyone suffering from this frustration.

Volunteering, interning, exercising, socializing, vacationing, organizing or planning, finding a new hobby (like painting, dancing, gaming, etc.) or rediscovering an old hobby (reading for pleasure [!!!], playing an instrument, asports team, etc.) -- there are so many ways you can spend your free time!

If you've recharged plenty and still have a few weeks of the summer left without set plans, commit yourself to doing one fun thing every day. For instance, on Monday, go for a hike someplace new (bring lots of water in this summertime heat!) then see friends on on Tuesday before going to a concert in the park on Wednesday, and so on. Free events and apps like Groupon and LivingSocial provide budget-friendly options for us real-world newbies, and the company of those you love like friends and family is priceless.

And if you're on merely on hiatus, spending the summer in between college years and realizing you're under-stimulated in the process, remember that there is a reliable end in sight. Once the fall semester begins anew, current students can return to the familiar and worry about more immediate causes, like midterms! But in the meantime, being outdoors, spending time with loved ones, and taking the summer to unwind, relax, and give yourself a moment to reflect and consider the future with the downtime you do have before the whirlwind picks up again in September.

For those who find themselves tossed into the deep end after the last of the graduation caps have fallen (i.e., entering the "adult" realm in search of a career), then I first and foremost wish you good luck. In the instance that you, the trailblazer, meet some hiccups on this journey (see: sour job market) then do not be discouraged. Remind yourself of the determination it took to finish that college program in the first place, and continue keeping your head as high as it was when you took the first step forward into the unknown, leaving college behind in exchange for even more rewarding adventures.

Keeping busy and repeating positive mantras can help quell the temporary sadness or the voices of doubt.

There are alternatives to "going it alone," keep in mind, such as counseling or support groups, in case you feel too overwhelmed to manage these feelings. It's essential to recognize when you need help beyond a nice walk or a day at the beach with your friends.

There is always a way to better yourself and your situation. The summer following graduation, in the long run, will seem but a small blip of upset in comparison to other difficulties.

Life after college is quite livable, folks! We can dwell on the impossibilities and the problems that lie ahead; we can blame others for our misfortunes and complain about perceived injustices; and we can definitely just sit around in an assured effort to summon negative thoughts -- but we can also buckle down, focus on the good, and continue pushing ourselves just as we did as students, instead becoming students of this big, wild world, as we make peace with time going on and things changing.