You have some weeks in college where you feel like you have a really good handle on life. Other weeks are the weeks from hell and you get slammed with a crazy amount of work. It is extremely easy to get overwhelmed during those times, but there are a few things that you can do in order to handle those weeks with a little more ease.

1. If you have a crazy week ahead of you, plan accordingly.

My freshmen year someone said to me, “don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today.” As cliché and simple as that phrase may seem, I think about it all of the time when I am tempted to procrastinate on assignments and studying. If you know that you have a lot of practices, meetings, exams, etc. one week, start preparing for it on slower weeks and during the weekends. It can suck to stay in on a night that all of your friends are going out, but it can really pay off when you feel prepared to conquer the week.

2. Take tasks one at a time.

I hate seeing my friends get overwhelmed when they look at their planner pages and to-do lists. Planning ahead is a good thing and having an idea of what you ultimately need to accomplish can keep you motivated. Yet, at the same time, you cannot complete all of your tasks at the same time. Come up with a plan and prioritize to finish your tasks one at a time. This organization will help you to actually check items off of your list rather than just frantically trying to tackle the entirety of your responsibilities simultaneously.

3. Cry. Seriously, it can help.

I am not encouraging you to be an emotional wreck for the duration of your week from hell, but the occasional breakdown can be completely justified. Real life story: I had a tough week this week and my dad brought me a box of Cheerio’s and when he dropped them off I instantaneously broke down when I saw him. Then directly after crying, I started laughing. He probably thought that I was psychotic, but I got back to my room after that and I told myself that I am stronger than this week and I could handle it all. Sometimes all you need to continue on is a brief catharsis.

4. Remember why you’re on this journey.

Try not to get hung up on all of the small little bumps along the road. You made the decision to go to college to achieve some final goal. When the going gets tough, use the adversity to fuel your motivation to work towards your aspirations. When you have your dream job someday, you’ll be glad you pushed through this week.

5. Treat yourself at the end.

Regardless of the victories and losses that you encounter throughout the week, you deserve a reward for having a pulse at the end. It was a tough week, you probably didn’t eat or sleep a lot, but the week is over now and you made it through. So you deserve to order that Domino’s pizza.