There is no better reminder that we’re seniors than receiving a barrage of emails about senior events from class officers or Braden Van Dyke reminding us that we are only six months from graduation and becoming a member of Hillsdale’s esteemed alumni network.

And with everything going on, it’s really easy to get social burnout as a senior. Every weekend there’s a house party, some kind of formal event, or a senior gathering. Add onto that the general stress of maintaining extracurriculars, facing graduation, finding a job, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

But you don’t have to be. Social burnout your senior year isn’t inevitable — and you should try to avoid this at all costs.

Take it from a four-and-a-half year senior — it’s important to contextualize senior year. Everyone will tell you that it’s the last year in which you’ll have this kind of freedom, be this geographically close to your friends, and enjoy your youth before the reality of adulthood comes crashing in after graduation.

There is truth to all of the above. But if you’re a Type A individual with a scrupulous streak a mile wide — as are most Hillsdale students — this doesn’t jolt you out of an already well-established apathy towards your present collegiate circumstances. Instead, it just adds to the overwhelming sense that if you don’t exhaust all of your social opportunities, you’ll never have friends again.

Most of my friends from college have graduated this past spring. But through the wonders of modern technology, I’ve been able to keep up with them. We call each other frequently, text each other daily, and make plans to see each other in person. Maintaining friendships after graduation is possible.

If you view college as the peak of your social existence, then there’s no way to avoid social burnout. Social burnout occurs when you lose sight of what’s most important and lack the ability to prioritize the things that matter the most.

But if you contextualize your experience, then you can breathe. Invest in the friends that matter the most to you. Prioritize the social events you want to go to and let go of all the rest. If the relationship drama is never-ending, take a break. Have a weekend to yourself. Go party hopping alone on Manning. It’s good to expand your social network and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

It’s also good to have friendships with people of different ages. They bring perspective to your life. Get to know your professors and their families. They’ll be sources of wisdom — and who knows, you might even invite them to your wedding.

The most important thing to remember is that, cliche as it is, graduation is just the beginning.  Good friendships don’t end after graduation —  and if they do, then they were never worth keeping anyway. Good friendships will mature and grow with you.

So take a deep breath. It’s only senior year.

Beth Crawford is a senior studying politics.