Boredom is a toxic state of mind. Remember Jack Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980)? He loses his mind in a fit of cabin fever and plots to kill his wife and kid.

Spring break is arriving in the nick of time to relieve me from my own, “here’s Johnny” moment. But in all seriousness, boredom and restlessness can lead us to do some pretty strange things and fall for some strange characters.

In the midst of midterm season, most people would claim that there is simply not enough time in the day to be bored. Let’s get real though. Most of the time, when you’re stressing about a midterm, you are also procrastinating studying for your midterm, and you’ll find yourself bored before you know it. You could be in Skillman Library nibbling on the end of your pen people-watching and suddenly the guy you’ve been sitting next to for the past three hours looks like John Stamos. This is called the state of restlessness, my friends, and it is an affliction of the mind-numbingly bored.

Have you ever had your mind wander to places you wish it never would again? Sometimes it starts out with a particular class stressing you out and before you know it, you decide to drop out of college or stay long enough to find a man who can cook and just cuddle with you all day. Someone who can give you all you ever needed in showers of kisses and Tiffany’s! Then you realize, wait, Ana, snap out of it! You’re a strong independent New York woman and you that all-girls school you went to for four years taught you to never rely on man for anything.

Okay, so that may just be me…

But all girls can relate to being restless. Being antsy and not knowing what to do with yourself that you come up with the most insane ideas. Restlessness can result in over-analyzing each and every interaction you have with the opposite sex (more so than usual) and can lead to obsessive behavior and even states of insanity.

The most severe form of restlessness can often come from not having a guy to think about and feeling as if guy is the one and only relief from boredom. If you do have a crush, your set, fantasize away, go see him, call him, text him. Keep yourself busy with the thrill and mystery of it all. If you don’t have anyone however, don’t think you need to have someone to keep yourself busy. Borrow someone’s Netflix account or use someone else’s email to get 50 percent off your first purchase from TOBI (you know you used yours a long time ago.) But please, for God’s sake avoid Facebook messaging your ex-boyfriend.

Many times boredom can be the cause of a crush starting. Eh, he’s cute I guess I could like him. Don’t do that. Soon enough you’ll start believing you do like him meanwhile you don’t know the guy, unless you’re the type of girl who crushes on her friends – even more dangerous. You’ll start to think that everything he does, including just talking to you, means he likes you. It most likely doesn’t. So when you start liking someone, do yourself a favor and make sure it’s for a good reason. Be sure it is not your self-made remedy for boredom. It never works.

If you’re the more proactive type and boredom leads you to want to start a fling with someone, my advice is to make sure it’s casual. Make sure your significant other knows it’s casual too. You don’t want him getting the feels, if this is just a way for you to occupy your time and it was a toss up between him and the next episode of True Detective. Yes, sex can be a great break from boredom, but if not handled carefully, it could just create another problem.

And so, to the young and the restless, keep your head as clear as you can. If you’re spending your spring break at home, remain calm. Keep yourself busy with internship applications and training your dog how to play hide-and-seek. Do not begin planning out your next romantic venture far from the place you want it to begin (if this is the case.)

And please, do not ask your ex-boyfriend from high school to come over. That’s just stupid.