They say that college is 20 percent about the books and 80 percent about experience. And one of the experiences that many folks don’t prepare students for is breaking up with someone who you literally have to look at everyday.

Some will say the same for high school relationships gone wrong, but it’s a little different. See, in college everything is amplified due to how post-secondary education is structured. Most students live on campus, and relationships tend to develop at a much quicker rate between parties. Two weeks of seeing each other everyday, spending the night in each other’s dorm rooms, eating breakfast, lunch and/or dinner together and being intimate prematurely can make connections appear to be deeper than what they really are.

When you break up with your former lover, the very things that made college romance so appealing can now make life very difficult. Here are five ways to survive a college breakup.

1) Understand that this is only temporary.

Many college students are still attempting to discover who they are, and a breakup can often make you doubt your worth. By realizing that your situation is just temporary, you grant yourself the opportunity to allow healing to take place. Soon, you’ll be over your ex and on to the next one.

2) Focus on your other relationships.

College students face a lot of pressure, and the last thing you need is to be reminded that your relationship didn’t work out. Love and support from your friends and family makes heartbreak bearable. By taking time to nurture connections other than romance, you give yourself the opportunity to be reminded that you are in fact loved and adored. Our friends and family also have a way of saying just the right things at the right time.

3) Workout.

Looking and feeling good while going through a break up trumps looking worn out any day. By incorporating regular fitness habits into your routine, you are able to focus on an activity that yields positive results. Working out de-stresses the body and offers you a chance to not think about anything but pushing weight or running on the treadmill. It’s also a great way to not only gain physical strength, but emotional endurance as well.

4) Make school a priority.

College may be mostly about life experiences, but education should always be a priority. That is why you’re there. Focus on your studies and you won’t have much time to be sad over your relationship ending. Get that 3.o or 4.0 GPA and make yourself proud. There’s no sense in crying over spilled milk, and relationships no different.

5) Be free.

Don’t take life too seriously to the point where you are forgetting to have fun. The great thing about college is that it allows you to enjoy life with little to no judgment. You will have plenty of time to be serious about love, so enjoy yourself.

Breakups are tough no matter what stage in life you’re in. If you want love, you have to seek it and be willing to go through the growing pains of life and romance. Unfortunately, that often includes breakups and heartbreak. But the end of a relationship isn’t the end-all and be-all of life.