We’ve all experienced the summer slump: Despite the lure of the beach, plane trips to your exotic country of choice, and free time without schoolwork, we all still end the day on the couch, flipping to the same few channels each night to watch our beloved shows. But what happens when your favorite shows start warning “Only 3 episodes left” or “In just two weeks"? Your heart drops, panic sets in—you worry how you will survive without updates on your OTPs and ships. Don’t worry, follow these few steps, and you won’t completely have a meltdown before September:

1. Cry

In all seriousness—let it out, let all the emotions out, and you will feel cleansed. This method is quite therapeutic.

2. Eat a lot

When you have to kiss your fictional friends goodbye for a little while, who is a better backup friend than food? Eat your feelings away. Consume lots of chocolate, and more than enough dopamine will be running through your system to lift your spirits again.

3. Search the internet for the return dates

What’s worse than knowing your favorite shows are leaving is not knowing when they’re coming back on. Be sure to check every link Google gives you to find out when they return.

4. Go outside

I don’t care if you just spent all day at the beach, you can spend your nights catching lightning bugs or building a bonfire. Summer provides plenty of opportunities to keep you occupied all hours of the day.

5. Be more social

Who sits at a bonfire alone? Invite some friends over, or go out to dinner with your family. Spend the time you’d be on the couch out with people you love.

6. Get a new hobby

If you spend your day watching TV, you need new priorities. Try reading, or crafting, or exercising. There are many more pastimes you can replace TV time with.

7. Watch the news

If you must plant yourself in front of the television, try something else. Watch something you know will not end: the news. Not the most entertaining or even very happy, but which of your TV shows actually let your favorite characters be happy for more than five minutes before introducing a new plot twist?

8. Re-watch your shows

If you really miss those characters that much, invest in Netflix or Hulu or scroll through your On Demand to watch the show again from the very beginning. Maybe by the time you’re done, the hiatus will be over.

9. Find new TV shows

TV networks purposefully schedule shows so that, as some end for the season, new shows make their comebacks. Try out something new, and once those new shows go on hiatus, your main watch list returns!

Don’t worry. Hiatus may feel forever long, but it ends eventually. You can make it through without too much withdrawal—look at the possibilities. Hang in there!