While our lives as college students are erratic, spontaneous and unpredictable, there are two mainstays in the life of dorms, dingy apartments, cheap beer and of course the cavalcade of fundamental educational priorities we hold dear.

One of those fixtures is quite alluring, intriguing and typically satisfies us to a certain degree, no matter what emotional state we might be in at any given moment.

Entertainment, whether in the form of movies, music or the like, is this particularly enticing fixture I’m alluding to.

Although we all know entertainment is essentially crucial to at least our sanity, I think we lose sight of its importance with our overloaded schedules that continuously seem to bog us down with strenuous activity after activity.

Sure we all enjoy entertainment, but do we really savor this aspect of our lives or is stress, (the second mainstay I was referring to) an inevitably plaguing fixture in our lives, holding us captive?

In my experience and from my observances, stress is something so deteriorating in that it is like an emotional attacker that viciously sinks its rigid, pointy teeth into people on a daily basis. It steals our time like a thief in the night, misplaces our thoughts, weaves a web of confusion in our heads, clouds our minds and triggers us to funnel our time into things we think will provide us a quick fix and a sense of relaxation.

Well most of the time the tobacco, glasses of luscious White Russians or whatever method we attempt to dissolve our stress with, isn’t the correct way to go about eliminating the stresses in our lives. And I’m just as guilty as the rest of campus when it comes to resorting to those types of methods.

As a result, we usually end up feeling trapped in the crevasses of our mind and problems.

All of these rugged emotional tidings are seemingly complicated by our crazy schedules and since we are faced with a melting pot of stresses in our daily life regardless if we’re are students, professors, musicians, construction workers or whatever, we must find some way to allow ourselves to put aside our stresses and let ourselves be encapsulated by entertainment or something else that’s effective for us.

Of course, it’s easier said then done to say the least.

However, on a lighter note, I thought I’d disappear from the newsroom for a few hours one afternoon just to get a grasp on some of the more therapeutic places to frequent when I’m stressed beyond repair. Well I chose my top five so here they are in no particular order.

n Jackson Avenue Coffee: With its black and red striped awning and its relaxing jazz music echoing softly throughout the fancy coffee shop, I can’t help but applaud the coffee joint owners for creating an intricately professional design that suits both students and community residents alike.

The various pieces of furniture also add to the comfortable atmosphere. The countertops, fashioned with a marble finish, as well as the abstract paintings daintily hung on the plum walls at least will give you the illusion that you’re not stressed even if you are. Service also was incredibly good at Jackson Avenue and easily bypassed the other places I visited, even offering me a complimentary chocolate mint stick as I nursed my delicious cup of joe.

n Blimpies: OK, so maybe the food here and usually the place is just chaotic since loads of students come here to feast on the mouth-watering subs each day. And while the subs make stress all the more easier to handle, the squared tables are also ideal to engage in long conversations with friends and provide ample space to do so. Although you may have to wait extensively during the lunch hour, if you’re looking for a rather inexpensive and tasty lunch and a lively atmosphere that may help diminish your stresses, this is a good option.

n Booth Library: Well what can I say. The newly renovated library is more expansive and is a good option if you’re just looking to get away from your place for a while. It is quiet, not yoga, but relaxing. Obviously, you can take a mind dive into the vast array of books and sink into another world courtesy of the authors and forget your stresses for a while. And of course you can lounge in the abundance of plush furniture scattered through out the three-story facility. Perhaps you can even pry open that math book collecting dust on your desk and alleviate some of your anxieties by actually studying for tests.

n Jitters n’ Bliss: Another great coffee joint with a relaxing atmosphere and an innumerable amount of menu items. The only downfall: not as much space to spread books out to study like Jackson Avenue Coffee, but hey just as tasty and soothing.

n Java B&B: Another upscale coffee facility brought to you by Keith Bliss that has the convenience factor that may be the most imperative factor in a student’s life that involves dedicating one’s time to a slew of extracurricular activities on top of classes. Also the design, researched and installed by Eastern facility workers, is fabulous. The mahogany countertops are definitely one of the most dazzling features.

Even if you can’t quell your anxieties by venturing to any of the aforementioned stress reducers or engage in any thought-provoking activity, hopefully and most likely, your stresses will just dissipate with time as they always somehow do.