This is a guest post by David Lahti. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a concentration in Sports Journalism. He is a freelance writer and currently works for a finance company in Cedar Park, Texas. You can contact him at dlhookem AT gmail.com

Go ahead, admit it. For most avid football fans out there, this week after the Super Bowl came with two kinds of hangovers. There is of course the pounding headache and slight nausea that greeted most of us with Monday morning’s alarm clock. Then there’s the other kind that has nothing to do with the 12-pack of Coors Light or fifth of Jack you downed during the biggest game of the year. That my friends, is the football offseason hangover, and it comes every year whether you want it to or not.

This year I am offering you my assistance by providing a hangover “cure” to offset offseason football blues.

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1. Be Productive

I don’t know about the rest of the free world, but for me personally, I have been putting off several projects for the last five months. This is your opportunity to do everything you were planning on doing, but didn’t because you were glued to the TV on Saturdays and Sundays. Your closet that looks like it’s recently been condemned and quarantined, clean it. That oil in your car that’s needed a change since Thanksgiving, change it. That material you’ll “read over the weekend” for your test, study it. You now have time do to all the things football kept you from doing. Take advantage of this time, because soon enough football season will be back and those “projects” will stack up again.

2. Enjoy Basketball Season

Now hold on football purists, there are actually other sports out there. While I understand NBA and NCAA Hoops don’t hold a candle to college football and the NFL, there are actually some interesting storylines going on in basketball this year. We don’t have a clear cut favorite in college hoops or the NBA. Of course the usual suspects are the front runners, with the Lakers and Cavs leading their respective conferences in the NBA. The Lakers’ fate rests on the health of Kobe, but without him the West is wide open. Last year the Orlando Magic proved to Cavaliers fans that it doesn’t matter how many wins you rack up in the regular season, it’s all about the playoffs. Not to mention ex-Longhorn Kevin Durant dropping 25+ points a game like it’s his job (it is, and he’s done it in 25 straight games to be exact). And the Spurs, Mavericks and Rockets are in position for a postseason run. In the NCAA, Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and Villanova are looking to be the cream of the crop. But not one school is unbeatable and No. 1 ranked teams have been dropping like flies (see the Texas Longhorns). Yes, the Horns have fallen off the deep end since their brief stint at the top, but would you want your school matched up against them in the tournament?

3. Be Social

I’m not saying football turns you into a hermit, ok, maybe I am. Longhorns and Cowboys fans, please explain to me what you were doing every weekend for the last five months. Point taken? Now is your chance to go on that weekend trip out of town to catch up with old friends or go out on the town on a Saturday night when so many of them seemed to be filled with primetime Texas games this season. If you haven’t seen or talked to anyone except your fellow football fans for the last half-year, first, you need help, and second, now is your opportunity to become a normal person again. Look at this offseason as freedom from football fanaticism, and make sure you still have friends.

4. Look Forward to Baseball Season

Only two days until pitchers and catchers report! Ok, this is a stretch I’ll admit. But everyone loves America’s Pastime and combined with the NBA playoffs and March Madness quickly approaching, this can be a temporary cure until the NFL draft. You’ve got to love the optimism that comes with the approach of Opening Day, when “everyone’s in first place”. Go Rangers?

5. Intramural Sports

The next best thing to watching football is actually playing it. While not all colleges offer a spring intramural football league, softball, basketball and other IM sports take place in the spring to hold your competitive appetite at bay just a little longer. Most schools have a spring flag football tournament, including the University of Texas. Intramural sports are a great way to stay in shape and meet new people.

So hold those chins up high my football frenzied friends. Whether your team underachieved or exceeded expectations, the 2009-2010 season is behind us and you must move on. There are many paths to remaining sane during the offseason, the one you choose is your decision. Remember not to mourn your loss, celebrate the season that was, and of course, your new found freedom.