One of the hardest things to do after any break is to get back on track and into a productive mindset. Spring break is honestly such a tease by giving a taste of summer only for responsibilities to come crashing down again.

The week approaching break is possibly one of the busiest — many professors feel compelled to schedule exams and papers due in a five day period that is already emotional because of excitement for break. While that is highly unfortunate, I think having all of the exams after break is arguably worse because you feel pre-anxious for them where you could otherwise get them out of the way. I fall into this category.

I am an anxious college student who just really wants to live her best life. I've worked out a pretty good system for getting back into the swing of things and reigning in motivation that is seemingly non-existent.

Make a new playlist.

I 100% believe that music can shape your mood and is, therefore, an excellent way to "reset." Making a new playlist, whether it be one you just listen to while getting ready, or one specifically for grind time on homework and studying, is an excellent way to make those things something to look forward to and a little more bearable.

Find "me time."

I try to carve out time once a day where I give myself permission to relax, eat a snack, and do whatever makes me feel calm. On days that I feel like every moment is accounted for and I legitimately have days planned down to the half hour, I schedule in thirty minutes or so to just "be."

Recently all that my "me time" has consisted of is eating oatmeal while watching "Project Runway"; it's been a rough few weeks. For those who have hectic lives, like me, and feel as if whenever they're doing one thing they should be doing something else, no worry — if it's on your schedule, you're doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing.

Set deadlines for yourself.

Not only is this the best way to achieve a goal, but it's also a good way to make sure you don't fall behind and have immense stress leading up to exams. I get a big calendar and write in things to help me spread out studying for exams. By breaking up the rest of the semester into smaller sections it makes time go by so much faster because the deadline isn't just summer anymore, there's more to "look forward to" as you go.

Get some new pens.

This may just apply to all my "pen people" out there, but there is nothing more satisfying than getting new pens and using them for the first time. It's a small addition to your life but makes such a difference and is one more thing to brighten up an otherwise stressful time.

There are so many more little things to make the transition back easier, but a lot of varies person to person. If you start to make little changes to become organized, or to add a new part to your day (like taking a walk outside with no distractions to relax), the rest of the semester should go by a lot smoother.