Which is better college life or campus life and why?

Best ways to recover from academic and college campus life stress after spring break?

• Its my first year in college and I just had my spring break. I thought spring break would revitalize me: no school, time for sleep, and extra time to catch-up on work. I did all of the following while on my break away from my campus, but I've only returned more tired and stressed about the next following month of work. The week upon returning I've done nothing. I feel hopeless that I will finish my work. I've talked to my college dean and professors and posted my upcoming deadlines on a large wall calender. How do I recover while staying sane?

• Answer:

  I have been drilling into my students the definition of motivation: Anticipating feeling better having done something. It is part of reality. The example that made me learn this many years ago was swimming. I always feel WONDERFUL in mind and body after I swim twenty laps, but when I THINK about going to swim, I never want to. It is so weird. You would think at some point it would sink in and I would just want to go. But, NO! So I have to actually trick myself into going by taking small steps and thinking only of each small step as a doable chunk. Eventually the small pieces come together and I walk out of the swim center feeling WONDERFUL again. So for me, motivation has to be worked on carefully to make my dreams come true. There are many techniques out there (Anthony Robbins - "Awaken the Giant Within" comes to mind) for harnessing your personal passion and directing it toward those things that will put you on the path to achieving the success that will bring WONDERFUL things into your life. But it isn't always easy and automatic. Fortunately, you are young, so should be able to fix the problem that you had the amazing maturity to identify and seek a cure for. Get started on it. Oh, and eat well (the first two stages of malnutrition have no symptoms - the third has symptoms similar to yours), sleep well, have fun often, never drink or drug, exercise often, and hang in there with classwork, so that you don't have the regret of not doing what you know is your best. Anticipate feeling better having done it!