School is back in session. Some students may still be unable to shake the feeling of summer. It can be tough to get back into the mode of attending school again– waking up in the morning, completing homework assignments, and managing their time so that they can study and fit in other activities that are needed for their personal interests.
Not too long ago, a lot of us (who weren't scrambling to get our summer-reading done last minute) were free to do with the day as we pleased. Such a drastic change in the structure of our lives can be overwhelming for anyone, and would naturally make us feel at least somewhat trapped. Though sometimes it may feel like you're being held prisoner at school, it helps to keep in mind that it is, ultimately, your choice to be here. While you may not be too happy with the workload being piled on already by some of your classes, you did still consent to taking those classes, at least to some extent.

It may be tempting to watch half a season of your favorite show on Netflix after you arrive home from school, but in the long-run this won't help your workload get any smaller. Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of that awful feeling of being held captive by your homework is to actually do it. Some helpful techniques to accomplishing this could be to set aside a time for yourself to specifically to work on homework with no distractions around, and then making sure to reward yourself with breaks when you get something done. However, be careful to keep these breaks to a limited time as well, or else you might end up having used up your whole afternoon while you still have several assignments left to do. Getting back in a productive mode after a three-month-long summer can be a challenge for some students, but it's best to try to sort yourself out as soon as you can.