Welcome to yet another semester here at UC Berkeley! We’re sure you’re pumped to get back into the swing of things and get back to work.

Wait — who are we kidding? If you’re anything like us here at the Clog, you’re most definitely NOT prepared for what’s to come: waking up before noon (gasp) to schlep yourself to class, surviving bitterly long nights of barely completing half of your homework for the day and spending tiresome hours spent in Main Stacks with your eyes glued to your incomprehensible textbooks.

But what if we told you that there are ways to make your transition back to the grind a little easier? Well, congratulations, because there are! Before you begin to wither away and fade into the darkness in the dungeons of Moffitt Library, be sure to do these things to make your transition back to school a little bit easier.

Try a new restaurant

Berkeley has so much food to offer that it’s hard to keep track. Before your semester gets so hectic that you barely even have time to scrape up a meal, be sure to book a seat at that restaurant you’ve been dying to try since last semester. (Not sure which ones to try? Here are our favorites.)

Redecorate your room

Nothing says “I’m ready for a new semester!” like a fresh makeover for your humble abode. Add a few new throw pillows, swap out your posters and trade in your sad, dead plants for some (living) new ones. It’s 2018, people! New year, new room.

Get rid of last semester’s junk

If you didn’t already throw last semester’s blue books and chicken scratch notes into a roaring bonfire — er, recycling bin — now’s the time! What are you saving all that junk for anyway? Regardless of what your grades looked like last semester, it’s time to start anew. Recycle your old papers, delete them from your computer — whatever you need to do to get rid of it all. After all, a clutter-free home is a clutter-free mind.

Scope out a new study spot

Moffitt is SO 2017! Seriously. If you’re looking to have a successful next 16 weeks, find a new place to complete your schoolwork — preferably one that you haven’t visited before (and one that doesn’t hold all of the bad memories of you pulling several all-nighters in a row). Check out a new coffee shop or perhaps a library you’ve never even heard of. Berkeley has plenty of both! (Here are some ideas to get you started.)

Head down to the movie theater

Happy awards season! Before your semester gets so hectic that you barely even have time to leave your room, head down to the movie theater and bask in your free time while it still lasts. Plus, if you’re ever looking to escape the stressful thoughts floating around in your head or merely want to feel like you’ve (sort of) left Berkeley for a little while, buy yourself a movie ticket and a bag of refillable popcorn and sit back and relax for two hours. (May we suggest Lady Bird?)

Hike the Fire Trails

Exercise? What’s that? As a preventive measure, hike the Berkeley Fire Trails to pump a bunch of cortisol out of your body before you have zero time to exercise and it builds up again to exceedingly high levels of stress. But seriously, get your exercise in now so you don’t feel so guilty about not having time (or the will) to do so later in the semester. You’ll thank us later.

Be sure to live a little before the stress of midterms (sorry, we didn’t want to have to hear this word yet either) kicks in. You’ve got this.

Chloe Lelchuk is the assistant blog editor. Contact Chloe Lelchuk at [email protected].