Thank you for your suggestions! I'll try them out.
I find that once I actually get in the zone, I can stay with my studying/writing for a while (like this morning when I finished my paper).
I realized today that I harbor a lot of hidden anxiety about going back to school, getting A's in my classes, and preparing to apply for graduate school (especially studying for the dreaded GRE!). It's my "last" shot (I've been told by my dad too). I think that I've been procrastinating and getting off my raw vegan diet (i.e. eating cookies lying around the house) because of it -- oh, yeah, with two new zits to show for it.
As Socrates said to Dan Millman (
The Peaceful Warrior film): "If you don't make the Olympics, what will you do?"
On a separate note: While out and about today, I actually got out of myself, or "became awake," looking around at the sunshine, the birds, the trees, and thought how lucky I am!