Author: Shailey

Constantly you’ll see adolescents clutching coffee cups on their way to morning classes, sipping down brew as they walk. Caffeine surging through young bodies to help them get through the first few hours of the a.m. feeling awake and alert. While parental influence is possibly a strong factor, statistics show that coffee itself manipulates consumers into believing they need a cup every morning to start their day off strong and refreshed. It is the caffeine that clutches onto your brain creating the allusion that it is a primary factor that assists in keeping you awake. According to science it is a strong stimulant that is absorbed into your intestinal tract and your blood once ingested. This blood carries extra oxygen to your brain, making you feel more vigilant. Caffeine also directly stimulates the spinal cord and the cortex of the brain as well. The effects usually begin to peek in thirty minutes to an hour, and after about six hours that rush of energy is nearly dissipated.  Although this drink is very helpful in dozens of situations, like staying up to study for a big exam, it can also have negative effects. The main problem is not the so called “addiction” of drinking it at least once a day, but is the levels it is being consumed at. Higher consumption levels may lead to decreased iron absorption and calcium loss. This can affect your heart as well as your bones if not regulated. It can leave you feeling fatigued & occasionally irritable. It is safer to only consume one cup a day, but it is at your own discretion as to how much you need/want throughout the day. The consumption levels among the youth have increased due to the fact that the drinks have gotten sweeter, this generated an attraction among the youth. The amount of sugar being put into these beverages is sometimes surprising depending on where you go, but you are allowed to ask for less which is advised. The feeling of attentiveness from the coffee is another reason it has become a desirability. According to statistics, 50% of the population (which is equivalent to 150 million Americans) drink espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, or iced coffees. In the end there is really two types of people when it comes to coffee, either you love it and everything about it or you hate it. My best friend & I just so happen to be on the side of loving it so much we drink it as often as we can, In fact I am sipping on a cup of coffee as I write this. Sweeter drinks = attraction to the youth  Notes:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6296805/http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-coffee-teenagers-11248.htmlhttp://www.today.com/id/24123703/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/coffee-norm-growing-number-children/#.VTG9_9vnZdg 

Don’t you love that back to school feeling—the excitement and happiness that runs through you the night before your first day? Getting to see all your friends again, showing off all your new clothes, and the best part of it all is getting the new privileges that comes with moving up the education food chain. But don’t let us fool you, all this change does send a rush through our veins beyond compare, it also scares us a bit too. It’s the newness of having so much more freedom that ignites us; I mean if we aren’t regulated we’d probably all go crazy. Learning how to drive, being able to go to football games, and beginning new relationships are some of the highest points through our high school years. As seniors you get to experience everything one last time and you get to begin preparing for the rest of your life. Juniors get to experience prom for the first time, start searching for colleges, and driving. Sophomores are still learning and maturing but this is usually the age where we begin finding ourselves. For freshman everything is new and wonderfully exciting but very scary because they are the on the bottom and they have to figure out how to manage time and responsibility. Most of us put on the mask of hating school; we make it seem like the worst experience ever when in reality that’s just our way of blending in and showing everyone how much we despise the work we receive. But we need to get past that and see the way this will eventually help us, not to mention getting a free education makes us all very lucky. 

Walking through the poster-filled halls, there’s talk of holiday break, games and dreams. Teenagers walk, some hand in hand, out the tall doors excited for what the next two months might bring.November conjures up images of pumpkin-colored leaves kissed by an ice-cold breeze. Eyes sparkle as you laugh at those dumb holiday films with your closest friends. It’s full of candy apples and family members, turkey and cranberry sauce, airports and road trips to be close to the ones you love. This is the season for leggings and comfy sweaters, for drinking pumpkin spice lattes and going on long walks. It’s the lovely sound of coffee brewing and the smell of those autumn scented candles. November is for adoring how the soft, dark colors make a cold room feel so warm.December means crystallized ice, wrapped around withered grass. Cold skin that longs for the warm touch of the one you love. It’s full of eggnog and Christmas movies, bright lights and apple pie, wrapping paper and baking cookies with little ones. This is the season for wishing on stars and making stupid New Year’s resolutions that we will never follow through on. December is for drinking peppermint mocha lattes and playing in the snow. It’s for the sound of ice crunching underneath your boots and the smell of sweets right out of the oven. December is the month of giving, the time of year when you’re there for the people you truly care about.

We are saying goodbye to this year and any negative aspects that occurred in it. Whatever your new journey may be, please always remember to stay true to yourself and make it a goal to look for positivity in every single day. For me this year will be about graduating from high school and finally beginning my journey to college. I cannot even begin to explain the excitement I have for that. But a new year brings change and moments that could very possibly change your life forever, so be sure to stay aware of those. Below is a list of things to stay aware of this next year. 1. Life is too short to play it safe and keep yourself under lock and key.  Branch out, explore the world, allow yourself the ability to love, give more, expect less, try something new, follow your dreams, and do what makes you happy. 2. Go outside more.  This world is too beautiful to stay inside staring at screens. Explore nature’s secrets, look at the clouds, walk on the beach, climb trees, sit on rooftops, and watch the sun set. You’re only young once.  3. Laugh until your ribs get tired; smile until your teeth begin to hurt. Surround yourself with people who bring that amazing feeling of happiness to your heart. Run freely with them and take in every single second of being together. 4. Do not forget to make time for the one person who has stayed with you through it all:  your best friend, who is going to need you just as you need her. All of those distractions, new things, and people in your life are uncertain. You are allowed to love them too, but do not let yourself lose sight of her. 5. Allow yourself to feel things. Do what you need to do to fully grieve, let yourself fall apart, just make sure you piece yourself together again. Do not let your feelings consume you. 6. Drink more water.  Keep yourself hydrated and healthy. Water will allow you and your body to feel better, not to mention it can also help your skin to glow. Take care of yourself more; you’re worth it. 7. Compliment others more;  one simple statement could change someone’s whole day. Even if they are a stranger walking on the street, give them a smile and speak a kind word; you never know what kind of day they are having. 8. Do not be afraid of saying no; you do not have to participate in anything that you do not want to do. That being said, be considerate of the emotions of others but do not hurt yourself in the process. 9. Cherish the company of those who love you. Family is so important.  Please do not let grudges or sadness take over so much that you block out the people who have and always will be there for you: your mother, your father, each and every one of your siblings. Make time for them. 10. Stop falling for societal standards; now is your time.  Do what makes you feel alive and stay youthful. The majority of us are so full of life, opinions and ideas. We are so hopeful and we dream so hard. Do not let yourself go for any reason.