A half-drunk bottle of heaven. Photo courtesy of Opinion editor Karl Karsh.

  The average student at San Luis Obispo High School on a weekday wakes up early and sighs. I know I do. 

  Yale researchers have found that being tired, bored, and stressed is a common experience high schoolers have daily when attending school.

  Logically I know a school day can be a valuable, fun experience, but when my alarm clock goes off, all I want is to get back under my covers. I have to remember what I can do to make my day much more enjoyable. 

  When I get ready to leave for school, if I have one, I make sure to pack a cold, refreshing soda. This may not apply to everyone, but if there’s something that can bring a spark of happiness into my day, it makes it so much more bearable.

  In order to have a school day that’s above being mediocre, students need some sort of mental or physical fuel, whether that be a snack, loud music, an energy drink, or something completely different. In my opinion, the best way to ensure having a fantastic day is to have a fun, sweet drink.

  As most people probably know, soda can have an excessive amount of sugar. Additionally, diet drinks contain aspartame (fake sweetener) and they’re also not good to drink all the time. Even so, drinking soda in moderation, diet or not, is completely fine.

  Sure, it doesn’t fix everything, but having a treat in my day makes me happy.  A soda provides me with a much needed light, sweet midday craving.

  Right after third period, I’m exhausted. The day feels so overwhelming and I don’t have the motivation to keep going. 

  Regardless of how tired I am, I always crave the crisp popping sound a can of soda makes when it’s opened. I yearn to have a small sip of a fizzy drink to energize me and carry me through the rest of my day.

  It could change the trajectory of someone’s day to drink a can (or bottle) of soda. Don’t knock it until you try it. Get back on track with a delightful carbonated beverage, Tigers!

Sources: us.coca-cola.com, health.osu.edu, lifestylemedicalcenters.com, ourworldindata.org, news.yale.edu