issue 25 // volume 43 life & style // no. ‘Wi

Coffee alternatives for caffeine addicts

> Keeping you awake, one cup at a time!

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor

 

A sastudent, it becomes almost
andatory that you become a

caffeine addict. With a readily available

Tim Hortons at both campuses, most

Douglas students have a tendency

to migrate towards the coffee end

of the caffeine addiction spectrum.

However, if you just drink coffee every

day and never mix it up, that bitter

taste can become stale really fast.

Dealing with caffeine withdrawal is
never fun—headaches, irritability, not
to mention the fatigue! If you're looking
to swap your morning coffee out, here
are a couple alternatives that are just
as high, if not higher, in caffeine.

Black tea. Teas like English
Breakfast or Orange Pekoe are actually
higher in caffeine than coffee is, and are
more than capable of staving off that
pesky withdrawal. They also provide
a milder taste compared to coffee,
which can be nice in the mornings.

Green tea. It seems weird to have
two different types of teas on this list, but
because the caffeine content of each is
so radically different, they each deserve

All work and no play...

> How to maintain your sanity throughout semesters

Megan Jewell
Contributor

 

hroughout the semester I often

find that a student’s basic needs
are not being met, whether they be
maintaining a good sleeping schedule,
having enough nutrition, getting physical
exercise, or maintaining relationships.

Whether youre taking two classes
or six, there are certain times throughout
the semester when you block everything
out and strictly focus on your school
work. Now, it’s easy to see how laundry
doesn’t get done, how those Friday
nights out no longer happen, and how
Netflix and chill dates are replaced with
colour-coding your planner for the week
ahead. It’s difficult to maintain good
grades and a good appearance, work
out, eat healthy, work, and enrich social
friendships all at the same time. There’s
a lot of planning, running around, and
simply a lot of stress. Here’s a couple
ideas that might help you out.

I know planners aren't cool and not
necessarily a fashion statement, but they'll
make your life 10 times easier. When you
are able to write down your weeks ahead—
appointments, car insurance due dates,
plans with your friends—it’s all right there
in front of you. You no longer have to go to
class asking three different people about
today’s lesson or assignments, because
you can flip to this week and youre set!
Maintaining that management and
keeping your stress levels low is extremely
difficult, and this way you have a better
idea of what’s going to happen, what to
expect, and, quite honestly, where you
should be when you're lost as balls.

I don't know about you, but I set

special attention. Green tea has the most
caffeine content of any tea or coffee, so
it’s great if you're feeling particularly
sluggish. Green tea in itself doesn’t have
avery strong flavour, so people tend to
add honey or lemon to it, which can be
great for your throat if youre feeling
under the weather. Green tea also boosts
your metabolism, which is nice if you're
trying to lose weight or if you had a
particularly big breakfast. One warning,
though; because of the high caffeine
content, green tea is a diuretic, so don't
be surprised if you all the sudden have
to pee a lot more frequently than usual.
Mountain Dew. If you play a lot
of video games, then the connection
between Mountain Dew and caffeine
should be old hat. As the myth goes,
gamer gremlins would down bottles of
the stuff in order to pull all-nighters while
remaining at peak performance levels in
terms of reaction time. I won't sugar coat
it—Mountain Dew contains so much
caffeine it is extremely unhealthy. But as
I always say, everything in moderation! If
you just need an extra little boost during
the day, or something to keep you awake
while going over notes for your finals,
then this might be the answer for you.

€¢ Planning ahead in the little ways can
make a big difference in the morning
and for your overall mood.

 

 

10 alarms to go off in the morning.
Snooze snooze snooze. Eventually, I'll
get up an hour later and find myself
running around the house trying to get
everything together. Books, planners,

binders, clothes, food, my phone... it’s
very overwhelming at 6:30 a.m. So the
lesson here is to pack, or at least get your
things ready, the night before. Pick out
your clothes for the next morning, pack

 

Image via givesimple.com

    
 

Illustration by Ed Appleby

your lunch, get all your papers together in
one general area. Planning ahead in the
little ways can make a big difference in
the morning and for your overall mood.
Now I don't know about you, but
I’m always hearing about how essential
exercise is. It’s good for your circulation,
heart health, mental health, muscular
growth, and development. Despite all
the positives from physical exercise,
there’s nothing that can motivate you to
hit the gym once you've already done a
12-hour day. So here’s a little cheat that
I do. Instead of taking the elevator at
school, take the stairs. Maybe it’s only
five minutes of heart health, but it’s an
easy thing to do to get your body moving
and activating those chemicals that will
help promote a better overall mood.
Sometimes when you've got three
different projects, two assignments, and
then finals, it’s really difficult to sit there
and be like “Oh yeah I’m all good, not
overwhelmed, stressed, or exhausted.
Even though I haven't showered in three
days, I’ve run out of clean socks because
I don’t have time to do laundry, there’s a
stain on my shirt, and this is my fourth
cup of coffee—but no, I’m totally fine!”
Breathe! Relax! Inhale. Exhale. Sometimes
when youre running around, it’s difficult
to look up and see the big picture. You’re
working hard towards your future, and
it ll all pay off. Think about what it will
be like when you're done your finals—you
can get wasted and not do homework
all weekend, and you can go camping
without bringing your binders. You can
finally sleep in past 6 a.m. and no 8:30
a.m. classes! In the big picture of things,
youre doing an excellent job, whether
you have stains on your shirt or not.