On the first of January, like the majority of the people, I decided to change something about myself.

I knew I wanted to eat better, though it is pretty hard when you live on campus and eat in the dining hall all the time. I decided to slowly accustom myself to eating better, but I knew one thing I wanted to change for certain: no more soda, specifically caffeine. I did not like consuming that much processed sugar, weird chemicals, or the effects of caffeine. I had made the rule of no caffeine past noon in prior months, so I thought this would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I wrong.

At first, it started out great. It wasn't really a challenge for me until my boyfriend, who is a die-hard root beer and cream soda fan, wanted to try a new flavor at our local grocery store. That was only on day 5, and I knew it would be hard for me. Being the avid lemonade drinker that I am (seriously, I drink it like it is water), I decided that would be my go to drink.

At first, I didn't really notice a difference in myself until my boyfriend made the comment that I had been sleeping better, and throughout the night. Before, I would wake up two to three times in the night and I had a really hard time falling asleep. I would wake up for my 8 a.m. class feeling like a zombie, which is hard to grow accustomed to when you have it five days a week. But since I had given up soda, I was sleeping through the night, the circles under my eyes were barely there (I also credit eye cream), and I wasn't waking up feeling like a zombie.

I, as many other people in the world, experience anxiety. Battling anxiety is a daily thing for me, and it really is an uphill battle. Something that I noticed weeks into my no-soda diet (can I call it that?) was that I was not nearly as anxious as I used to be.

Sure, I do get nervous about being in a large group of people or taking a test, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be. I can also say that I have not had a single panic attack since giving up soda, something that used to be a weekly occurrence for me. I don't think I can contribute that entirely to giving up soda, but I think it has helped a lot.

I'm not saying that giving up soda has entirely changed my life, but it has helped me feel physically and mentally better. I definitely recommend it to someone who has trouble sleeping and/or suffers from anxiety as well. It won't cure you, but it sure will help you feel a little bit better, and I think we all want that.