Opinion
JENNIFER CALFAS
EDITOR IN CHIEF
AARICA MARSH
and DEREK WOLFE
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
LEV FACHER
MANAGING EDITOR
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A — Thursday, December 10, 2015
The best advice
W
ith
the
semester
coming to a close and
most
everyone
on
campus nearing
some
sort
of
breakdown over
their finals, I, as
an eternal font
of wisdom, felt it
was appropriate
to expound upon
some of the best
advice and the
most
important
things
I’ve
learned so far.
To begin with,
what you look like in pictures isn’t a
reflection on what you actually look
like, and even if it was, it doesn’t
matter. A while ago I was looking
through old pictures with my mom
and we found what must be the
worst picture of myself that has
ever been taken. It’s from middle
school and it’s just horrible: the
lighting is bad, the angle is weird,
and my position is just incredibly
awkward and unflattering. My mom
went to skip past the picture to save
me some embarrassment, cringing
on my behalf, but I stopped her so
I could laugh at it. It was so ugly it
was hilarious. If there was anything
at all to be embarrassed about in
this situation, it was probably how
hard and long I was able to keep
laughing at it.
A few years ago I would have
had a very different reaction to
that picture, but through a mix of
positive self-esteem practices (like
smiling at myself in the mirror,
inflating my ego to unknown heights,
some major plastic surgery and the
adoption of a new identity) I got over
my aversion to looking at pictures
of myself. I no longer so closely
associate my appearance with who
I am as a person or my value. What
you look like has no bearing on
your worth as an individual, so stop
untagging yourself in your friends’
Facebook pictures.
The second piece of knowledge
I have to impart is that dogs are
the most important thing. Just,
in
general.
Hands
down.
No
dispute possible.
Next, no one knows what they’re
doing, even if they appear to or if
they claim to have a plan. All of us
are making it up as we go along.
I recently got involved with the
planning of MHacks, and while the
other planners have quite a bit of
experience and the event is going to
be amazing, I get
the
impression
that it’s all an
experiment
in
sinking
or
swimming in the
best way possible.
The
sky’s
the
limit and there’s
basically no one
to tell us no (except the fire marshal
sometimes). In fact, the amount of
freedom that we have here is almost
overwhelming and it makes me
wonder if this is what it would be like
to be a man. (But really, the MHacks
event is going to be amazing.)
Another point: Call your favorite
person tonight and thank them for
being the best. Expressing gratitude
has been linked to well-being, so it’s
to both your benefit when you call
your mom to thank her for fielding
your ridiculous phone calls about
how to get nacho stains out of
sheets, you terrific piece of chaos.
But really, how great are dogs?
Finally, happiness is a choice, and
you deserve to have it. Recently, I
had a pretty miserable day featuring
some poor grades and some stressful
paper writing. But on the same day,
I also received some free cider and
cookies and I remembered the name
of the song that had been plaguing
me all week. I made the decision that
this was actually a good day after all,
and it was.
At the same time, I do realize that
this is a huge oversimplification,
and that there are some challenges
and miseries in people’s lives that
are insurmountable. I will say,
though, that happiness is relative,
and if you can find one good thing
to focus on, you can get through
just about anything.
Plus, if you feel that nothing in
your
life
brings
you joy, then you
deserve better. If
your
significant
other
makes
you miserable, if
you’re not thrilled
with what you’re
studying
or
if
you’re bored with
your Netflix queue, then it’s your
responsibility to yourself to try
something new. It’s never too late
to change directions, meet someone
new, refocus on what actually
interests you and have confidence
to throw yourself into situations
that challenge what you’ve assumed
about yourself, others or the world.
We’re all wrong about something.
So, in conclusion: You’re going to
pass your finals, you’re very pretty
and smart, you’re not falling behind
your peers and it’s never too late
for you. Also, dogs exemplify all
goodness in the world.
—Sarah Leeson can be reached
at sleeson@umich.edu.
SARAH
LEESON
Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Ben Keller,
Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna
Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa
Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung,
Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Food vs. figure
“I
really wanna lose three pounds.”
You’ve heard it before, from
Regina George, from your best
friend, your mom, your sister,
your girlfriend, etc. Most
teenage girls are thinking
it, because even those who
are at a healthy body weight
feel the need to be thinner.
Throughout
my
teenage
years,
I
have
grappled with this issue. I’m torn between
telling myself, ‘You are beautiful the way you
are, you don’t need to change,’ and wishing
my stomach was a little flatter, my thighs a
little narrower.
According to Harper’s Bazaar, the 2015
body ideal is more unattainable than ever.
Where women used to try to be as thin as
possible, like Kate Moss or Twiggy, we are now
reaching for a whole new level of impossible.
There’s the thigh gap, the big butt and the flat
abs. Unless you are Beyoncé and have more
money and time than Jim Harbaugh — who I
guess has a lot of money but not a lot of time —
this look is nearly impossible to achieve. Most
women either have the
curves or the flat stomach.
Sometimes neither, but
rarely both. And if, by
genetics, you are blessed
to look this way, I won’t lie
to you, I’m envious.
As a woman, I can’t
deny that I obsess over
how I look. This comes
in many perverse ways
because sometimes I think, “Should I not
wear makeup to show people that I don’t
care too much?” I eat cookies and then feel
guilty. And then I feel guilty for feeling guilty
because the radical feminist in me wants me
to love myself the way I am.
I know I am not the only girl who feels this
sentiment. My roommate mentioned to me
that she was trying to lose weight the other
day, and I immediately responded that she
doesn’t need to. This reaction was not only
because I’m an excellent friend (clearly), but
also because I genuinely believe it. She is, in
my eyes, tall, beautiful and thin. However,
this isn’t how she sees herself. We’re taught
to constantly try to be thinner, prettier, tan-
ner if you’re white, lighter if you’re a person
of color. This is a problem for everyone, but
seems to be especially prevalent for women.
With the issue of dieting and obsessing over
body weight comes the “I love food” complex.
Yes, everyone loves food, especially sweets
and carbs and other things that we shouldn’t
dare touch to our lips, but we talk about it way
too much.
“I don’t get how people diet all the time, like
I just love food so much.”
Have you ever heard a girl say this to you?
This conversation, in my opinion, is nearly as
damaging as the “I wanna lose three pounds”
conversation. Sometimes, it feels competitive:
I love food even more than you! I Instagram
it day and night! Does that mean you have a
healthy relationship with it? Does that mean
you are happy with your body? Probably not.
Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with
enjoying food, or Instagramming it, but this
doesn’t mean we must constantly discuss it. It
often seems girls are trying to cover up their
lack of eating by reminding everyone how
much they love food.
This
isn’t
only
a
conversation we’re having
with our peers: I grew up in
a household saturated with
talk of weight loss. This
was a toxic environment
for me. When I’m home I
feel embarrassed to eat a
lot because I know multiple
eyes
are
watching
me.
“Don’t eat that” is a phrase
that gets thrown around. My body image has
gotten significantly healthier since arriving
in Ann Arbor, a few hundred miles away from
home. I always attributed this to my all-girls
high school that was rampant with eating
disorders, but my home kitchen was nearly
as bad. For most of us, this is inescapable.
Whether it comes from our friends, our moms,
the media or even just ourselves, the pressure
to look a certain way is everywhere.
To seek out any sort of help related to
disordered eating on campus, you can visit
University Health Services.
—Alison Schalop can be reached
at aschalop@umich.edu.
ALISON
SCHALOP
I
’m not one to sit still. When
I was young, I was always
getting in trouble for playing
under the table
at
restaurants,
hiding on the
playground
at
recess after it
was over and,
of course, never
staying
seated
in school, but
instead running
around
and
leaving
the
wreckage
of
a
tornado
in
my wake.
At the age of 6, my family
nicknamed me “the cannon ball”
because I would throw myself down
the ski hills of Vermont in my bright,
all-red snowsuit, crouching as low
as I could in order to gain as much
speed as possible before inevitably
crashing
into
something
(or
someone) near the bottom. Starting
in first grade, my parents tried 4 a.m.
figure skating lessons to “tire me
out” before going to school, hoping
to give my teachers some relief.
Needless to say, it didn’t do much.
Still, to this day, it’s unlikely for me
to walk down an empty hall without
doing a few cartwheels along the
way. Studying in locations such as
the UGLi and the Reference Room
physically pains me because they’re
too quiet, and I can’t move around as
I would like. My friend Noah likes to
joke that I do my best studying upside
down: in a handstand or hanging
off my chair. If I’m not physically
moving at the gym or elsewhere,
you can almost guarantee I’m busy
somewhere else: in a meeting,
running
errands,
practically
anything but sitting still.
Business is what keeps me going,
which is why sometimes I forget
to take the time to relax. To be
completely honest, if I had a night
with absolutely nothing to do —
no classes to attend, obligations to
fulfill, exams to study for, papers
to write or events to plan — I
wouldn’t have a clue how to spend
it. Fortunately for me, and the
countless other college students
who I expect may feel the same,
there are actually studies on this.
What
exactly
is
the
correct
method
of relaxation?
If you took a poll of the ways
in which college students choose
to unwind, I have no doubt that
the words “going out” (two words
that seem overwhelmingly normal
when in reality they describe a
very abnormal drinking culture)
and “Netflix” would be high on
the list. Though I’m not opposed
to spending nights with friends or
binge watching my latest TV-series
obsession,
Netflix
and
chilling
are not very effective methods of
relaxation (technically speaking).
College students turn to late nights of
one or the other in order to unwind,
when in reality, nights of staring at
a blue-light ridden screen and binge
drinking are doing more harm than
good. Nope. Not relaxation.
Sports psychologists and other
scientists
have
done
endless
research on “the perfect relaxation
method,”
usually
ending
with
the promotion of some 10-letter-
acronym recuperation technique
that can be used to put the mind
at ease and prepare for the task
at hand. Some practices include
“staring at your own eyebrows in
the mirror and telling yourself ‘I can
do this,’ ” or the lesser known yet
just as effective “downloading-a-
yoga-app-onto-
my-phone-and-
bruising-myself-
on-my-dorm-
room-furniture-
to-the-sound-
of-chirping-
crickets.”
I’ll pass for
now.
Assuming
I
come out of finals
week alive and with my sanity, I
hope to take what relaxation time I
have and put it to better use. It will
be tempting over Winter Break to
do nothing but hibernate in my bed,
catching up on sleep and TV shows.
It will be even more difficult when
three weeks later, the whole cycle
repeats: school will resume, and my
free time will dwindle to nothing.
Though
some
relaxation
techniques are time consuming
— exercise, yoga or that weird
eyebrow-staring method — there
are also a number of smaller things
that can be done on a regular basis
to promote relaxation, most of
which revolve around increasing a
sense of presence.
Focused-attention
meditation,
which may benefit college students
in particular, simply encourages
individuals to pay close attention to
one’s activities in the moment with
undivided
attention.
Observing
without judgment is easier said
than done, and includes not just
inhibiting judgment of others, but
self-judgment as well.
Personally, I can’t remember the
last time I ate, and just ate, without
my phone, computer, homework
or with another person to talk
to. As I said, slowing down isn’t
my specialty.
Countless other methods have
been
experimentally
proven
to
benefit individuals who partake
in meditative activities. With the
implementation of transcendental
meditation in schools, the David
Lynch Foundation found a 21-percent
increase in high school graduation
rate, 10-percent improvement on
test scores and GPA, increased
attendance, decreased suspensions
and a “40-percent reduction in
psychological
distress,
including
stress, anxiety and depression.”
Additionally,
the
foundation
reports benefits to veterans, includ-
ing a 40- to 55-percent decrease
in symptoms of post-traumatic
stress disorder and depression,
42-percent decrease in insomnia, a
47-percent reduced risk of cardio-
vascular-related
mortality
and
a
30-percent
increase in sat-
isfaction
with
quality of life.
In an interesting
study on telom-
erase
activity,
individuals who
attended a medi-
tation
retreat
expressed higher concentration of
telomerase (an enzyme that repairs
the protective caps on the ends
of chromosomes; shortening of
these caps is associated with old-
age) than those who didn’t attend
the retreat.
For someone who can barely find
time to eat and sleep, let alone go on
a week-long retreat, smaller, more
consistent doses of meditation
and mindfulness may be a more
effective way to relax. Though
I’ve grown out of my bright-red
ski snowsuit, I know I’ll continue
to cannonball through my time
here at Michigan, and probably
even accelerate wherever I end up
after. The proof is in the research.
But practicing mindfulness and
relaxation can be more difficult
in stressful situations. The irony
is that the busier I get, the more
desperately I need the time to relax.
Finals week, anyone?
—Grace Carey can be reached
at gecarey@umich.edu.
GRACE
CAREY
Time to unwind
Practicing
mindfulness and
relaxation can be
more difficult in
stressful situations.
As a woman, I can’t
deny that I obsess
over how I look.
Happiness is a
choice, and you
deserve to have it.
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