W

ithout a doubt, I’m 
an 
optimist. 
From 
arguing in favor of 
the Bursley-Baits bus to arguing 
for an explicit expansion of our 
vocabulary, I try my best to see 
the light in every situation. But 
the silver lining is often elusive, 
and sometimes involves extensive 
searching. This search, in and of 
itself, is an art. Unlike most arts, 
though, optimism has a unique 
faculty and disposition toward 
improving all that it touches. 
While it’s not always easy to 
remain optimistic, the belief 
we have in the world correlates 
with how much we believe in 
ourselves. 
Belief 
is 
embodied 
and 
emboldened by optimism. I’m 
not an optimist because I choose 
to be, but because that’s what the 
world requires. Optimism is the 
kindling for the fire of change, 
and the means to overcoming 
struggle. 
On 
countless 
occasions, 
it’s been proven that there 
are 
multiple 
discernible 
psychological and physiological 
benefits to “seeing the glass half 
full.” Multiple studies have found 
a correlation between optimism 
and a decrease in different health 
issues, such as heart failure and 
strokes, and optimists are even 
reported to recover faster after 
undergoing 
intensive 
surgery. 
People who haven’t integrated 
optimism into their lifestyles 
often have higher levels of 
cortisol, a stress-related hormone.
Optimism has also been found 
to have a high correlation with 

overall life satisfaction. In a 1990 
study, college freshmen who were 
predisposed toward optimism 
were found to be less stressed, 
lonely and depressed than other 
students. These benefits, albeit 
numerous and clear, are not 
indicative of the true effect of 
optimism. 
The 
physiological 
and 
psychological 
benefits 
seen because of optimism are 
themselves effects — effects of 
optimism’s unique ability to alter 
the way we view the world and 
help us confront and overcome 
our struggles. 
Struggle is one of the few 
universal human experiences, 
making 
its 
mark 
on 
each 
individual’s life in some way 
at some point in their lives. 
While not all struggles are 
created equal, they all require at 
least some amount of tenacity, 
patience and work to overcome. 
Whether you’re studying for a 
University of Michigan math 
exam or attempting to bring 
down a systemic bias, optimism is 
necessary.
The art of optimism is a power 
that can help in overcoming any 
sort of struggle, no matter if that 
struggle is constant or temporary, 
immense or small. It is a way of 
thinking that takes a hold of the 
future and refuses to relinquish it 
into the hands of defeat. 
To anyone who’s facing some 
sort of hardship, the phrase 
“everything happens for a reason” 
can ring a cynical bell. It can sound 
like complacency to an unfair 
and unjust present, a consolation 
that tries to prescribe meaning 
to a meaningless circumstantial 
situation. 
However, 
therein 
lies the phrase’s power. By 
defining meaning in hardship, 

we take hold of how it affects 
us. Optimism allows us to take 
a hard time and make it worth 
something, making experience 
our currency. The power to take 
control of our own future lies 
within our own perception of our 
current circumstances. 
In giving meaning to the 
struggles 
we 
face, 
we 
give 
ourselves meaning and purpose 
to carry on. The meaning that 
we can find in different struggles 
can vary. A failed exam could 
be motivation to study harder, a 
lesson in accepting failure or a 
push toward switching majors. 
These experiences can make us 
stronger when facing a similar 
battle in the future, or they can 
teach us valuable lessons so that 
we may grow as people. 
Undoubtedly, 
optimism 
requires a lot of courage. Getting 
past the face of despair and defeat 
to see the bigger picture is not 
an easy task. It feels like the 
world works to bring us down to 
its reality, to simply accept that 
struggle is an immovable facet of 
life and that it has no point. The 
only time we can have courage, 
though, is when we stand in 
front of the valley of despair. 
The only time we can overcome 
it is when we are at risk of being 
conquered. Hope is as courageous 
an endeavor as any. 
It’s also important to note that 
optimism might not always be 
“right.” Many times, an optimist 
will find the outcomes that 
they’ve sought out are different 
from reality. But the differences 
between what we seek and what 
we have do not invalidate the use 
of optimism. 

Wednesday, March 22, 2023 — 8
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Opinion

Design by Skylar Modell

The indomitable human spirit: 
From optimism to activism

L

et it be known that I am 
a bit of a hypochondriac. 
A 
recurring 
headache 
that pangs in a particular part 
of my head has left me certain 
that a burst aneurysm is an 
inevitability. I was sure that a 
now totally healed wrist, that 
broke my fall down some icy 
stairs, would heal improperly. 
(Would it snap and become 
permanently 
fixed, 
bent 
outwards at a ninety-degree 
angle?) I have, on multiple 
occasions, required reassurance 
that the amount of blood lost 
from a scrape or cut is not 
worthy of medical attention. 
Often, when I’m told my 
anxieties surrounding all things 
bodily 
are 
unwarranted, 
I 
listen. But when it was time to 
make the grueling choice about 
whether or not to go on birth 
control, I still wasn’t so sure I 
was overreacting. Yes, plenty 
of people go and stay on birth 
control without thinking twice, 
but should they? Birth control’s 
quiet consequences might make 
them reconsider.
The light to contraception 
has a long and trying history. 
As 
long 
as 
people 
have 
been 
attempting 
to 
create 
contraception methods, people 
have tried, and often succeeded, 
at making them inaccessible. 
Rubber 
condoms 
were 
first 
invented in the late 1850s by a 
man named Charles Goodyear, 
and on its heels would come 
legislation pioneered by devout 
Christian Anthony Comstock, 
who found contraception highly 
immoral and improper, as it was 
sexually promiscuous. He would 
successfully get the Comstock 
Act passed in 1873, which would 
greatly stint the supply and 
spread of condoms, making it 
illegal to distribute them via 
mail or across state lines. The 
act also banned advertisements 
or 
pamphlets 
surrounding 
anything that made reference 
to contraception. Activists and 
doctors alike would also be 
arrested as a result of Comstock 
for their efforts to educate 
people about their birth control 
options.
When 
oral 
contraception 
— what we know as “The pill” 
— was created in the 1950s, it 
would still be years before it was 
made fully legal. The Supreme 
Court didn’t make it legal for 
married couples until 1965, and 
didn’t declare birth control a 
part of the constitutional right 
to privacy until 1972. 
This history is all to say that 
access to birth control was 
hard fought for, and should 
not be taken for granted. Birth 
control’s 
essential 
role 
has 
also been underscored by the 
overturning of Roe v. Wade, as 
well as conservative politicians 
riding the repeal’s coattails and 
advocating for birth control 
itself to be banned. 
Birth control is imperative. It 
gives those capable of becoming 
pregnant the agency to take 
control over their lives both in 

the realm of sex and otherwise. 
The 
accessibility 
of 
birth 
control is linked to more women 
pursuing higher education and 
graduate degrees and becoming 
economically 
empowered. 
Most importantly, birth control 
ensures that its users are not 
saddled with the repercussions 
of an unwanted pregnancy. 
But just because birth control 
is important doesn’t mean it is 
inconsequential. Birth control 
does a lot to our bodies. The pill, 
like many other birth control 
options, is hormonal, and affects 
both our bodies and our brains 
in a myriad of ways. 
Many people have stories that 
attest to this fact; anecdotes of 
boobs tripling in size, perpetual 
nausea, 
weight 
gain 
and 
uncontrollable 
mood 
swings 
abound. 
And, 
while 
there 
are plenty of users who feel 
unaffected, some may simply 
be unaware of how their birth 
control can affect them.
Sometimes 
birth 
control’s 
effects 
make 
themselves 
unignorable. Other times, they 
manifest in far subtler ways. The 
most conventional formulation 
of the pill contains estrogen and 
progesterone, which both work to 
stop the release of an egg during 
the menstrual cycle, preventing 
pregnancy. 
These 
hormones 
also alter our brain activity and 
structure, with studies showing 
that birth control can impact 
the processing of emotions and 
memory and changes in cortisol 
levels 
can 
potentially 
cause 
higher stress and moodiness. 
Hormonal birth control can also 
affect sex drive and attraction, 
influencing 
the 
nature 
of 
intimate relationships and even 
whom one chooses to be with 
in the first place. How often 
you feel sad, nervous, anxious, 
depressed, angry or forgetful 
could all be connected to your 
birth control use. 
Assessing the extent to which 
birth control has had an impact 
in 
regard 
to 
these 
various 
categories is a challenge. It’s 
hard to isolate each emotion 
and compare it with how one 
felt before taking birth control. 
Many people also go on birth 
control in their teens or early 
twenties, when their bodies 
and minds are still very much 
developing, making an accurate 
comparison impossible.
These drawbacks certainly 
don’t mean that birth control 
shouldn’t 
be 
prescribed 
or 
taken. For plenty, being on birth 
control is a smart and necessary 
choice, and easy, free access for 
those who seek it is essential. 
But there are also plenty of 
people on or considering birth 
control who, if better informed 
of the side effects and health 
risks, might decide that the cons 
actually outweigh the pros. 
Data collection on the reasons 
women go on birth control is 
severely lacking, which is why 
I will, apologetically, pull from 
a national survey from 2011 that 
found that more than 762,000 
women on the pill had never 
had sex, and more than 911,000 
women on the pill hadn’t been 
sexually active for at least the 

past three months. The survey 
estimated 
that 
11.2 
million 
women were on the pill. As of 
2017, that number was closer to 
9.1 million. Even if we account 
for this decrease, as women 
have 
begun 
opting 
for 
pill 
alternatives, it still feels like a 
safe bet to say that there are a lot 
of women on the pill who are not 
having sex. 
People are prescribed the pill 
not only for birth control, but also 
to mitigate period symptoms, 
improve acne or address other 
medical concerns. For some, 
this might still be a worthwhile 
trade-off, but it needs to be 
understood as precisely that: A 
trade-off in which sacrifices are 
being made. Culturally, we don’t 
see it this way. 
By prescribing the pill so 
casually, and as a catch-all 
medication to address issues 
unrelated to contraception, a 
crucial and dismaying message 
is being conveyed about how 
we value the female body. The 
production of male birth control 
has been stalled for years due 
to it not making it past clinical 
trials for the same side effects 
experienced 
by 
millions 
of 
women on the pill today. This 
is a disturbing discrepancy. We 
feel comfortable asking far more 
of the female body than of the 
male, while simultaneously not 
centering women in medical 
research or believing women’s 
pain. 
I have only my perpetual 
nervousness, 
not 
medical 
professionals, to thank for the 
diligence with which I approach 
my birth control usage. But those 
with less anxiety than I also 
deserve to understand just what 
being on birth control means. 
When considering birth control, 
people should be encouraged 
by their doctors to first spend 
a month or two actively taking 
stock of their moods, their 
emotional volatility and all else 
that is subject to change, so that 
they can better make sense of 
what effect the pill is having on 
them. The scope of impact needs 
to be better understood so that 
people can make an informed 
decision on whether or not going 
on birth control makes sense 
for them. And, even for those of 
us who still opt to take the pill, 
understanding its drawbacks is 
vital. It’s how we know to ask for 
better. We deserve it.
For the time being, being on 
the pill is the choice that makes 
the most sense for me. I am still 
in the committed relationship 
that led me to go on it in the 
first place, and, while I have 
my suspicions about how my 
current formulation takes its toll 
on me, the process of switching 
to a different hormonal method 
just for it to have similar or 
worse consequences is not a 
gamble I’m eager to take. The 
lengthy periods and intense 
cramps associated with the non-
hormonal copper IUD are also 
not too appealing. But should my 
relationship status change, the 
opportunity to take a break from 
birth control and reassess how 
my body feels without it would 
certainly be a welcome one.

Birth control might be your pill to 
stop popping

“We need your 
ideas, we need 
your insights, 
and most of all, 
we need your 
dreams.”

 
 
 
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LILA DOMINUS
Opinion Columnist 

 Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Stirring the Pot with Giselle is The 
Michigan Daily’s biweekly advice 
column.
“W

hat should I do 
if I hate the way 
my boyfriend eats 
cereal? Like he just smacks the bowl 
with every bite. I tried wearing 
earplugs but he gave me a weird 
look when I put them in at breakfast. 
Help, I’m at my last straw!”
Hi P,
Oh no! That seems dreadful. I 
hate eating noises, but I hate people 
that are anti-earplug even more. 
You could try softly explaining the 
problem to him, though that does 
risk offending him or making him 
feel insecure about how he eats near 
you. Maybe the best option is to just 
play music at breakfast. It could be 
very cute, especially as the weather 
gets warmer, to turn on a speaker 
and play something soft and relaxing 
while you eat. If he doesn’t like that, 
I recommend you try waking up at 
a different time to eat breakfast, or 
try out meditation. You could also 
suggest making something together 
for breakfast instead of cereal, like 
muffins or eggs with toast. That way 
it can feel like a cute activity along 
with some auditory relief. 
Your song recommendations are: 
“Marginalia #65” by Masakatsu 
Takagi, which I am seriously 
loving right now, and “Two Sleepy 
People” by Fats Waller (a little more 
romantic for the early morning). 
“I tried flirting with a bartender 
at Bab’s and I think he might have 
been vibing. I’m 22. He looked about 
30 and was wearing suspenders. Do 
I go for it? Or do I just milk it until I 
get at least 1 free drink and leave him 
in the dust?
-A”
Dear A, 
Oof. Suspenders? What kind of 
suspenders? Like the Millennial 
Tumblr suspenders or like old man 
suspenders? I personally prefer the 
way Louis Tomlinson was basically 
recreating 2010s fashion with his 
suspenders, but it really comes 
down to the rest of the outfit. I 
think your primary next steps are 
confirming: a) his age, and b) if he 
is actually flirting with you. I am 
not completely sure what “going 
for it” means to you, but asking him 
out could be very awkward and 
uncomfortable for both of you if you 
aren’t positive that he is flirting. 
If another bartender is around 
at Bab’s, maybe you could try the 
middle school approach — ask them 
if you should ask him out. They 
might say go for it or maybe they 

would do some light and casual 
sleuthing first to make sure that 
the two of you are a good fit. They 
might give you a flat-out “no,” but at 
least it would decrease the chance of 
embarrassment if you are rejected, 
as well as his possible discomfort. 
If that isn’t appealing, buy some 
suspenders and bring them with 
you to Bab’s. Wear them literally 
every time you go (at least four 
times), and if you haven’t sparked his 
curiosity by then, don’t wear them 
the next time. See if he asks about 
the disruption in behavior. First 
comes conversation, then come 
dates and sooner or later you might 
get married in suspenders! How 
sweet! (Please don’t.)
If he never asks or engages, 
give up. Sorry I can’t be of more 
help. Honestly, I think I know the 
bartender you’re talking about — 
I once heard him do a really bad 
Italian accent to the person next to 
me and it was seriously off-putting. 
I won’t ask you to imagine what it 
sounded like. 
PS: I just found a tangible image 
of Louis Tomlinson’s suspender era 
and I refuse to take back what I said. 
I will say that I respect his bravery 
and commitment to the bit. I feel 
like a belt would have fixed any of 
these outfits. 
Your song recommendation is: 
“Love On The Brain” by Rihanna. 
This song has been so good recently, 
I couldn’t explain it if I tried.
“Hi. My older sister tries to 
mimic, outdo or compete with me 
in everything. She sees what I do 
on Instagram and then does her 
version of it. She then posts her 
results, sometimes embarrassing 
herself. It is maddening to see her 
doing this. I would love to give her 
advice, but I know she will not take 
the advice well. What would you 
suggest I do? 
-B”
Dear B, 
The only option here is to ignore 
it. You can always mute her so 
that her latest post doesn’t come 
up on your feed. If you think that 

she is embarrassing herself then 
there is nothing more that you can 
say or do to stop her. Maybe she 
will eventually realize, or maybe 
it just doesn’t matter. She’s your 
sister, what can you do?! (Picture 
me shrugging like this, with the 
suspenders.) I suppose you could 
block her if you really wanted to, so 
she cannot see your posts either, but 
that may impact your relationship 
seriously.

You say that she does not take 
advice well, but maybe you can try 
to help with her mimicked “results.” 
If she is cooking (poorly), maybe try 
cooking with her or giving her plate-
decor pointers in person. If she is 
knitting (poorly), send her some 
interesting new patterns and video 
walk-throughs. If she is drawing 
(poorly), suggest a collaboration or 
spend some time making art with 
her. This is all assuming that she 
lives relatively close, but maybe 
she just misses her sister or feels 
insecure! If you can’t stop her from 
mimicking you, maybe try (not 
condescendingly) decreasing her 
online embarrassment — if you 
can’t fix the problem, focus on the 
symptoms! Either that or tell her 
Instagram isn’t cool anymore and 
convince her to join Pinterest or 
some other time-consuming social 
media. (If Pinterest has one million 
fans, I’m one; if Pinterest has one 
fan, I’m it; if Pinterest has zero fans, 
I’m dead). 
Your song recommendations 
are: 
“What 
You 
Need” 
by 
KAYTRANADA feat. Charlotte 
Day Wilson and “White Horse” by 
Taylor Swift, which comes from a 
playlist I made when I had a rattail. 
It lasted for exactly three days, the 
playlist was more than four hours 
long and I did not listen to it once. 
(Don’t judge me for my interest in 
rattails. I am a strong believer in 
the theory of them in my mind, but 
I admit to dissatisfaction in real-life 
application.)
Twirling my imaginary rattail 
and smiling romantically at you, 
Your Best Friend Grisella

Stirring the Pot: Last straws

GISELLE MILLS
Advice Columnist 

