March 2025
This month we asked our students to give us an 'unexpected" takes
on a common topics and/or aspects of life.
How hobbies can create serious stress
Cameron Madden
MSMU Class of 2028
I am sure that if you were to go around and ask anyone for any kind of advice, most will tell you to do one thing: focus on your hobbies! It is commonly understood that doing the things you enjoy can positively impact your mood or make you better as a person, especially if a hobby of yours enhances a skill or strength. In fact, many readers out there now may take comfort in reading these articles; to which I of course say thank you, but also must point out that this counts as a hobby of yours!
What concerns me about hobbies, however, is how it both overshadows whatever stress or problem that is ailing a person, as well as puts too much reliance and pressure on working with said hobby. I think many people may wonder how a reliance on your hobbies could be bad for you; after all, hobbies are considered to be expressions of ourselves applied to our external world. I would say that reliance on hobbies possibly has the ability to ail us further in our struggles. This can be the result of many conditions, but difficulty and expectancy are some of the most dangerous symptoms of hobbies. Not to mention, increasing stress and creating distractions for the things in our lives that we really should be more focused on. Another issue is found arising in a person’s lack of a hobby, or at least one they enjoy; meaning, someone may find a hobby they don’t actually enjoy but are forcing themselves to put effort into it.
On the first point, there are many hobbies out there which take a great amount of effort, and skill. Generally, those that need the most effort are the most appreciated, and often the most impactful on one’s life. Take for instance the likes of any musician; they can put as much effort as they want into their music, and generally the more work that is put in, the more reward and reverence they get. You don’t get the same kind of skill like the Beatles without learning to be good at music and hone your skills! Many people want to reach the best extent of their hobbies, which is admirable, yet also highly dangerous. I am sure there are plenty out there reading this who have attempted a hobby that they had truly wished to be good at; and I am also sure that said people have ended a hobby in bitter defeat or have found it hard to come back to. For those out there who experience this, please do not pursue a talent or hobby soley because you
believe it could be fortuitous or grand. Do not force yourself into something you are not good at, expecting that you will eventually learn, if it’s not something you will enjoy. Be patient, and most importantly, enjoy the hard work and the end result if you wish to pursue it!
Another point of contention is in the amount of time that is taken up by hobbies. This mostly goes out to the younger generations, but regardless, it can generally become a problem when you find yourself too engrossed in your hobbies, wherein you can find yourself skipping out and missing important activities and/or obligations. For instance, a person can be really into video games to the point where they wish to professionally play, or loves reading so much that they are constantly in the library with their nose in a book for enjoyment. The issue here lies in if per say, this person starts skipping classes, or ignores social and personal matters that they need to address. It is important to take time to invest and grow your hobbies, but it is also just as important as to know when to stop and to continue other matters and obligations in your life. This pairs well with the last point; you should not put an overbearing amount of pressure on
the things you like to do at the expense of anything else, like your job, family, or social life!
The final point is to ensure that the hobbies you pursue are ones that you actually feel comfortable with and can enjoy for yourself. There are a countless number of people out there who are associated with certain activities or hobbies due to pressure from others, or indecision on what they enjoy. I remember when I was younger, I wanted to play soccer in middle school. Did I have any history or interest in it? Nope, but I thought it would be good for me based on very tenuous excuses. When I started playing, I honestly did not enjoy my time but still rode out a whole season of soccer due to my wish to play it. I realize now looking back, I never actually wanted to play soccer, but I did want to be more active. It made me unsure and stressed over what I actually want to do, and whether or not I could pursue more challenging hobbies. Regardless, I found my answer based on reflection: I enjoyed nature, and found walks to be therapeutic,
therefore I replaced soccer with going on walks; something that I love doing to this day. If I had pushed myself into learning soccer more, and kept on playing, I know I would not have been happy and would have wasted years into something I cared nothing about.
I find it important to remember that hobbies are one of the most important aspects of a person and life in general. Without them, we would barely have any discernible quirks and identities that make us who we are, nor would there be much expression or easy avenues for personal growth. I do find it pertinent however to tell you that hobbies are not the full answer to any stress or restlessness. Hobbies can be dangerous and damaging if done for the wrong reasons, as well as putting too much pressure on and effort into them. It is also important to realize which hobbies are ones that calm you down, and that you really enjoy, so that when you need to ease up or have a good time, you can easily go into a healthy hobby without pressure or stress.
Read other articles by Cameron Madden
Knowledge is potential
Gracie Smith
MSMU Class of 2027
"The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge"
- Aristotle
One of the many things you learn growing up is that knowledge is power. Many say this to encourage our youth to read and invest in their own research. That was the case for me, anyway. Growing up with an extreme thirst for knowledge, my teachers often commented that knowledge was power and that they saw me going places. I was always the student to do outside research to better understand a topic and form my own opinion of things that may or may not have aligned with where my teacher stood. In some circumstances, this led to inconsistencies that further drove me to understand. In my 19 years of learning about the world, I’ve come to the conclusion that knowledge is not power. No matter how smart you are, or how much you may know about a certain subject, none of it truly matters in the end. In fact, what matters is the impact you make on others and the actions you put forth from the knowledge you’ve obtained. That is to say,
knowledge is only potential.
Having come to this realization rather recently, I’d like to dedicate this article to advocate reading as a form of self-care. Allowing ourselves the opportunity to obtain information and develop opinions of our own makes us stronger human beings. It further presents us with the opportunity to act, given that we have the knowledge to support us. Setting ourselves up to succeed means not only caring for ourselves, but also preparing ourselves to help others with the thoughts we’ve generated from the knowledge acquired over the years through reading. Allow me to further elaborate.
When we read, we coerce ourselves to be open-minded. By forcing ourselves to read we enable our minds to adapt to the knowledge being pertained. Not only can reading be a form of entertainment, but a form of enlightenment. However, as mentioned previously, this article will focus on the enlightenment of reading. To start doing this, I encourage reading non-fiction. That isn’t to say that reading fiction is bad, but fiction is more or less used as a form of reading for entertainment rather than gaining knowledge. Over the past several months I have been accumulating a large number of nonfiction titles to add to my library at home. The topics vary from World War I to why the Confederacy lost the Civil War. However, all will get the juices flowing.
This semester I was tasked with reading Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Reflecting on this experience, I will first say that Franklin’s autobiography should be read and taught in schools across the Country. Secondly, I was educated more synchronically about the 18th century because of this reading. My conception of time pre-19th century is honestly a blur. Reading this autobiography strengthened my understanding and further helped me to apply that knowledge in my other courses that are focused on the 18th century. My professors noted that Franklin’s autobiography is most memorable for his arrival in Philadelphia, and this scene is often paired with the reflection of the "American Dream". That said, I was able to conceptualize my own opinion of the American Dream through Franklin’s autobiography. Had I not read this, I would have been a bit more narrow-minded in my conception. Nevertheless, I did read his autobiography. This led to many
late and restless nights where I was left debating many things. What does this say about Americans in the 18th century vs today? Does this conception still apply? If not, why? Reading influenced me to ask myself these questions and further led to very deep conversations in class that enriched my mind.
Once we have obtained the knowledge we’re satisfied with, we strengthen ourselves enough to act on our knowledge. Hence my claim that knowledge is only potential. Our ability to act is what gives us power. For instance, those with knowledge have used it to help other people. For those who read my February article about Galileo, we can compare his actions to my claim. Galileo learned that the Earth and the other planets rotated around the sun. This disproved the previous conception that everything in the sky rotated around the Earth. Instead of just having this knowledge, Galileo challenged the theologians and fought for them to accept this new discovery. He even suffered persecution against him for the sake of ensuring the people of his time would benefit from his discovery. Knowledge is potential; action is power.
Reading is the first step to living a life of significance. Those who dedicate their entire lives to understanding something have only made it halfway. Reading allows us to strengthen our minds, our thoughts, our opinions, and gives us the confidence to speak about them. As I begin to run out of space for this article, it could be said that I am promoting knowledge as a form of self-care. However, I hold that the best way to obtain knowledge is through books, and we must start somewhere.
All in all, reading as self-care presents the opportunity for us to engage in something we love. Allowing ourselves to learn through reading is one of the richest ways to enable us to help others. Doctors, as we know it, spend years studying medicine so that one day they may heal the hurt. Lawyers, as we know it, spend years studying the Constitution so that they may defend the defenseless. Historians, as we know it, spend years studying the past so that we may better the future. This March, I urge you to reflect on something you're passionate about and read on it. Not only can I guarantee you’ll find it enjoyable, but you will grant yourself the power and the opportunity to do something great with your knowledge. Everyone wants to be remembered for having an impact, this is where you start. Knowledge is potential; action is power.
Read other articles by Gracie Smith
Cooking—is it self-care?
Devin Owen
MSMU Class of 2026
At our monthly meeting for our Four Years At The Mount staff, we discussed how there are so many common aspects of life that we really don’t pay much mind to. We thought it would be interesting to discuss common topics and give our takes on them and pay the mind to them that we typically don’t.
The first thing that popped into my head when we decided on this prompt for writing was cooking. Now I find it important to clarify that I have been an absolutely horrendous cook for the entirety of my life. I actually made a dinner so bad as a teenager that my family still talks about it to this day as a way to make fun of me. It was a lemon chicken over rice and veggies. I kid you not the second my brothers took a bite, they immediately spit it out. Life lesson learned: don’t use lemon juice concentrate in place of a squeeze of a lemon. Cooking was such a staple in my household growing up. We used it as a way to bond as a family and spend time together after long days at work and school. The one thing I miss the most about living with my dad is getting to have homecooked dinners multiple nights per week. Our family dinners—even being just three of us—were my favorite part of the day.
This is the first year of my college career that I have had the absolute pleasure of having my own kitchen. It has been wonderful. So far, I have made numerous dishes to share with my boyfriend and my roommate Abby (she’s also my best friend), both of whom get very excited when I cook dinners.
Abby and I have a go-to, favorite simple dinner for the nights that we don’t have the energy to cook an extravagant meal. For all of my sushi lovers out there, we make a California roll sushi bowl. It includes spicy mayo, white rice, imitation crab, cucumber, avocado, sesame seeds and soy sauce. It is such a simple and cheap meal; we absolutely love it!
I must say Pinterest has been a life saver for learning how to cook. I get a majority of my recipes from the platform, at least for new dishes I have yet to try. For example, last week I made a delicious crockpot chicken pot pie filled with potatoes, peas, carrots, and celery and even dried herbs. I also made Abby and I steaks and brussels for dinner a couple weeks ago, perfectly seasoned and cooked, paired with garlic roasted brussels covered in balsamic glaze and caramel (Abs was a bit hesitant on the caramel but I promise it makes it better).
I have found that I am definitely a much better baker than I am a chef; pastries, cookies, cupcakes, and the like are much more my forte. Just last night I made homemade raspberry turnovers to share with my household and friends. I’ve said in articles prior about how raspberry turnovers were my Uncle’s favorite baked good I could make, so baking them after he has passed feels like a way to keep a piece of his memory alive with me and share it with those closest to me now. Baking has also served as a connection between my grandmothers and myself since I was a little girl. My Grandma Cathy is one of the best bakers I know, and my Gigi and Grandma Pat always set aside time to bake cookies and pies with me over the years. They made the process and the wait worth it, getting a sweet treat was a plus too.
All that being said, cooking has begun to feel more and more like a form of self-care to me. Let me paint the scene for you: candles burning, a light pink and yellow hue illuminating the kitchen and living room, music playing in the background offering the opportunities to sing and dance along, the aroma of a home cooked meal filling the small college apartment to the point that it smacks you in the face as soon as you open the door, the sound of dishes being cleaned as you go, and a mocktail in a fancy glass in hand. I dance around the kitchen, singing along to whatever play list I have decided on for tonight, my roommates trickle in and out of the house and I am just in complete and total bliss.
Now when I heard the phrase "self-care" growing up I typically thought of facemasks, taking a long, hot shower, eating a healthy meal, and reading a book of my choosing. However, my understanding of self-care has changed drastically as an adult. Self-care isn’t just about doing a fancy little mask of some sort and having a treat, it’s actually about taking care of yourself—crazy concept, I know. Now self-care consists of making sure to eat multiple meals a day, drinking enough water, making time for joy and laughter, spending time outside and socializing, and cooking and cleaning!
Cooking has offered me an opportunity to let go and be creative while also taking care of my body and my mind. I have so frequently put eating at the bottom of my priority list even though i shouldn’t. When i take the time to cook, I not only get to fuel both my body and mind, but i also get to make myself proud because I am actively making the choice to do something good for myself. Not to mention I am incredibly proud of how far i have come in my cooking journey; no longer am I catching food on fire and making chicken so sour that it literally disintegrates!
I know cooking and self-care seem like two concepts that don’t really belong in the same grouping but if we look below the surface level, we see just how intertwined the two actually are. Cooking can be fun—as I have learned—and it gives you so many opportunities. I’m looking forward to the next meal I decide to cook, and for the dance parties, kitchen karaoke, wonderful smells filling the air, the excitement from my friends, and the joy i know it will bring me. Here’s to self-care and cooking!
Read other articles by Devin Owen
Refreshed room, refreshed mind
Dolores Hans
MSMU class of 2025
When I was younger, my dad would always try out new ways of moving around the furniture in the living room. Early on Saturday mornings he would wake up, put on music, and move around the furniture. I can still hear "The Sound of Silence" and "Africa" blasting through the house if I close my eyes and I see my dad in a t-shirt and cargo shorts, holding a tape measure up to the wall trying to see if the couch can move from one wall to another. Sometimes I would come back from a day at a friend’s house or a camping trip and the living room would look completely different. Even though this habit of his would usually mean chores like sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming, there was an element of excitement for me when he would get the urge to change it up. Knowing that there were a hundred ways the room could be reconfigured, the endless possibilities, and also a chance for a deep clean and fresh perspective. Somewhere down the line, I took on this
habit for myself. I would have a day off from school and I would rearrange the living room after cleaning it for my mom. I’d not be able to fall asleep at night so I would move my bed to the other side of the room. When my little sister and I would share a bunk bed, I’m not even ashamed to admit, I tricked her many times into switching from top to bottom and bottom to top once I got tired of where I was.
Now I don’t know why I have this tendency, but I do know that it is more of a need than just a thing to do. It’s like scratching that itch on your back you can’t quite reach. It’s like when the tea is cooled down just enough to where it’s hot but not scalding. It’s like when you release the valve on a pressure cooker and the steam comes pouring out. It’s like the biggest sigh of relief.
For me, changing the furniture is almost too clearly a metaphor for my mental health. When things get too cluttered, too mundane, or even just the same for too long, it needs a refresh. When the furniture is moved around, it’s like a whole new place.
The thing about this need for me is that if I’m not moving around furniture, I’m cutting my hair. I’ve noticed both of these acts are a pattern in my life. I’ve cut my bangs twice in my life and cut off many inches throughout the years. I’ve cut layers and face framing pieces, and sometimes even a friend or my sister’s hair if they’d let me.
This past weekend, I reached a new point. Not only did I move the furniture on Saturday, but I gave myself bangs on Sunday. I usually operate at an either/or pace with at least a few months in between acts. But in one weekend I had a freshly cleaned and designed living room, and a haircut I thought I had left in 2020.
My boyfriend doesn’t understand why I feel the need to do these things. He is very content with the same lunch each day, listening to the same 10 songs, and is generally not a fan of change. Me? I think I thrive in it. Well, changes that I have control over anyway. The furniture and haircuts are just a physical manifestation of the desire I have for change in my mind.
I think that when I feel stuck, either in big life decisions or even just my daily routine, I feel powerless. Changing around the furniture allows me to take what I know about the room and what’s in it, make a plan, and execute it all while decluttering the space and making it new. It’s a new perspective, an opportunity for motivation, a way to use my creativity, and an outlet for healthy control.
There is nothing more nostalgic and relaxing than waking up on a Saturday, putting on some yacht rock, lip syncing with my broom as I sweep the empty floors, and then putting the furniture in a totally new location.
My family moved into a new house, one where the couch alone takes up half the living room, so there’s not many ways the furniture can be moved around. This reality is hard for me, but the truth is that I don’t really mind because it is a new house so that feeling of newness is still there. I’m also not there that often so each time I go back, my dad has already found something new to switch up or add to the space, which makes it all the more exciting for me. I guess I take after him.
I’ll be graduating in May and moving back home for about a year to save money before getting married, and while I’m home I will be sharing a room with my little sister again. I’m not going to lie, I am already thinking of all the ways the furniture in her room can be adjusted. But I guess we will see once I move back. Maybe if I can’t move things around because the room is so small, I can at least try to trick her into switching from the top to the bottom bunk when I get bored of it.
Read other articles by Dolores Hans
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