Notes From Nd
Author: Mikayla Kraft, MT43 News Correspondent
Notes from ND
Mikayla Kraft
MT43 News Correspondent
Lobsters are intense creatures. As they establish dominance over other lobsters in the area, they get a neurological boost of octopamine, increasing their confidence and making them more likely to win the next battle for dominance. Most of you probably need clarification as to what I am saying. However, if you ask my father, he will tell you that this relates to the entire college experience. Not long after I moved out, my dad bought me the book 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson. After reading the first chapter of the book I realized that I ought to be a lobster, not boiled and eaten up until I am nothing, but strong and resilient in the face of challenges.
There are 10,541 students enrolled at NDSU, which is incredibly intimidating if you ask me. I walked to all of my classes and passed at least 100 people with my head down and my body tucked close to itself. I refused to contribute to class discussions. Overall, I hid any chance I could, even when I was trying to be outgoing. I have learned that this is not the way to start life. The more I kept to myself, the more stressed I got and the more negative my college view became. In lobsters, this same feeling of defeat is evident through the release of crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) which changes their physiological structure to make them more submissive and less likely to win fights. I became submissive to the environment around me. To live life in fear about what other people think about you only hurts yourself.
For the lobster who won the battle, it releases octopamine, which is nearly equivalent to dopamine in humans. This hormone causes the lobster to be confident in all he does, making him more likely to win fights in the future. As soon as I found my group of friends and became familiar with the campus my confidence grew. I didn’t walk around campus hunched up with my eyes down, but instead, I walked with my shoulders back and my head up. I am at college for a reason, and I shouldn’t be worried about what other people think because I know that I can make my aspirations a reality.
It is easy for the new kid at a different high school, the first-year college student, the new employee at work, or whoever else it might be to assume the position of the low and fearful lobster, but without an act of confidence such as the winning lobster, it is going to be near impossible for you to become comfortable with the surrounding environment. It sounds absurd but encourage yourself every day to be the champion lobster. Put on a confident face, and it will reflect in everything you do, and less stress may follow you throughout the day, making life easier to take as it comes. Be the champion lobster.
