This is the fourth in a guest column series by student body president Roman Endicott who adds a leadership perspective and voice to The Feather Online. Read his first article, Roman Endicott, column: Create an FC experience.

A few summers ago I was on a cruise headed towards the Catalina Islands when things didn’t go exactly as planned. I woke up in the middle of the night in a fit of panic, with my hand over my mouth running towards the bathroom. I finally made it, but ended up regurgitating the bad pizza I ate from the previous evening.

Unfortunately, though, my projectile did not hit its target and the mess ended up all over the floor. With the help of my mom’s magic maternal skills, even a trained eye was unable to detect the slightest bit of leftover residue.

The scent, however, was putrid enough for a congested whale to smell from a mile away. Eventually, we did receive a scolding from a janitor for not reporting the incident because, if I was carrying the flu, I put the whole ship at risk of an outbreak and they would have quarantined me in order to avoid this.

I found this comparable to the way we typically deal with negativity in our lives. Whether it be a toxic friend or a bad grade, we file it away in the deepest corner of our minds. While this is a great temporary solution, quarantining our stresses will only be able to keep them at bay for a little while.

To deal with this issue, I thought back to the ship. Locking the infected person in a room has a high chance of keeping the virus under control, but unfortunately, this is impossible to achieve in our minds. I realized soon after that the best course of action in dealing with an infected person would simply be to throw them overboard. While we can’t really do this to a human being, we can do this with the negativity in our lives.

This is much easier said than done, so I would encourage to start with something little. Throw away that test you bombed and you will find it much easier to free your mind from its grasp. You could even rip it up and stomp on it if makes you feel better.

Delete the picture that reminds you of a bad day. It’s not doing you any good taking up space in your camera roll, waiting for you to stumble on it. The important thing is that it’s gone, never to plague your subconscious any further.

Do this a few times and the more difficult things may come easier, although some things are never easy. Talk to someone you trust and pray about it before cutting off anyone or anything too substantial; it is important to ensure your decision is wise and free of impulse.

We can do this! It’s up to us to shape our environment and attitude when things don’t go as planned.

Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

For another column from Associated Student Body president Roman Endicott, read Roman Endicott, column: Organizing your time. For other articles, read Zoology and AP biology visit Monterey Bay Aquarium.