College Is Fine, Everything's Fine - #2 Finding Balance in the Extremes: Part 1 (Dialectics)

#2 Finding Balance in the Extremes: Part 1 (Dialectics)

09/16/22 • 26 min

College is a time of extremes. Incredible freedom and intense pressure. Loving your independence and missing pieces of home. So many new people to meet, yes! And so many new people to meet, nooooo!
In psych speak we call these extremes "dialectics," the idea that two seemingly opposite truths can be occurring at the same time. This is a big topic so we're breaking it down a bit. In this episode (Part 1), we talk to "K," a rising junior at a liberal arts college who describes some of the extremes she faces.
We'll also share some of the most common dialectics people struggle with in college:
1) I want to try new things, and I want to remember who I am.
2) I'm excited to be here, and I'm terrified to be here.
3) I should be living in the moment, and I should be preparing for my future.
4) I need to push myself out of my comfort zone, and I need to stick to my core values.
5) I need to go out and have a good time, and I need to take care of my body.
Take a listen and see if you notice any of these dialectics in your life. In Part 2, which we'll air on September 23rd, we discuss some practical ways to bring more balance into your life when you find yourself too polarized on one extreme or the other.

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: [email protected]
Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: [email protected]
Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

Previous Episode

#1 Expectations and Realities (Beginner's Mind)

How many of you have heard that "college is the best 4 years of your life?" And sure, that can be true. But man it can throw you when the picture you had in your mind doesn't match what you deal with day-to-day. And it's lonely when you think you're the only one who's surprised by all the things college brings.
On today's episode, our guests share the expectations they had going into freshman year versus the realities they face now. We look at how "fortune telling" and going in with "expert mind" can set us up for disappointment, and we explain how cultivating a "beginner's mindset" can bring us a more balanced and healthy view of what to expect during these best years.

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: [email protected]
Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

Next Episode

#3 Finding Balance in the Extremes: Part 2 (Dialectics)

Are you seeing dialectics everywhere now? It is Part 2. We are back hearing from more students about the common dialectics they experience during the college years. In this episode we speak with a freshman and senior in college and see the interplay between the discourses of "carpe diem" and "focus on your future". They speak about how difficult it can be to navigate the social demands of college.
Some common themes were:
-struggling with feeling excluded and included at the same time,
-making new friends while also maintaining past friendships, and
-navigating a romantic break-up.
We'll teach you how to listen to your intuition and make more mindful decisions. We explain how adopting a dialectical stance can open yourself up to the possibility of thinking and acting in more effective ways. Listen for concrete tips based on some core principals from Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Try them out and tell us if they worked for you!

Want to share your story, give us feedback or offer up an episode idea? Reach out! We'd love to hear from you.

Insta: @collegeisfinepodcast
Tik Tok: @collegeisfinepodcast
Email: [email protected]
Music is Deadbeats by Rex Banner

College Is Fine, Everything's Fine - #2 Finding Balance in the Extremes: Part 1 (Dialectics)

Transcript

[00:00:00] I'm Dr. Sarah Olivo and I'm Dr. Liz Seidler. And this is I'm fine. Everything's fine. College edition.

All right. So here we are at episode two and look at us go. We are rocking and rolling, right? Chugging along, chugging along. Yep. Yep. Yep. And it's been really exciting to hear some of the feedback from last week's episode. Um, but for the sake of just trying to get Some information out really quickly. We wanted to follow up with episode two, becau