Chapter 9: Psychological Balance: Walking The Tightrope: BVT Publishing

Chapter 9: Psychological Balance: Walking the
Tightrope
College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

David Strickland and Carol Strickland ©2017 Better textbooks, better prices.
Student Learning Outcomes
 Define balance and list  List three common
the important elements psychological problems
of overall balance as faced by college
well as the students.
characteristics of a  Discuss one common
balanced way in which you can
help yourself if you
 Discuss four reasons experience
why balance is psychological problems
important in college. during your college
years.
Textbook Challenge
 When you think of balance, what
comes to mind?
 What do you think is the meaning of
the following quote?
 “The major work of the world is not
done by geniuses. It is done by ordinary
people, with balance in their lives, who
have learned to work in an extraordinary
manner.” (Gordon B. Hinckley)
 Think of ways in which your life could
become out of balance during your
first year of college. How might you
prevent this? List at least two ways.

Balance
 A state in which you are meeting all of your obligations to
yourself and others
 Doing the things that you need to do to keep yourself in the
most stress-free and healthy environment that you possibly can.
 Equilibrium
 Can be an illusive concept
 Each person might define it differently.
 Possible to become out of balance through no fault of your
own
 Sometimes your own actions can influence whether you
are in balance.
 Can develop behaviors that lead to imbalance
 Be aware of these behaviors.

Elements of Balance in College
 Being balanced means that you are doing the things

that you need to do to keep yourself as stress-free
and healthy as you can.
 It does not mean that you have no stress.
 Described as maintaining equilibrium in four main
areas:
 Academics
 Finances
 Physicalhealth
 Psychological health

Figure 9.1: Four Elements of a Balanced College Student

Maintaining Academic Balance
(Slide 1 of 2)
 Academic balance: a state in which you are

meeting the requirements for all of your courses
and learning what you need to pass each course
 Passingmeans that you are actively learning the
information to progress in college.
 Understanding the material covered in each course
you are taking
 Planning to fulfill each of the course requirements
 Executing the requirements for each course
successfully

Maintaining Academic Balance
(Slide 2 of 2)
 Understanding how college is different from high school

 Learning how to organize your materials and courses
 Connecting with campus resources that can help you be
successful
 Planning ahead so that you can be sure to accomplish all your
goals
 Knowing the importance of learning and your learning style
 Using appropriate techniques for reading, listening, and writing in
college
 Maintaining your commitment to your time management
schedule, in spite of new social freedoms and the attraction of
time bandits
Maintaining Psychological Balance
(Slide 1 of 2)
 Psychological balance: a state in which you think,

feel, and behave in ways that are helpful to you in
achieving your goals in life
 You are able to complete your daily living activities and you
feel a sense of well-being on most days
 Everyone has days that they are down, sad, or anxious.
 These days are fleeting if you are in psychological balance.
 Common psychological problems for college students:

 Stress
 Depression
 Anxiety
 Eating disorders

Maintaining Psychological Balance
(Slide 2 of 2)
 Engaging in behaviors that reduce your level of stress

 Using social support networks to help when you are
feeling out of balance
 Behaving in ways that contribute to a sense of daily
well-being
 Thinking in ways that support your accomplishment of
life goals
 Being able to maintain your daily activities
 Having friendships and relationships that are
supportive to your goals
Maintaining Financial Balance
(Slide 1 of 2)
 Financial balance is important for college

students because college is expensive.
 Implies being able to pay for college expenses as well
as cost-of-living expenses.
 Parents/relatives can help with expenses.
 Many students have the sole responsibility of their
financial stability.
 Managing finances can be stressful.
 It is important to pay attention to whether or not you are
in financial balance

Maintaining Financial Balance
(Slide 2 of 2)
 Maintaining balance in your spending habits during

college might make the difference between financial
success and financial ruin after college.
 It is critical that you have some information regarding
financial stability during college.
 Student loans can be the deciding factor in whether or
not a student is able to attend a particular college.
 When student loans are abused or mishandled, however,
the problems associated with them can follow you for the
rest of your life.
Maintaining Physical Balance
(Slide 1 of 2)
 Physical balance: a state in which your physical

body is in equilibrium
 Does not mean you have no illness or disease but that
you have any illness or disease under control
 Proper care of diabetes
 Sometimes this cannot be controlled
 The flu during final exam week
 There are many things you can do to help yourself
stay in physical balance.

Maintaining Physical Balance
(Slide 2 of 2)
 Eating a diet that is healthy and adequate for you

 Engaging in exercise that helps you maintain health
 Maintaining a healthy perspective on drug and alcohol
use
 Maintaining a healthy sleeping pattern for adequate
rest
 Maintaining healthy practices in sexual and romantic
relationships
 Maintaining health by visiting the doctor when
necessary
Think About It…
 Why is balance so
important, especially in
college?

Why Is Balance so Critical in College?
(Slide 1 of 2)
 Students cannot reach their college goals unless

they maintain some semblance of balance in their
everyday lives while in college.
 College is a time of many changes.
 Maintaining balance is critical in meeting the physical,
academic, psychological, and financial goals of college.
 Each individual needs to learn exactly what balance
means for them.
 Balance is extremely individualized.
 You must determine for yourself how and when you
consider yourself to be in balance or out of balance.
Why Is Balance so Critical in College?
(Slide 2 of 2)
 Imbalance in one area of your life often leads to

imbalance in other areas.
 It is important to learn how to monitor yourself and
monitor those behaviors and attitudes that lead you
into a place of balance in all areas in life.
 Imbalance distracts an individual from critical
college goals.
 It is difficult, if not impossible, to progress through the
developmental stages of growth that you will need to
go through while you are in college if you always find
yourself in a state of imbalance.
Common Reasons for Psychological
Imbalance among College Students
 Parents’ divorce
 Being diagnosed with a chronic illness, such as diabetes
 Feelings of loneliness and isolation
 Worrying about money
 Unplanned pregnancy
 Recent or past physical or sexual assault
 A loved one’s death
 Identity or sexual identity confusion
 Failing a course (or courses)
 Overuse of alcohol or drugs

Example: Jessica (Slide 1 of 3)
 Let’s start by discussing a typical student—let’s call her
Jessica.
 She arrived at college and settled into her dorm room one
month ago.
 Even though she was a straight-A student in high school,
she is worried and feels stressed about the challenges of
college-level learning.
 She is also frightened of the fact that she is now free to do
whatever she wants, whenever she wants.
 Craved freedom in high school, but it is now daunting
 She feels homesick, sometimes to the point of feeling
physically ill.
 It’s getting worse every week and she feel like she’s losing
control of her life.

 She feels like she probably needs to get a part-time
job to support herself financially.
 She is feeling overwhelmed.
 She’s had episodes where it is difficult to breathe,
her palms get sweaty, everything seems to be
closing in around her, and feelings of irritability
towards newfound friends.
 She’s begun staying in her dorm room during the
day and avoiding phone calls.
 Not usual characteristics for her
 The things that Jessica is experiencing are common
during the stressful transition from high school to
college.
 The intensification of the stress and anxiety is
something that should be paid close attention to.
 Jessica is beginning to think that something’s wrong,
and that is a sign that she should seek help now—
before her symptoms progress any further.
 How might Jessica work on maintaining
psychological balance in the first weeks of college?
Jessica Could…
 Engage in specific behaviors that build strong coping
skills
 Find and use social support networks (like family
members, campus counseling centers, and classmates)
in a directed way to support her goals
 Maintain daily activities so that daily responsibilities
do not pile up
 Monitor behaviors, moods, and feelings
 Anxiety
 Depression
 Eating disorders
 Other Signs of Imbalance
Anxiety (Slide 1 of 2)
 Anxiety is a natural response to stress.
 Physical changes: increases in breathing
and heart rate, suppression of
digestion
 If we cannot turn off our automatic
stress response, our bodies begin to
experience negative effects.
 Mild or moderate anxiety can be
helpful because it can stimulate you to
pay attention, be alert, and think
clearly.
 Can help in your studies

Anxiety (Slide 2 of 2)
 When stress and anxiety rise to an extreme level, it can be
counterproductive to you as a student.
 Feeling of being overwhelmed or experiencing panic
attacks in extreme cases
 Difference between mild to moderate response and an
extreme response is your functional ability
 Your ability to perform the activities of daily living
 If you are unable to do your required daily activities, you
need to seek immediate help at your college counseling
center.
 Severe anxiety can be controlled with therapy and medication.
 Get help as soon as you can to avoid longer-term problems.
Depression (Slide 1 of 2)
 Depression is an illness that
involves one’s mood.
 Symptoms of depression:
 Sleep loss or excessive sleep
 Appetite change
 Inability to feel happy
 Frequent crying
 Symptoms must persist for two

weeks or more.

Depression (Slide 2 of 2)
 Sadness is not depression.
 Itis part of being human.
 Sadness is a response to loss.
 Episodes of sadness are typically short-lived.
 Sadness gets better with time and does not linger for
weeks or months.
 Generally sustained for a few days at a time
 Can be accompanied with symptoms of depression,
but it is time-limited

Treating Depression
 Do things that make you feel better during the day.
 Assess the level of sadness.
 Seek help if your sadness persists or if it causes
you to change your daily behaviors.
 Such as missing classes, staying in bed, taking drugs or
drinking alcohol excessively, or avoiding friends
 Go to the counseling center.
 Don’t hesitate to use campus counseling services.
 Staff may be able to help you and prescribe medications if
necessary.
Eating Disorders (Slide 1 of 2)
 Symptoms of an eating disorder:
 Adherence to strict dieting, regardless of weight
 Habitual trips to the bathroom immediately after
eating
 Secretly bingeing on large amounts of food
 Hoarding large amounts of food
 An increase in taking laxatives or diet pills
 Exercising compulsively, often for several hours per
day.
 Using prescription medications and/or stimulant drugs
to suppress appetite
Eating Disorders (Slide 2 of 2)
 Symptoms of an eating disorder (continued):
 Withdrawal from friends and family
 Avoidance of meals or situations where food may be
present
 Preoccupation with weight, body size and shape, or
specific aspects of one’s appearance
 Obsessing over caloric intake and calories burned via
exercise, even as one may be losing significant amounts
of weight
 Seek help immediately.
Table 9.1: Symptoms of Eating Disorders

Support for Someone
with an Eating Disorder
 Be supportive and talk with your friend about what
you are observing.
 Convey respect and concern for what he or she is
going through.
 Suggest that he or she help seek help at the counseling
center on campus.
 Offer your accompaniment to the counseling center
when they are ready to go.
 Ask how they are doing after and during treatment.
Review Questions
All of the questions are true/false. Provide a rationale for each
answer.
 Being in balance means that you do not have any
illnesses.
 Stress is a normal part of the college experience.
 Psychological balance consists of behaving and feeling
in ways that maximizes your success in college.
 Depression is a state of sadness that resolves itself in a
day or two.
 Eating disorders result from a person’s desire to be
thin and their wish to or to not overeat.
Concluding Thought
 Balance is key to student success.
 Don’t forget to balance all four
areas (physical, psychological,
academic, and financial)
 Make sure to take advantage of all
available resources.
 Don’t be afraid to seek help!
 “Remember that you can reduce
stress by doing things that build
strong coping skills and by using
your social supports.”


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Chapter 9: Psychological Balance: Walking the

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Being balanced means that you are doing the things

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Academic balance: a state in which you are

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Understanding how college is different from high school

 Psychological balance: a state in which you think,

 Common psychological problems for college students:

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Engaging in behaviors that reduce your level of stress

 Financial balance is important for college

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Maintaining balance in your spending habits during

 Physical balance: a state in which your physical

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Eating a diet that is healthy and adequate for you

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Students cannot reach their college goals unless

 Imbalance in one area of your life often leads to

 Feelings of loneliness and isolation

 Worrying about money

 Recent or past physical or sexual assault

 A loved one’s death

 Identity or sexual identity confusion

 Failing a course (or courses)

 Overuse of alcohol or drugs

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

 Symptoms must persist for two

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

College Success: A Concise Practical Guide, 7th Edition BVT Publishing

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