[00:00:01] Speaker A: At the University of Alabama, we're committed to helping you be the best version.
[00:00:05] Speaker B: Of yourself in all aspects of your well being.
[00:00:08] Speaker A: The Alabama Model of Health and well Being offers a holistic approach to wellness, connecting you with resources that support every aspect of your life, providing a roadmap to thriving in college and beyond. Learn
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[00:00:23] Speaker B: And well Being and wvuafm the capso.
[00:00:29] Speaker C: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:01:10] Speaker A: Hey, guys, welcome back. This is the Bama balance. Real stories about college men's mental health.
Episode 16, our last one of this semester, and it truly has flown by. This marks a full year, calendar year of the podcast being out, and it's been great. Dr. Perez, I mean, what have you thought about this semester?
[00:01:31] Speaker D: And gosh, it's, it's, it's been remarkable. I've really, I've really enjoyed it, you know, from start to finish. Having you two guys kind of start up new at the beginning of the year and kind of getting into our stride and finding our rhythm has been fantastic. I've enjoyed it. It's, you know, looking back on the content and the episodes that we have been able to produce, I'm really proud of it. I think we've entered into some not only great conversations among the three of us with our guests, but highlighted some pretty important topics as it relates to men's mental health here on campus and hopefully bit of some help and support to guys on campus.
[00:02:14] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's been a phenomenal semester. And like I said over the break, like, you know, looking back on these 16 episodes, we've covered a lot.
[00:02:23] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:02:23] Speaker A: So I think it'll be really interesting to see the next semester how we're able to, you know, differ a video or podcast. Excuse me, from one. And this semester and, you know, we left a lot open, I feel like there's a lot of good conversation that we kind of had to skip out on just due to time and stuff.
[00:02:42] Speaker D: That's right.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: So I'm really excited to see.
[00:02:44] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:02:44] Speaker A: How we'll be Able to roll this.
[00:02:46] Speaker D: Yeah. And a few more people who we'd like to invite out or who wants to be. Yeah. To be a part of the podcast. It's been. It's. It's. It's a great. It's a great experience for me. Has it been.
[00:02:59] Speaker D: Kind of what you had expected?
[00:03:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I think as far as sitting here, this is kind of what I expected. But I think conversation overall and just how it's changed my vision on mental health is what shocked me. I feel like I've learned more sitting here having these conversations than maybe the people listening, which has been really interesting and a benefit, and I'm very thankful for it.
[00:03:27] Speaker E: Yeah, I'll let go all that. I mean, just.
It's surreal, you know, being here at the end.
It is, you know, in the semester that has flown by, this has flown just, like, right along with it.
But, yeah, I mean, I just feel like I've learned so much about, you know, myself and what it means to, you know, take care of myself mentally and, you know, like, I like, you know, I hope that these conversations are helpful to others. At the end of the day, I hope that there is, you know, if it's just one thing we said or one person we helped, that that was enough and that that was worth it, worth the time we've spent doing this, and it has truly been time well spent.
[00:04:06] Speaker D: Right. No, I couldn't agree more with you.
And we'll get our listenership numbers here sometime soon. They'll run those numbers, what the semester looks like and what the listenership numbers have looked like from the very beginning to now as well. So we'll get a good view of that, and I'll be sure to kind of review it with you guys and see where we.
Where we stack up. I think that. I mean, I have every confidence that, you know, we've continued to grow our numbers and grow our listeners and more important of all, be of help to some folks. And so.
[00:04:45] Speaker B: Absolutely.
[00:04:46] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:04:46] Speaker A: And I think, you know, us bringing on guests and the students wanting to be a part of this has been a huge help. And we've got a guest today that I'm very excited about, and when we get back, I'll let Dr. Perez introduce him. But we've had a lot of ups and a lot of downs this semester.
[00:05:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: So I'm excited for. For the Christmas break and then getting back to school and finishing things out the right way. So this is the Bama Balance. We'll be back with segment one.
[00:05:35] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa this show is not a.
[00:05:39] Speaker C: Substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:06:19] Speaker D: Welcome back, everybody, to the Bama Balance. And, you know, it's my pleasure to. To welcome back Carter Scott to our podcast.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: It's my pleasure to be back. Thank you guys for having me.
[00:06:29] Speaker D: Yeah, welcome, Carter. Carter was one of our OG guests last semester when we first started this.
And, you know, we were able to get Carter in after some scheduling and kind of working around different schedules, but we were able to get him in as our guest last semester as he talked about his mental health journey, his experience in counseling and.
And what he gained from that. And we thought that it would be only fitting since this is your last semester, Carter.
You graduate here in a couple weeks to kind of have you back and see how things have been going for you, Kind of do a retrospective look and see where things are headed for you down the road. So welcome. Yeah.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: Well, thank you guys for having me back. I'm blessed that you guys are wanting to have me on for a second time.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think the best thing about it is it is the journey. That's the word you use. That's what it is. And kind of coming up on the tail end of my college career here as I graduate soon.
It is a journey, and it's this very defined period where you're able to kind of look at. I looked at my action card picture the other day.
[00:07:37] Speaker D: Oh, man.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: It's a selfie from the summer before freshman year. I was like, man, I just look different, let alone all the other ways that I've changed.
[00:07:45] Speaker D: Can you see it?
[00:07:46] Speaker B: Yeah, sure have it.
[00:07:47] Speaker D: So this is your action car picture from when you were here as a freshman.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: It is a selfie of me in my home from the summer before.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:07:56] Speaker D: Wow. Wow. That looks quite impressive. So for those of you who aren't able to see it, it's pretty impressive.
[00:08:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:04] Speaker D: You got a lot more hair. Well, you've kind of let it grow out.
[00:08:06] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:06] Speaker D: Okay. Yeah. So what is different about Carter in that picture and the Carter that's sitting with us here now?
[00:08:14] Speaker B: Boy, where to begin? I don't know.
Carter, in that picture really didn't know what was next, was planning to live outside of his home state of Georgia for the first time, go to the University of Alabama, a place he had only been once.
My first tour of Alabama actually wasn't a tour because the school was closed that day for a snowstorm.
So lots of unknown, lots of uncertainty.
[00:08:44] Speaker B: And, you know, having to come up with a plan on the fly. I think a lot of people, it's nice to have a plan. It's nice to know what's, you know, I was thinking about this on my way over here, what I wanted to say, and I thought, how nice would it be if life was like a LEGO set and you've got all the bricks and pieces that you need and you've got all the instructions and if you just do exactly what it says, everything comes together perfectly. Obviously, that never. That's not how life works at all because you never have all the pieces, you never have all the instructions, and nothing's ever perfect.
[00:09:18] Speaker B: And so, you know, I, Carter in that picture four and a half years ago now had this plan in his head of what his life was going to be like. And Carter now is, is not really in that place.
And it all worked out fine.
Which wasn't something I really wanted to hear at the time either.
I was told that we think it'll be a good place for you and we think you'll learn a lot and you'll get some new experiences. And at the time I was kind of like, well, we'll see. I don't really know if I want to be there. I don't know what's in store.
So it's easy to look back on that with rose colored glasses. There are obviously some times that it wasn't that easy. I was stressed out about school or any of the many pressures that a guy or a girl in college faces.
[00:10:09] Speaker B: But yeah, it comes full circle. And I can just say that I'm very grateful for the experiences I've had here.
And I think that sometimes it gives people comfort to hear somebody talk about.
[00:10:24] Speaker B: Going through something and going through a change and it ending in a positive way, or I think it can just be encouraging to know that sometimes it's okay to not really know what's next. And sometimes that just works out just fine anyway.
[00:10:38] Speaker D: Sure. Well, it's been a real gift to us, I think, to have you here with us today, to be able to sort of come back.
[00:10:47] Speaker D: And kind of look back retrospectively on your own mental health journey, where would you say or how would you characterize that journey for you.
[00:11:01] Speaker D: Up until now? So I know you talk some about your mental health journey when you were first on the podcast, your experience with counseling. How would you best characterize that period of time?
[00:11:14] Speaker B: I think that it was just a time that I was under a lot of stress about academics or things that I was doing on campus or kind of trying to figure out. You know, that was at. It was about two years into college. So we're roughly at the halfway point.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: And you know, I was doing pretty good. You know, I was doing well in my classes. And I, you know, my advisor had this, like I said, the plan. And it was, here are all the classes I'm going to take up until now. And that hadn't changed in about three years.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: So the plan was there, but yet I still felt like I was swimming in this kind of sea of uncertainty. And I was like, you know, am I doing the right thing here? Am I going to be able to get a job when I graduate?
You know, did I make the right choice coming to school here? And so I think I learned through counseling. I learned a lot of techniques to kind of self soothe and kind of help get my brain out of those thought loops. I think a lot of people tend to struggle with overthinking and I do as well. And it's helpful to have kind of strategies to kind of break that cycle and just think, okay, let's focus on what is the one next thing I can do to help, you know, maybe put one of these pieces together.
[00:12:32] Speaker B: And I think from that I learned a lot about how I think as a person.
I think that's the benefit of counseling or therapy is that you, you have somebody else kind of help you walk through your own thoughts, which in your own head, everything makes sense. It's my own thoughts, of course, why wouldn't it? But having somebody else kind of point out maybe something illogical or some train of thought that you're going down, that doesn't really make sense and then is causing a reaction in your body.
And that's kind of how anxiety manifests, is that your brain thinks about something and then you have kind of a physical reaction to it and then the to go back and forth. So I think counseling really helped me learn about the way I think. And then moving forward, I was better able to maybe predict how I'd react to things or better able to set myself up for success if I knew that I was gonna have a busy month or a busy week or That I had kind of a decision looming. I knew that I didn't just need to sit and stew and think about it. I needed to talk to somebody about it because talking helped me so.
[00:13:36] Speaker D: Well, you did what, you know, some folks don't do and some men don't do. And that is to kind of recognize the help and assistance that you were needing to help sort of break through the way you were thinking and managing those anxieties. I think one of the things that is surprising probably to many college men is the amount of anxiety that you face. Just being in college and then having to manage those anxieties can be pretty daunting, I think, at times.
[00:14:06] Speaker A: Yeah, no doubt. And I feel like you never know what's going to be thrown at you.
And that's kind of the best way to put it. As a college student, I think you need to expect the unexpected.
[00:14:22] Speaker A: There may be a class that doesn't go your way. There may be a major change that you have to make, but just keep pushing because you truly do never know.
[00:14:32] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean, it really is a world. World of uncertainty. I mean, everything from, you know, classes to what you, like, involve yourself in, like, the people you're around, like, everything seems to oftentimes just change so much.
[00:14:47] Speaker B: But I think we'd all agree that that's how you grow, oh, 100% if you don't ever have a challenge or have uncertainty. You know, if I look at the guy in that picture on my phone that's five years younger and I say, you're never going to be challenged in college. Well, he's probably not going to be happy with that either, even if it followed his specific plan. Because the challenges and the uncertainty are how you learn about yourself, and that's how you improve yourself, and that's really what college is for, you know?
[00:15:12] Speaker D: Do you think, and I totally agree, and you prompted me to think about this question, do you think that a number of students, you know, college men, and really many college students, do you think that they come into college without anticipating that they'll be facing some worry or anxiety?
[00:15:31] Speaker B: I don't know if it's the anticipation. I just think that, you know, life is easy when you stay with what's comfortable. I think, I mean, obvious. I'm very much a person. I like to stay in my comfort zone. Sometimes it's even trying a new food, like something as simple as that. Sometimes it's having to change your major, having to maybe drop a class for the first time when you're used to getting really good grades and understanding that.
[00:15:56] Speaker B: That thing, that setback, that challenge, that decision you have to make is not life defining.
It is one of the many decisions that you make every day. Every day you make a decision, what shirt am I going to put on?
Which way am I going to drive or walk to get to campus? What am I going to eat?
But then there's also the larger decisions.
So I think that it's, you know, you obviously want things to go the comfortable and the easy and the, the known path, but the unknown path tends to be the one that we all end up on. And you have those twists and turns.
[00:16:33] Speaker D: Yes, yes. There's so many. There are so many things that we.
[00:16:39] Speaker D: Know about or that we know about ourselves that can keep us in that sort of safe place. But, you know, life is also about taking some of those risks and, man, and managing those. Those uncertain things in a way that's going to be effective and a way that sort of keeps you in a good sort of mental health state. This is. No, I agree with all of that.
I think that there are a number of.
[00:17:08] Speaker D: Those areas around anxiety and how to best manage anxiety again, that come up for college men, for all college students. But, Carter, I think you said it best in terms of how do you best manage and anticipate moving forward.
[00:17:26] Speaker D: With your own mental health, seeking help when needed.
And so we'll hear more from Carter here in our next segment. We'll take a little break right now. This is the BAMA Balance.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:17:59] Speaker C: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:18:40] Speaker E: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Bama Balance podcast.
And we're just going to continue in our conversation here with. With Carter. But during the break, you were kind of talking about just kind of like where you view kind of where you're at right now and maybe a movie that relates to.
So, yeah, if you just want to, you know, elaborate more on that.
[00:19:02] Speaker B: Well, you know, I think it's a pretty common thing. As you approach kind of the end of the college years, everybody asks you, what's next.
It's a question we all get.
And it can pretty easily bring up some anxiety because it's, you know, maybe you don't know. And that's kind of where I'm at. Where I'm at. I'm about to graduate.
I don't have a job to immediately start right after I graduate. So I'm kind of now out into the world and you don't really know where that next turn is.
And it reminded me of one of my favorite movies, which I was talking about with a friend of mine today, Castaway with Tom Hanks.
And I'll pause for spoilers, but it's about a guy that is very neurotic. He works for FedEx and he wants all of his packages delivered on time.
And he has kind of this plan and this fiance that he plans to marry and all that, but they're both really busy with work. And, you know, a lot of things happen in the in between part of that movie that I won't say for somebody that hasn't seen it yet, because you should watch watch it if you haven't. But at the end of the movie, he finds himself, literally and figuratively, at a crossroads in his life. And he, you know, it was set in the 90s, so he has a physical paper map and he kind of lays it out on the hood of the car and he's trying to figure out where he goes. And this lady drives by and says, well, if you go this way, you'll end up in Canada, and if you go this way, you'll end up in California. So she gives him the directions. But ultimately, ultimately, decision is up to him as to where he goes next.
[00:20:37] Speaker B: And so it's a really. It's a really great film that kind of talks about a lot of stuff in the human experience, certainly in a little bit of an extreme way.
There's another great quote from that movie that I like too, where he says, every day I've just got to get up and keep breathing because tomorrow the sun will rise and who knows what the tide could bring in?
[00:21:02] Speaker B: And that is, you know, a reference to something that happens in the movie. And I'll. I won't say any more about the movie because I'm already getting close to spoiling it.
[00:21:09] Speaker D: But I don't think either of us.
[00:21:10] Speaker B: Neither of us, I resonate with his character a lot.
[00:21:14] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:21:16] Speaker B: Because he. He has to grapple a lot with what he thought was going to happen and then what ended up happening.
[00:21:25] Speaker B: And especially as a job, as a guy that is managing the shipment of packages that have a very defined origin and destination.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: And I think it's a very common feeling that we all have where you have maybe directions or plans that you wanted to follow and things go awry, and then it's like, okay, what's next?
[00:21:48] Speaker B: And so that's where I find myself at a little bit in my personal life.
And yet I, you know, in my mental health journey, I think I've. I've come to peace with that a lot that, you know, a lot of life is going to be figured out as you go along.
You know, I've heard people talk about, like, parenting and something which is not something I'm really close to doing anywhere in my life. But, you know, everybody's a parent for the first time when they do that. Everybody goes to college for the first time at least once. The first time. Who knows, Maybe some people go back to school, but.
But to me, that removed a lot of the pressure that I put on myself mentally was that, you know, this is my first time living, too.
And so. So maybe I slip up and maybe I make the wrong decision. But like I was saying in the set, in the first segment, the next day, you have a bunch of different decisions that you have to make, and that could lead you to a completely new place.
[00:22:46] Speaker D: Each day presents a whole different set of decisions that you have to make.
[00:22:52] Speaker D: And how open are you to letting that happen versus trying to control that?
[00:22:56] Speaker B: And I think what's great about the Castaway movie is that this character, I forget his name. I haven't actually watched in a while, but he objectively has a really rough go of things. A lot of things go very wrong for him. And yet, to me, the message of that movie is so hopeful. It's that despite whatever hell life may throw at you, at the end of the day, you still have the choice and the decisions to what you do the next day.
And that doesn't mean that, you know, you. That you have to just let everything roll off your back and, you know, and bad days happen. And it's okay to accept that the bad days are bad, but there are more days in the future, and. And it truly is an unknown what. What faces you in those days.
And so to me, the. The underline of that movie is that, you know, no matter where life takes you, there's always the dawn of the next day. And to me, that's a really inspiring and hopeful message. And so I'd encourage anybody that hadn't watched that movie to watch it. If you've seen it, watch it. Again, because it's one of my favorites, and Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors.
[00:24:02] Speaker D: That's such a great message and also kind of a great metaphor for your journey and your life right now, Carter. I mean, I would even say that when we first met last semester, and then seeing you again now, which I'm happy that you're here.
I can tell a difference.
That there's something much more.
[00:24:24] Speaker D: I don't know if relaxed is the word, but so much more grounded and so much settled, kind of within yourself, kind of comfortable in your own skin.
[00:24:32] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, I've gotten.
I got the blessing to be able to come back for a fifth year, half of a fifth year of college. And I talked to a few of my friends about this and that. It gave me the ability to kind of experience that final semester of college, kind of the closing of the chapter. And a lot of my friends graduated and moved on, and then I got the ability to come back.
And I think doing that and, you know, it gives you the ability to see, you know, you get to experience a lot of lasts and close a lot of chapters. And I think when you get to that point with people, people get. They, you know, maybe they do the things they weren't doing. Maybe they spend more time with friends.
[00:25:13] Speaker B: Maybe they, I don't know, take more risks or just do more things out of their comfort zone.
And so I think coming back with that perspective.
[00:25:23] Speaker B: You kind of realize how much potential and time there is in each day and all the things that you can do in one day. Not from a productivity standpoint, but just, you know, the conversations or the, you know, you can do different things. And so, yeah, that's been really cool. And it's kind of allowed me to not.
[00:25:45] Speaker B: Worry about the unknown that's in front of me, but see it as an opportunity. Like, there's unknown in front of me. I don't know where I'm going.
[00:25:52] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:25:53] Speaker B: And I don't know where that's going to take me.
[00:25:54] Speaker D: It's a pretty.
[00:25:55] Speaker B: It's. It's a great feeling.
[00:25:57] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:25:58] Speaker B: And I'm. I'm really happy that that's kind of the attitude that's settled into it. Of course, I say that now. You know, I. In a month or two, maybe. The job market. The job market is worse.
The job market could be worse. And I can be freaking out and thinking, oh, man, man, you know, I'm going to be unemployed forever, but that's two months from now. And I don't really have control over that. I have control over myself and what I do.
And I've tried to really just hone in on that lately. And I think that that is another one of those things that, you know, just seeing each day as, you know, as the blessing that it is to wake up and experience another day, and.
[00:26:34] Speaker D: That'S such a great mindset, and the gains that you've been able to make, you know, throughout your journey and to see you now and to hear you now, I mean, I'm really proud of those gains. And, you know, living your life at this point in the semester and doing some things that you may not have thought you'd do.
[00:26:53] Speaker B: I mean, maybe riding a horse.
[00:26:56] Speaker D: Riding a horse in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.
[00:26:59] Speaker A: When you were talking, you said. I'm trying to think of the exact word you said.
Taking.
Doing something out of your comfort zone. I looked at Dr. Preston, he kind of grinned, and I was like, oh, yeah, Definitely nowhere.
[00:27:12] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah. Which I love. I love that.
[00:27:14] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:27:15] Speaker D: I mean.
And again, it's a great metaphor for your life, and, you know, it shows you kind of where you are and how much you gain in terms of knowing yourself better and the role that taking care of your mental health can play. I think that that's a great message for anybody out there and how to take care of your own mental health.
[00:27:36] Speaker A: And I think it speaks numbers that you, you know, you're at this point in your life and you still, you know, you're. You're so. I don't want to say careless about it, but carefree about, you know, thinking about. Yeah, because it's a shine. Because I do feel like some people may get in that situation and really take it hard on themselves and weigh themselves down, but whereas you're. You're standing strong and, you know, you're. You're comfortable with what's going on.
[00:28:02] Speaker B: So, yeah, it can definitely. And that, you know, as I was speaking, I was like, wow, I'm really, you know, pumping sunshine. And, you know, life is always so great, but, you know, like. Because there are times that it's tough and, you know, but that's. That's something that. The bad times make the good times that much better, 100%.
And so it's. But, yeah, you're right. It's.
You know, you can still care about things, but it doesn't have to be this crippling thing that. That shuts you down and that. I think that's been the area. The area of growth I've noticed in myself. And. And. And I want to emphasize how much therapy helped me with that and encourage people to, to go out and seek that as an option.
And it's not going to be the best fit on the first try. Maybe it will be, but maybe it won't, you know, and it's, it's, it's a journey. It's not a plug and play thing where, you know, you were just missing the one brick from the LEGO set to complete it and to complete your instructions perfectly. You know, maybe you got to try a few different pieces and then build upon those later.
[00:29:10] Speaker D: So it's kind of a lifelong process, really.
[00:29:12] Speaker E: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:29:13] Speaker D: Not all of them. Life is figured out. And not everything in life you're going to have answers to.
[00:29:19] Speaker E: No, not at all. And I think before we wrap up the segment real quick, I think one thing you said that really resonated with me was just worrying about what you can control.
Maybe the job market is really great or really not great in however many months. But I mean, at the end of the day, what you're worried about is only things that you can control, which for everyone is really not that much, which I think is really freeing in a lot of ways. You kind of get this understanding of like, hey, you know, like.
[00:29:47] Speaker D: It'Ll be.
[00:29:47] Speaker E: All right one way or the other, because as long as I'm doing my best and what I can, then, you know, regardless of the outcome, I know that, you know, I've done what I can.
[00:29:56] Speaker B: It makes me think about your major, Edward, and how you want to get involved in service and things like that. And a lot of times, what you can control internally can also help others a lot. Yes, for me, I get a lot of.
It's very rewarding for me to have a chance to pour into others.
That's why I like, you know, on this podcast, I've talked about myself a lot, but I, I think that, you know, in some way maybe it can help others to hear about an experience that maybe sounds similar to them or maybe it's, you know, the ability to be a mentor to somebody. And so. And maybe you don't feel qualified to be a mentor or something, but I'm of the opinion that you can learn a lot from anyone. And makes me think of one of Nick Saban's probably best speeches, which is about the, you know, being the best at what you do. And the shoe shiner in Montgomery is, he's the best shoe shiner or the best street sweeper in the world.
And how, you know, controlling what you can control can, a lot of times help other people.
And so I Don't know. I feel like I've kind of rambled a little bit, but I feel like it does, it does kind of all circle back to the topic so much.
[00:31:09] Speaker D: I mean, you've.
[00:31:12] Speaker D: You'Ve enlightened us so much already. You know, Carter, with your experience and what you've gained and again today, you know, having you here, I can see that you're steady on your phone feet and I have every confidence that you're going to succeed down the road.
[00:31:28] Speaker E: Yeah. Well, this has been a great segment.
We'll be right back to close it out. You've been listening to the Bamba Balance.
[00:31:52] Speaker A: Wvuafm, Tuscaloosa.
[00:31:55] Speaker C: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling, and no relationship is created between the show host or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:32:33] Speaker A: What's up, guys? We're back for our outro. And Carter, it's been great to have you.
I know me and Edward, we didn't get to. I've listened to your from last year, but we weren't here for it. And it just speaks volumes, the type of courage you have to come on here twice and share a little bit of your story.
How do you think your college experience and specifically making the decision to get out of your comfort zone and come to Alabama and leave Georgia, how do you think that has set you up for your future? Kind of.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: I mean, I'll tell people it's the best decision I ever made to come to school here. Not to make it an ad about the University of Alabama, but I think that it is a really unique place with a lot of great people.
[00:33:17] Speaker B: I can't think of many schools that have a men's mental health podcast. So it's really unique and I think it speaks to the quality of people that we have here. But I think on a more universal or macro level, I think just.
[00:33:32] Speaker B: I was kind of forced into coming here and just by decision making for college. It was not that many schools that I applied to.
[00:33:41] Speaker B: But sometimes you need that little bit of a push to take the leap of faith.
And I think that coming here, it took a little bit of a push and then even once I got here, it wasn't immediate it was changed my major after my first semester, didn't join my fraternity until my second semester.
You know, then I applied for my master's program during my sophomore or junior year. So, you know, it's. It's not like I immediately got here and I was on this path that it was like, boom, four and a half years. Here I am, you know, December of 25, and I'm going to be out of here. You know, I had no idea that that was going to be it. And so I think that weaving my way through that journey, it's just taught me a lot about myself.
It's taught me a lot about the type of people that I want to surround myself with. And I think, you know, have helped me grow as a person.
[00:34:37] Speaker B: And so, yeah, it's. It's really a blessing to be able to sit here kind of at the end of it and have the opportunity to have a conversation about it and kind of talk myself back through all the steps and stages because it's. It's very easy. It's the thing we do as people a lot is just not give ourselves credit.
I think that's another thing that my counseling helped me do, is, you know, it's easy to not give yourself credit when things are going well, but give yourself all the blame when they're going bad.
And I think I've gotten a lot better through my mental health journey at being able to give myself credit when I do a good job and give myself appropriate criticism when I don't. And knowing that neither one is the end of the world or makes me the champion of the world, you know, and understanding that.
That difference. So I would say that that's probably been the biggest thing is, and it's. I would encourage people. You know, there's a lot of different strategies for it. Something I've always wanted to do, but I haven't done is journaling.
[00:35:41] Speaker B: Because when you do that, you're able to kind of freeze your thoughts that moment in time, and then you have the ability to kind of do what we're doing here and go back and think about, well, what was I thinking in the moment when this was doing?
So it's something I plan on starting. I might make it my New Year's resolution now that I just thought about that.
But I would encourage people, I think it's a really good practice to write out your thoughts or maybe use a voice memo and speak out your thoughts, I guess. I've used Yalls podcast as my own personal voice journal or voice memo.
[00:36:13] Speaker D: But we've been so much the recipient of that kindness and that generosity from you, not only once, but twice now.
How has it felt being our first repeat guest?
[00:36:27] Speaker B: Well, it's an honor.
[00:36:29] Speaker D: It's great.
[00:36:29] Speaker B: You know, and the. I was saying before, the Bama balance is getting up there. We're over 30 episodes now, so Joe Rogan, you're next. Mama Bounce is coming for it all.
No, it's really great.
I can't thank you, Dr. Perez, or Edward and Brooks enough for having me on here.
It's a privilege.
I'm glad that y' all wanted to have me on and wanted to hear what I had to say.
And I think it's, you know, that this is a great resource because it's very real and it's very, you know, it is a very accessible way to talk about mental health. And I think that's where issues arise is when we don't talk about it. And so, you know, maybe listening to somebody else talk about it is a good place to start on your own journey.
[00:37:12] Speaker D: Right. Well, thank you so much for that, Carter. That. That's very generous of you. And certainly, I think, you know, looking back at.
At the fall and these episodes, it's been great to have the guests that we have had kind of share their journey. And I think one of the things that I've most valued about that are the connections that we've made, not just throughout, not just here sitting.
[00:37:41] Speaker D: As we sitting in conversation with each other, but then.
[00:37:46] Speaker D: Beyond this podcast on campus and really valuing those connections. So thanks so much again, Carter.
[00:37:52] Speaker B: Thank you, guys. Seriously, I think. I think this podcast is great. I think that what y' all are doing is great.
And, you know, I hope that it encourages more people to.
[00:38:03] Speaker B: Start their mental health journey and to, you know, think about that. And, yeah, you know, like you said earlier, if it helps any one person, that's the point of it all. So I thank you guys for giving me a platform and for creating the platform.
[00:38:16] Speaker D: Thank you so much.
[00:38:17] Speaker A: Thank you, Carter. And to all of our listeners, y' all have a great Christmas break, happy holidays, and be safe wherever you go and whatever you do. And we'll see y' all back in the spring semester.
My name is Brooks Barbary.
[00:38:30] Speaker E: I'm Edward fountain.
[00:38:31] Speaker D: And I'm Dr. Toddie Perez.
[00:38:33] Speaker B: I'm Carter Scott.
[00:38:34] Speaker A: And this is the BEM balance. See y'.
[00:38:35] Speaker D: All.
[00:38:57] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa.
[00:39:00] Speaker C: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, opinions, and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions shared on the show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener, and such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863. If you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's Crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
