It’s been almost two years since Neha Basti, a Weinberg junior, worked with a friend to write an op-ed in The Daily Northwestern deconstructing Northwestern’s culture of perfectionism. They proposed a project that would give students space to work through their individual issues through honest conversations with each other. Today, that idea has come to fruition as ResilientNU.
A collaboration between students and Health Promotion and Wellness (HPaW) staff, ResilientNU focuses on “increasing wellness, managing stress, & finding balance” within the student body. Winning the 2018 Improve NU competition held by The Associated Student Government (ASG) allowed ResilientNU to begin implementing their ideas in full. Each quarter, student and staff co-facilitators lead a cohort of about eight students. This cohort meets for two hours a week during the first four weeks of the quarter.
In week one, students complete a self-evaluation and determine their personal values. The next week focuses on feelings and emotions, helping students learn how to deal with difficult emotions and re-evaluate their negative thinking patterns. Week three gives students practical applications for the sometimes abstract ideals of mindfulness, and in the final week participants learn to rethink how they view failure and are given the option of sharing their personal story. At the end of the program, all participants are provided with resources for further growth opportunities both on and off campus. By meeting at the beginning of the quarter, students are able to immediately start applying what they have learned to have a more mindful quarter. But the program isn’t completely over. During reading week, the whole cohort meets back up to have dinner and spend time together.
In addition to the cohorts, ResilientNU hosts a number of pop-up events throughout the school year. Each event offers students a different look at mindfulness, from yoga classes to visits from therapy dogs. To stay in the loop about upcoming ResilientNU pop-up classes, follow them on Facebook or Instagram; these classes are open to all Northwestern students regardless of whether or not they have participated in a cohort.
To register for a cohort, students can sign up through an online interest form. While the form is always open, cohorts for the upcoming quarter are often filled by reading week. The pressure to succeed can sometimes feel overwhelming, but ResilientNU believes that through education, students can learn how to prioritize wellness.