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alcohol, prepare to be active bystanders, and
review state laws and University policies
related to alcohol use. Aspire to Be Well
is a peer-led, health- and safety-focused
dialogue presented by Healthy Campus
facilitators. This 90-minute dialogue covers
areas key to maintaining a healthy and
safe lifestyle, including overall well-being,
alcohol and other drug misuse prevention,
mental health and suicide prevention, and
interpersonal violence prevention while
focusing on bystander intervention.
Encouraging Emotional Wellness
Help your student overcome, recover and
draw strength from difficult situations.
Resilience is a key way to make it through
tough times. The Mayo Clinic defines
resilience as “the ability to adapt to difficult
situations.” Another way to think about
resilience is bouncing back from what life
throws at you.
College presents a prime opportunity to
learn resilience as students will face various
obstacles, such as transitioning to a new
environment, navigating a new social
world and making friends, not to mention
the reason why they’re there — school!
“Resilience skills can help students not just
get through college but actually thrive and flourish while doing it,” said Paula Davis-Laack,
who designs resilience training programs for professionals and organizations.
The good news is resilience is something everyone can learn. Here are key ways you can help
your student build resilience before, during and after college:
• Socially connect — building and maintaining strong social ties with family and friends
is a fundamental way to become more resilient when life knocks you down.
• Take care of your physical health — get enough sleep (at least seven hours), eat a balanced
diet and exercise.
• Get plugged into your community — join a club, faith-based organization or civic group.
• Be proactive — when faced with a challenge, it is important to acknowledge the difficult
emotions you may be feeling such as anger or despair. At the same time, making a plan for
how you will overcome is just as important in order to give you a sense of autonomy over
the situation. If your problem seems too big at first, try breaking it up into bite-sized goals.
• Practice mindfulness —mindfulness consists of focusing on the present moment in a non-
judgmental fashion. Check out Clemson’s mindfulness class called Koru Mindfulness at
• Remember how you’ve overcome obstacles in the past — remembering former helpful
and unhelpful coping strategies can help dictate what will help you succeed in the
present moment.
Need other resources? Healthy Campus, The Mayo Clinic and the American Psychological
Association have great resources on resilience.
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT
Encourage your student to follow
Healthy Campus on social media and
visit the Healthy Campus website —
— for
great resources, information and tips
on health and wellness.