Last Thursday, I attended an event called “THRIVE at Cornell”. The event took place in the Common Room of Alice Cook House and was led by former Vice President Susan Murphy and Catherine Thrasher-Carroll, mental health promotion coordinator at Gannett. Prior to the event, I was not quite sure what to expect. I had a general idea from the poster that the event would offer ways to enhance the meaning of our Cornell experience – truly experiencing it, not just living it. However, I did not know the structure of the event. I liked that it was in the style of a presentation and that Ms. Murphy and Ms. Thrasher-Carroll asked interactive questions throughout the presentation. It was a smaller audience than say, the Becker-Rose Café Series talks, which made it feel even more intimate and personalized.

From the start of the presentation, Ms. Thrasher-Carroll and Ms. Murphy had the audience engaged. Ms. Thrasher-Carroll asked everyone to lift an object they brought with them or had in from of them up over their heads. We were asked to keep holding the objects up if we thought we could hold them up for a minute, five minutes, a day, a week. With each longer interval, fewer audience members remained holding up their objects. To me, this was an extremely powerful visual. It was also a great representation of how we are weighed down by our worries, thoughts, and stresses throughout the day. At some point, we have to let them go in order to lighten our physical and mental loads. Stress can take such a toll on the body, and while some stress can be motivating and invigorating, chronic stress can have negative short and long-term effects.

Ms. Murphy and Ms. Carroll helped us to explore some great topics, including the importance of breathing and sleep. I was most inspired by the concept of a growth mindset. Although everyone would like to think that they are able to maintain a positive, healthy attitude, we do often find ourselves getting stuck in a mental rut – it feels like everything is a struggle. I live by the motto of “slow and steady wins the race”, so when the tortoise and the hare analogy came up in a video that was played, I was all eyes and ears. Persevering even in a time of hardship is usually easier said than done, but with the growth mindset, you tell yourself, “I cannot do that, YET.” You have to give yourself time to get through the challenges. I really appreciated the analogy and the imagery.

Having gone to this event, I learned a lot of great tips about time management and keeping a healthy body and mind. But most importantly, I learned to be a bit more patient with myself. It is easy to get wrapped up in the hectic schedule of life at Cornell. What sets apart our experiences is if we are able to take a step back and give ourselves a break every now and then – giving ourselves the chance to truly grow. Ultimately, there are two roads – the one to survive and the one to thrive. I choose the latter.