Resilience Challenge
Welcome to the Resilience Challenge!
This challenge is designed to help you try different things that can support your well-being and help you to cope positively with stress. Using these skills also helps you to build up your overall resilience, helping you be able to bounce back from difficult situations more quickly and easily.
Download the Resilience Challenge Bingo Game!
Download a copy of our Resilience Challenge Bingo Game, which includes the overview and challenge prompts below plus your very own pre-made bingo card! The pdf has clickable links when viewed online, but you can always come back to this site for the fully accessible version of the content.
The Resilience Challenge includes activities of many different types, to help you experiment and find what works best for you. Some involve quiet time, some involve exercise, some involve socializing, some address your sleep habits, some are designed to help you relax or reflect. All of these things are important to have in your life to create a balance and become more resilient.
Let's Play!
The Resilience Challenge works like the game Bingo. Create a grid with 25 boxes, 5 by 5, and number them 1-25. This is your “bingo card.” (You can also download and print our pre-made bingo card and instructions.)
Below you will find the instructions for each activity (1-25) and what to write in the box with that number to show that you tried the activity. Some ask for a 1-5 rating. For the purposes of this challenge, a 1 rating equals “worst thing ever” and a 5 equals “most amazing thing I’ve ever done.”
For each number on your Bingo grid, complete the activity listed and then write in the box with the same number on your game board what you are asked to record there.
You can complete multiple activities on the same day, and you don’t have to complete them in order. Just be sure that the box you fill in on the game board is the same number as the activity you completed.
Just like in Bingo, you can complete rows by completing five activities. A row can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. For this Resilience Challenge, the game board has a total of 12 possible rows.
When you are finished with your Resilience Challenge, fill out the Microsoft Form linked here to submit your game board!
Win Prizes!
Complete 1-3 rows: Get an “I Heart Feelings” sticker.
Complete 4-8 rows: Get an “I Heart Feelings” sticker and a Calm Strip.
Complete 9-11 rows: Get an “I Heart Feelings” sticker, Calm Strip, and Counseling and Wellness Center “stress brain” (a stress ball in the shape of a brain).
Complete the full board: Get a prize package filled with Counseling and Wellness Center swag, goodies, and candy- including an EXCLUSIVE Resilience Challenge button! Plus, everyone who completes the full board will be entered into a drawing for one $50 gift card to the WWU Bookstore!
Boards will be accepted through TUESDAY, JUNE 1 at NOON!
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible participate in this challenge! Not only are there great prizes to motivate you, but you also have the opportunity to learn some skills that can help you throughout the rest of your life! You can contact Amy Dunham at dunhama@wwu.edu with any questions.
Good luck and have fun!
- At the end of each day, write down at least three good things that happened that day. Do this for at least five days. Write your favorite one in the box.
- Attend (at least) one workshop or Mental Health Month event put on by the Counseling and Wellness Center! Find options for workshops, including our banner Wellness Wednesday program, and find options for Mental Health Month events. Write in the box what you attended and your favorite take away from the session.
- Write and send a handwritten letter to a friend or family member. Write the name of the person you sent the letter to in the box.
- Mindfulness is an act of being fully present in the current moment, fully experiencing it and paying attention only to what we are experiencing here and now, without judging it or trying to change it. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to have many benefits and increase a person’s overall wellness. (Learn more about mindfulness and its benefits.). Try one of the mindfulness exercises linked below. Write in the box which one you tried and a 1-5 rating.
- Play a board game or a card game with one or more other people! Write in the box what game you played and who won.
- When you are experiencing a strong negative emotion (such as anger, fear, or anxiety), hold something cold in your hand for three minutes. Write in the box your observations of how/if this affected your emotion.
- Go to Western's Overview of Student Services to learn about a bunch of different support resources that are available to you as a WWU student! From LGBTQ+ Western to Off Campus Living to the Disability Access Center, we’ve got something for everyone! Choose one resource you think you could use and go to their website to learn more. Write in the box one thing that you learned.
- Go on a nature walk for at least 15 minutes without using your phone (no calls, texting, podcasts, or music). Put all your focus into what you experience in the moment—sights, sounds, smells, etc. Write your favorite observation in the box.
- If you are in Bellingham, consider checking out the Sehome Arboretum, right by campus!
- Another resource is the WWU Campus Tree Tour.
- You can also join us for a special outdoor session of Wellness Wednesday: De-stress Sesh in the Arb! Wednesday, May 4 at 4:30 PM.
- Try one of the breathing exercises linked below. Write which one you tried with a 1-5 rating in the box.
- Create a “bedtime routine” and follow it for at least five days. (Example: Take a warm shower, write in journal, listen to music for 20 minutes, then sleep.) Learn more about sleep hygiene. Write in the box whether or not you feel this helped your sleep.
- Write yourself a letter about all of the qualities about yourself that you admire. Write this letter as though you were writing it to a close friend. If this feels too cheesy, you can write a list of at least 25 things you like about yourself. Write in the box your favorite quality about yourself.
- Schedule at least 30 minutes of downtime each day for at least five days. This time is reserved for hanging out with friends, watching a show or movie, reading for pleasure—anything that just lets you relax and recharge. Write in the box how/if this affected your productivity for the rest of the day.
- Your pick—what is something you like to do that helps you relax and contributes to your overall wellness? Do it now, and write in the box what you chose.
- Try this mindfulness challenge. If you don’t like chocolate, feel free to use a raisin, a grape, or a different type of candy. Write in the box a 1-5 rating of this activity.
- Write a description of yourself or draw yourself at this time last year. Then write a description of yourself or draw yourself now. Compare the two and notice what has changed and what has stayed the same. Write the observation that feels most important to you in the box.
- For at least two nights, do not look at any type of screen (phone, TV, computer, tablet) for one hour before you go to sleep. Write in the box whether this affected your sleep.
- Learn more about various wellness topics by visiting our Wellness Worksheets web page and checking out one of our Wellness Worksheets! From self-love to motivation, we’ve got information and tips to help you develop your skills!Write in the box which worksheet you looked at and your favorite take away.
- Exercise for at least 20 minutes each day for at least five days. Write in the box what benefits (if any) you experienced from this.
- Try an exercise using Opposite Emotion. This means that when you feel a negative emotion, you do something completely opposite. Examples: Watch a funny movie when you feel sad. Do something you are afraid to do. If you are angry with someone, write a list of their best qualities. Write in the box a 1-5 rating for whether you found this effective in helping you feel better.
- Treat yourself! Paint your nails, try a face mask, roll your feet over a tennis ball to massage them. Do something to pamper yourself. Write in the box what you did.
- Try one of the guided meditations linked below. Write in the box which one you tried with a 1-5 rating.
- Option 1- Mindfulness
- Option 2- Letting Go
- Option 3- Relaxation
- Option 4- Feel Beautiful
- Option 5- Worry Free
- Take 10 minutes to color. (Print out one or more of our WWU-themed coloring pages!) Write in the box what you colored and whether you found this relaxing.
- Head to the Western Involvement Network to learn more about events and student organizations on campus! Find an event you are willing to try, or a student org to reach out to learn more! Write in the box which event you attended, or which student organization you reached out to.
- Set a timer for 30 minutes and choose ONE assignment or project to work on. NO MULTI-TASKING! Use the full 30 minutes to work only on the assignment or project you chose. Write in the box whether you thought this made your work more or less effective.
- Commit a Random Act of Kindness. Stick a post-it note with a compliment on someone’s door, hold the door open for someone, buy a friend a candy bar, or use your own idea. Write in the box how you felt after you did it.