On Wednesday, Oct.13 the Meditation, Mindfulness and Healing Club kicked off its first meeting of the fall semester; a club that was restarted last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vice President Stevie Rudak and her roommate decided to restart this club during the height of the pandemic after noticing a decline in students’ mental health. The pandemic only worsened the mental health problems students were facing and Rudak wanted to help others practice meditation, mindfulness and healing towards themselves and others.
“It takes courage to acknowledge you need help to become the best version of yourself,” Rudak said.
During the meeting, the members introduced themselves, sharing recent personal successes and what helped them achieve those successes.
One of the members who joined last year, Megan, shared about her ongoing journey of self-discovery after her recent breakup and how she is learning to embrace herself. She is on a journey of personal growth, striving to finally become comfortable with herself. She has achieved this by using self-affirmations and praying when she can.
With September being Suicide Awareness month, Rudak also discussed important topics like suicide.
“One in five students experience suicidal thoughts,” Rudak said.
During the pandemic, mental health problems were exacerbated, pushing Rudak to want to help others in similar situations.
“We probably all know somebody struggling with mental health or have taken their lives,” Rudak said. “You just think about the light at the end of the tunnel, how they couldn’t get there [and] how they could’ve if they got the help they needed.”
Rudak also stressed the importance of being patient with yourself while also being mindful of what you say to others. She believes mindfulness is vital to a healthy life and checking in with yourself is an important step of that process.
“Anyone could be going through something, and you’d never know,” Rudak said.
While it is important to accept your feelings and embrace yourself, there is a time and a place to do so. Children don’t express their emotions properly, but over time they learn about safe places to do so. However, some people never find a safe place and this club can help fill that void.
The club’s main goals are to be a confidential resource for people, help students learn more about themselves and help those move forward from what is holding them back.
“At the end of the day, we fall asleep with ourselves,” Rudak said.
The Meditation, Mindfulness and Healing club advocates counseling and prevention outreach services for those who are struggling and to call the National Crisis Line if they are experiencing any suicidal thoughts.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-8255.
NY State’s Free Emotional Support Hotline (specifically for COVID-19): 1 (844) 863-9314.
National Text Crisis Line: Text HELLO to 741-741.
National Text Crisis Line for Students of Color: Text STEVE to 741-741.
National Trans Lifeline: 1 (877) 565-8860.
