Honoring the Wellness Journey - An Evidence-Based Retreat to Build Stress Resilience in Honors Students

Oct 15, 2026

Honors students often manage heavy course loads, multiple responsibilities, limited free time, and trade away health such as sleep and nutrition to pursue goals. This essay presents an evidence-based wellness retreat for honors students at a mid-sized university, detailing its inception, development, curricular advantages, administration, and targeted workshop programming. Eight workshops build resilience and coping skills across mindset, emotion regulation, social connection, and wellness habits. Results from participants (n=17) indicate experiential wellness programming supports stress resilience, and the retreat model’s flexibility suits honors programs nationwide.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Evidence-based retreat for honors students

Stressors and mental/physical well-being

Impact on academic performance and resilience

Honors-specific pressures and psychosocial challenges

Stress resilience foundations and coping mechanisms

Honoring the Wellness Journey: An Evidence-Based Retreat to Build Stress Resilience in Honors Students Sydney Tutuska, Alexandra Caldwell, and Jennifer Willford Slippery Rock University Abstract: Honors students are goal-oriented, motivated, and engaged achievers. As such, they often experience heavy course loads, manage multiple responsibilities, have limited free time, and sacrifice their health (relationships, sleep, nutrition) in pursuit of their goals. This essay presents an evidence-based wellness retreat designed for honors students at a medium-sized university. Authors describe the retreat’s inception, development, curricular advantages, and administration, with specific examples of targeted evidence-based programming. Eight workshops, designed to build resilience and coping skills, address mental agility and mindset, emotion regulation, social connection, and wellness habits. Authors observe student efficacy in the development of skills and point to positive feedback from participants (n = 17) . Results indicate that experiential wellness programming can play an important role in promoting stress resilience among honors students. Authors suggest that the flexibility of a retreat model makes it especially adaptable for honors programs throughout the country, thereby contributing to a growing effort in honors to nurture student mental health and well-being. Detailed descriptions of workshops and assessments are provided, and limitations are addressed. Keywords: higher education—honors programs & colleges; self-efficacy; psychology of college students; transformative learning; Slippery Rock University (PA)–Honors College Citation: Honors in Practice, 2025, Vol. 21: 81–100 The academic, financial, and social stressors faced by college students have a significant impact on their mental and physical well-being, often leading to reduced academic performance, burnout, and long-term health Tutuska, Caldwell, and Willford concerns. College-specific stressors include academic course loads, time management, classroom competition, finances, family expectations, developing new social networks, and adapting to new environments (Barbayanniset al., 2022). Longitudinal data suggest a higher incidence of stressors among college students, leading to a national increase in perceived stress levels over the last 15 years. In 2009, the American College Health Association (ACHA) reported for the National College Health Assessment that 51.4% [of U.S. college](of U.S. college) students reported “more than average” levels of stress over the previous 12 months. Later, the 2024 assessment reported a surge, with 76.4% of students reporting “moderate” or “high” levels of stress over the last year (ACHA 2024) . As stress levels rise among college students, the impact extends to academic performance, goal attainment, and long-term success. Stress has a significant negative impact on student academic performance including reduced motivation, lower academic achievement, and decreased retention (Pascoe et al., 2019) . In the ACHA 2009 report, 27.8% of students felt stress negatively impacted their academic performance or degree progress (ACHA 2009); that percentage rose to 36.8% in 2024 (ACHA 2024), suggesting an increase in student perceptions ofthe impact of stress on their academic progress. While all college students experience significant pressures, a more rigorous academic environment and achievement orientation challenge honors students’ resilience to stress. The unique characteristics of and academic pressures encountered by honors students, whether it be extrinsically or intrinsically motivated, may lead to increased vulnerability to high levels of perceived stress. Honors programming typically provides a challenging, rigorous academic environment with additional opportunities for leadership, civic engagement, and multicultural education. This environment can lead to increased pressure and competition within this high-abili

FAQs

What problem does the evidence-based retreat target for honors students?

The retreat targets stress resilience needs created by honors students’ heavy academic demands and multiple responsibilities that can negatively affect mental and physical well-being.

What learning areas do the retreat workshops address?

The eight workshops focus on resilience and coping skills, including mental agility and mindset, emotion regulation, social connection, and wellness habits.

What evidence is reported to support the retreat’s effectiveness?

Authors report positive participant feedback with a sample size of 17 and conclude that experiential wellness programming can promote stress resilience among honors students.

Oct 15, 2026

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