A program for young adults providing educational, vocational, and emotional growth opportunities.
Health and Wellness
At Cornerstones we see wellness as part of a whole-person philosophy that incorporates healthy habits into every day life. These healthy habits have been shown to aid in preventing negative emotions, such as depression and anxiety. As such, we consider wellness to be a core component of the Cornerstones program.
Exercise
As part of our program we require exercise multiple times a week that a resident must schedule into their calendar. We offer exercise options both inside the gym and outside in nature. As part of our program a resident receives a membership to a local gym. Many of our residents supplement this core exercise regimen with yoga, dance, rock climbing, biking, trail running, surfing, skiing, and hikes into the surrounding mountains and beyond.
Nutrition
On a weekly basis, our residents work with a registered dietician to learn about nutrition and develop a menu of recipes that they themselves prepare.
Sleep Maintenance
Developing healthy and productive sleep habits is crucial to being productive and effective when you are awake. Many young adults (and individual of all ages) struggle with developing a healthy and consistent sleep schedule. We work with our residents to institute habits around building a strong sleep schedule that they follow throughout our program.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Our residents engage in weekly mindfulness and meditation groups. Meditation and mindfulness practices have tremendous health benefits that include amelioration of mental health symptoms and improvement in focus, concentration, cognitive flexibility, and organization.
Connection to Nature
Our culture is replete with stories of people reconnecting with themselves through nature. A great deal of research has demonstrated that being in nature is a therapeutic process in and of itself. In fact, a recent study found that a lack of exposure to nature can facilitate negative thinking which encourages maladaptive patterns of self-referential thoughts and rumination. When individuals in this study committed to 90-minute walks in a natural area on a regular basis it had a beneficial impact on their psychological well-being and thought processes.
At Cornerstones we recognize the importance of a meaningful connection with nature. We incorporate these natural areas into our program to expose our residents to the benefits of being in nature and to help them develop healthy habits that lead to emotional well-being.
Passions and Hobbies
As part of our program, residents are encouraged to pursue passions and hobbies that may not directly relate to a resident's future professional or academic aspirations. At Cornerstones each of our residents pursues hobbies, such as playing an instrument, dance, physical fitness, art, sailing, and photography.