The fall semester is coming to a close, my fellow students.
Many of us are excited and anxious to go home, watch hours of Netflix and have mom do our laundry this winter break. Before we can take that heavenly month-long siesta, however, we are faced with finals and the loads of stress that comes with the “beginning of the end.”
The APA estimates that more than 8 out of every 10 Americans anticipate stress during the holiday season and most of us can’t argue with that. The all-nighters and coffee binges only take us so far until we reach our breaking point and start spewing out negativity on everyone and everything in our path.
Luckily, the Freshman Leadership Council and “U Matter, We Care” have created an event this week to help people smile through the stress.
“Project Smile Week” is a campus-wide event from November 18-22 with one goal: make as many people smile as possible. Basically they encourage students around campus to perform random acts of kindness throughout the week. Their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are designed so people can post acts of kindness that they have experienced, including notes and free gifts from strangers with the hashtag #smileUF. The goal is that everyone will receive and spread a random act of kindness, ultimately making these gloomy days a little brighter.
With finals, financial stress and even the weather weighing me down lately, just reading about this happiness-driven project made me grin. We’re always told to “pay it forward,” but with the craziness that is college, it can be hard to stop thinking about ourselves for a minute and pass on some positivity to someone else.
Although today is the last day of the project, make it count. Squeeze in some kindness. If you’re in the library (most likely browsing Facebook instead of studying), check out “Project Smile Week” on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@projectsmileuf). Even better, leave a charming note at the desk for the next person to read.
Who knows, you might even make them smile.
Photo courtesy of: Krempitushka
