While this time of year can be filled with merriment and glee, it can also be filled with emotions that may make you want to flee. Tests, family gatherings, and the pressure to be jolly, can leave us overwhelmed and ready to shout “oh, golly!”. The members of Gainesville Minds Matter (GMM) saw this as an opportunity to spread joy, and knew exactly the activity they’d like to deploy.

On December 12th, 2022, they hosted a meeting open to all students to create positive notes to post around school. According to the students, “The goal of this activity was to bring positivity to the school before we left for the holidays… the holidays can be stressful for many … while ‘stress-free’ may not be an achievable goal this year, we can still make our holidays merry and bright by spreading positivity and managing our stress throughout the season.”

The students gathered in groups with snacks, markers, and index cards and proceeded to write messages such as, “We’re all in this together”, “I care about you”, and “Tomorrow is a new day”.

In the second part of their meeting, student leaders led a conversation around stress during the holiday season, and offered up some ideas for self care; including practicing patience and forgiveness, taking a break from social media, and leaning into the spirit of generosity. Gainesville Minds Matter did an excellent job at creating space during a busy time of year to support one another, planning ways to support themselves individually over break, and working towards changing school culture around mental health ♥️

All of us at Our Minds Matter headquarters want to emphasize that the highlight of our year has been witnessing how our students show up for themselves and their peers. We wish you all a restful and safe winter break, and look forward to seeing all that our clubs accomplish in the new year!