Encouraging chalk art throughout campus

This archived article was written by: Klever Barrezueta

Making the USU Eastern community feel the gratitude and appreciation of life could be the thought process behind all the “chalk comments” on campus the past few weeks. The gesture was meaningful and brought smiles to people’s faces. Throughout campus motivational messages were written in chalk. It goes to show that something little goes a long way. When asking around to figure out who did it no one had a clue on who.
The anonymous motivational writing was boosting the self-esteem of students and putting a smile on their face to get them through the day. Putting a smile on one person’s face can create a domino effect of happiness through the campus.
If more people were to replicate the amount of positivity around campus that wasn’t anonymous it would have more of a direct impact. The sense of appreciation and kindness goes a long way especially now during midterms. The small influence of positivity can reduce negative thinking and reduce stress.
According to Mayo Clinic an article on stress management, “Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include: increased life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, greater resistance to the common cold, better psychological and physical well-being, reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, better coping skills during hardships and times of stress.”
On behalf of the student body on campus, the motivational message was highly appreciated and didn’t go unnoticed.