Junior English major

Thanksgiving is in two weeks, and we all know what that means: Book your flights, find a ride and get the hell out of College Park! Most of us can agree that we are more thankful for our hometowns than we are for the oh-so-lovely Route 1.

But unfortunately, our desire to take a break from school prevents us from taking the time to give thanks for our beautiful campus. We forget to take time to thank our professors, our friends, the class clown who makes class survivable or that co-worker who always gives us a ride.

That’s why HEALTH Works, a peer education group based out of the University Health Center, has created one of the smartest ­— and cutest — ways to give thanks around the campus before we flee home to surround ourselves with delicious food and good company.

HEALTH Works has released Gratitude Booklets, which are small blank notebooks with prompts and questions. Some of the prompts include:

“I am thankful to be at UMD because…”

“What is my definition of gratitude?”

“Today I am grateful for…”

The purpose of these booklets is to share the stories of students across the campus in order to give thanks. It’s a chance for us to show our community that there are many things students are thankful for that other students might take for granted.

While one student may be walking across the mall, complaining that she has to go home and see her mother, another student might write in the booklet that he is thankful that his mother just beat cancer. While one student may be sitting in class, complaining about going to work, another student may jot down in the booklet that they are thankful for the opportunity to work to pay off their tuition.

These booklets are exactly what our campus needs. Winter, a time when we all start to sink into the winter blues, is approaching, and seeing a small shoutout from a stranger, or even seeing the happiness and gratitude that other Terps hold will give students motivation to develop a positive attitude.

HEALTH Works peer educator Chris Noronhna said there is a positive correlation between gratitude and mental health. He said: “Studies show having gratitude can bring us happiness, reduce stress, reduce anxiety and depression and improve our quality of sleep.”

The project started with 100 blank booklets distributed across the campus. However, because of popular demand, HEALTH Works is distributing an additional 200 booklets, Norohna said.

Once a Terp fills out his or her thanks, he or she can pass it on to a friend, classmate, co-worker or professor in the university community. The comments are handwritten, and the writer can choose to keep their thanks anonymous or proudly sign his or her name. The book is not just limited to writing. Students are more than welcome to include drawings and photographs as well.

If you are interested in obtaining a booklet, you should contact Sarah Wilson, the university’s Coordinator of Health and Wellness. She can be reached at swilson@health.umd.edu or at (301) 314-1493.

The booklets should be returned to the health center by Dec. 12. You can tweet your thanks, too, with #TerpGratitude.

So write, draw, create — these booklets are ours. We have blank pages to fill with words and pictures that might just motivate another Terp to come out of his or her shell and keep moving happily along.

Katie Stuller is a junior English major. She can be reached at kstullerdbk@gmail.com.