Let’s not even talk about what a shambles 2020 has been. We’ve heard enough. With Christmas on the horizon and talk of a vaccine or two, at least most of us can end the year with a little hope and joy.
It’s not the same story for everyone, however. The mental health crisis emerging from 2020 is being dubbed by many as ‘the pandemic within the pandemic’. Finance worries are rife, unemployment is at an all-time high, and we can’t even hug our friends and family when we need it most. What lies ahead is uncertain, and all this has seriously taken its toll. Looking after our mental wellbeing right now is more important than ever.
It’s interesting to see how the retail market reacts to this shift in society. So many brands have played their part in trying to make the pandemic ‘easier’ for their communities. Many are also doing their bit to improve the wellbeing of their communities too. Green Room Design explains…
Social Media – Heroes Or Villains?
One space in particular has had a recent focus on mental wellbeing, and that’s the tech space. Social media usage has rocketed since the first lockdown back in March. There wasn’t much better to do than endlessly scroll – which can’t have been doing our wellbeing much good. It should be alarming enough to us that many of Silicon Valley’s tech executives have been raising their children tech-free, in the same way a cigarette brand owner might tell their kids not to smoke. That tells us all we need to know about the way social media is designed to make us feel.
However, last month Facebook announced a new ‘emotional health portal’ to help users of Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Messenger to better manage their wellbeing online. It’s a centralised resource centre on the Facebook app, loaded with tips and information from experts worldwide on how to look after your wellbeing in these current times. Snapchat are also doing their bit to help. In response to a reported 73% of Snapchatters feeling more stressed than last year, the platform has joined forces with mindfulness app Headspace, to offer in-app meditations.
Wellness Watches
Would you invest in a wellness watch? Amazon Halo and Fitbit Sense are the latest tech products to track wearer’s mental health by monitoring moods and analysing emotional states. The Amazon Halo comes with the usual set of fitness tracking features, along with the ability to create 3D scans of your body for body fat and listen for the emotion in your voice. Fitbit Sense features skin temperature assessments, sleep tracking and in-depth stress sensing with the ability to log how you are feeling.
Do you think this could help in keeping our mindset in check throughout the day, or is it just another way for a brand to profit from the wellness industry? Whatever your view, it’s nice to see the same emphasis placed on mental health, as physical health with these health tech products.
Sometimes we all need reminding every now and again to slow down and check-in with ourselves. It’s great to see big companies around the world highlighting this important message during these times.
*collaborative post
