One in five American adults experience a mental illness, and nearly one in 25 adults live with a serious mental illness. With so many Americans impacted, social media platforms and users have joined the effort in raising awareness and acceptance. From more positive content to quick, in-the-moment exercises, platforms are realizing the benefits and resources they can provide users.
And one of the leading platforms in these efforts? Pinterest! As the platform saw more and more searches related to mental well-being and emotional health over the past few years, they’ve created a way to help users in the app or online through a private portal that won’t show recommendations or ads based on your use of this portal. When you search topics such as “work anxiety” or “depression,” Pinterest automatically places a link to these resources at the top of the page. We’ve broken down a few of its activities and resources below for you to take advantage of.
Relaxing exercises
Have you tried breathing, meditation or relaxing exercises during the work day or in stressful moments? We encourage you to take a few minutes to explore Pinterest’s activities. In the portal, there are two-minute relaxation exercises, two-minute guided sessions that refocus your attention and three-minute breathing segments. In a study conducted by Yale, those who practiced the SKY Breath Meditation experienced the greatest mental health, social connectedness, positive emotions, stress levels, depression and mindfulness benefits. We, and Pinterest, understand how easy it is for real-life experiences to fuse into our digital lives, so we want to ensure we share valuable resources that provide a moment of relief throughout your day.
Self-reflection exercises
Mindfulness and re-centering your focus through self-reflection are also helpful practices to create a more positive mindset. Through Pinterest’s self-reflection activities, you’re able to focus on the many positive aspects you possess. Whether it be through boosting self-confidence or showing self-compassion, these exercises encourage you to explore those inner corners of your mind to illuminate positive qualities you may have forgotten about yourself. Self-reflection improves self-awareness, provides perspective, improves confidence and challenges your assumptions, and the platform’s activities do just that.
While these resources don’t replace a clinician’s guidance, they are easy to complete if you need something to help you in the moment. If you’re looking for other resources, our Pinterest page houses a number of helpful blogs with tips and information on mental health topics. If you or someone you know is having a hard time, our team of certified staff members and clinicians want to help. Through our mental health counseling services, we can assist those experiencing hardships find positive solutions. For more information, contact us at 508-427-5362 or click here.