Mental Health Awareness — The Fifth of The “Things Wink Will Never Compromise On”
When we thought of Wink, we thought of it as a way to make life better and to make us live life well. A big part of being well is mental health and mental health is all about cognitive, emotional and social wellbeing. We don’t want to ever compromise on mental health, but be aware of it with every decision we make.
If you’re honest, there’s almost always some hesitation to talk about mental health because the word you hear instead is ‘condition’, ‘mental health condition’. We want to talk here about ‘mental health’, full stop. Actually, “mental health awareness”, full stop.
What we aim to do with Wink is to make ourselves and our users conscious that our mental health matters a whole lot. It wouldn’t even be that far fetched to say that, if used as we intended it, Wink may have a positive impact on our mental health. Here’s why (and there’s nothing groundbreaking about it): we are simply adopting solutions proposed by medical professionals to promote mental health: staying positive, connecting with people, helping others, going out and about and being physically active.
Even more so now than before social networking, we are, in a way, our very own enemy. As interesting a person as one might be, it isn’t that healthy to focus on just yourself. All the selfies and the posts of what we own or what we’ve done create too small a world for anyone. Me, myself and I stops being so glamorous when that is your only company.
And then, starting to look for company in the virtual realm ends up, so many times, in a game where everybody’s a loser. By now you should know we are referring to the comparison game. The constant winners are anxiety, insecurity, discontentment and all of their companions.
We are the first ones to recognize that it is not easy to look around and see impressive and enviable figures, things, places or experiences and not be left wanting them too. Not that it is wrong to want a slim figure, quality things, amazing places or enriching experiences. But not to the extent where you are unhappy with your life, discontent with yourself or even depressed; not to the point where your mental health is negatively affected.
One thing to keep in mind is that what you see is not what it is in reality. You see, when people post about things, they carefully select those parts of their life that are worth showing. Which is not to blame. It’s only that the result is an idealized life that you are comparing your life to.
Social networking does readily offer opportunities to play this game, but social networking is not the culprit. Human nature is. So, we’re not advocating a puritan view: giving up all social networking. Not even close. We are advocating mental health awareness. Be mindful of the effects of centering on yourself or of comparing yourself to others.
There might be cases where that involves thinking about digital health too. Don’t be reluctant! Again, we are not suggesting giving up technology. At this point, it is so much embedded into our lives that it is hardly possible to think life outside it. What we are pressing for is maintaining a healthy equilibrium even when it comes to our digital life.
And not stopping there, but counterbalancing it with real life interactions. There’s no end to the benefits of human connection. Mental health is just (a very important) one of them. Spending time with people you care about is one of the primary ways professionals promote mental health. Wink does the same! It encourages people to get together, live experiences worth remembering and collecting them for ever.
Meeting up with people and getting to know them makes you aware of others’ feelings, helps you understand them and being sensitive to what they are going through; in a word, it develops empathy.
As soon as you care about something, you can get involved in the community and contribute to the community you live in. Talk about healthy and positive self esteem! If you never stumbled upon this, there’s a real link between giving back and happiness. We should all try it sometime. For the sake of our own mental health.
And we’re going one more step forward: going out and getting active. The world is out there for us to explore! Life is better done together, so we’re all for exploring it with your dear ones. But, even on its own, the world is as good a way as any to promote mental health.
While at this, we cannot move on without reminding you what a vital role nature plays in our lives. Because we believe in caring for our planet so the next generation can enjoy it as much as we do now, we are planting a tree in California for every account created on wink.social up to 1000. Learn more by reading A Social Networking App Has A Lot To Do With Trees.
Talking a walk in the city, going for a run in the forest, riding on a swing in the park, playing a game of volleyball or soccer are all good for you. Physical health has a real impact on your wellbeing. And let’s not forget so many ways we can enrich our mind too, from opera to libraries to talks or just an engaging conversation. Going out and about challenges us to take in more than the small world we created around ourselves.
We’re hoping that after reading this article you will take a moment to ponder on your own mental health and share your thoughts with us at hello@wink.social or respond below.
If you think mental health is important and you would like to try Wink, you can pre-register at wink.social to become an insider and make Wink a reality for you and everyone. You can also follow us (in moderation) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and always know where we’re at.
We’re in this together,
The Team Powering Wink
