a new campaign that speaks to all of us
I don't typically cover brand campaigns on my site, but Philosophy's latest spoke to me in a way that made it seem natural. Their new campaign, 'How are you, REALLY' focuses on the honest state of our mental health. How many times do you answer "How are you?" with "fine" or "great?" I'm guilty of it all the time, because that's the expected answer. no one asks to create an honest conversation. In honor of Mental Health Month and with the help of Philosophy, that's all changing.
Considering one in five adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness in a given year, chances are you have asked, "How are you?" to one of them today. What if someone you asked answered the question with an explanation of how they really felt? Would you even want to hear it? Depends who they are, right?
As someone with extreme anxiety disorder, I'm not always "good," but often feel like most who ask don't want to hear the truth. How am I? Today, I am great actually. I went to a meditation class, had a lunch meeting and am working from a coffee shop on fun projects. However, sometimes, I feel like I can't breathe. Truly can't breathe, can't sleep and sometimes have panic attacks. Even on those days, I tell people I'm "good." Of course, I personally feel that any type of struggle isn't everyone's business (however, if your FB feed looks anything like mine, you'll see others disagree), but I appreciate the chance to be honest and open with a select few.
It's time to change our dialogue and begin to lend a listening ear to those we ask the question to. Now more than ever is the "How are you, REALLY?" question important. Scrolling through 'picture perfect' lives on social media can make you feel down. However, the truths of many of those lives, for better or worse, are hidden and sometimes we all need a reminder that everyone has their own issues to deal with.
When we ask others how are you, really – that one additional word changes the question from a greeting to an honest conversation starter, allowing those living with mental health issues to open up about how they are really doing if they so choose. That's powerful.
Check out this video.
