The 10th October 2018 is World Mental Health Day. This year it has a focus on young people.
It’s a day well worth celebrating, as finally society begins to accept that there is no such thing as normal when it comes to us humans. However, mental health a broad spectrum term and can mean a variety of things to different people.
As someone who has suffered with depression and anxiety in the past (and still finds himself stressed and anxious now, in certain situations), I know how debilitating these conditions can be. Especially when you’re up against a deadline, or someone throws a curveball at you.
The last time I felt really anxious, stressed and depressed was when I worked at an advertising agency. They are tough places to work – long hours, the constant need to perform at your best, pitching for new business, a competitive environment, etc. It’s no surprise that lots of people experience burnout.
That alone is a cliché in itself.
I believe that everyone gets anxious and stressed and tries to hide it, or people think it manifests in specific ways, piling more clichés on. But this is real for a lot of people. They don’t conform to stereotypes or fit into neat little demographic buckets.
All this made me wonder if there was anything practical I could do to help.
On the 10th of October Simon sent to me…
Not too long ago, as documented here, I discovered that jigsaw puzzles were a great way to help solve complex problems. They’re also a shared activity, one that reduces stress and anxiety. It’s playful, focused work. I’ve been using it for some time – mostly as I’ve found taking a walk more difficult than most!
Puzzled (pun intended) by why this was, I dug a little deeper and discovered the science behind why puzzles of all sorts are good for working through problems, as well as reducing stress and anxiety.
And that led me to create a set of jigsaw puzzles made from iconic print adverts. I’ve just sent out 12 to various luminaries in the advertising and creative worlds in the hope that it will open up conversations with their staff about stress and how to deal with it. Ultimately, I hope the puzzles get made as part of the working day – I’ve provided each recipient with five ideas on how they can do that.
With the jigsaw being such a cliché in the ideas business, there’s an irony in that these puzzles might help bring about some super smart ideas and insights, as well as make people feel better.
They’re also sent free. No strings. No selling of services. They’re a gift. Everyone likes a free gift, right?
So that’s my contribution to making the world a little better this year – it wasn’t perfect, but nobody is. You can see the images I used below – a HUGE thanks to The Advertising Archives for helping me access these images in high resolution.
Thanks also to Dave Birss for his help in making the idea of a cliché the focus of the message. And to all the people on Twitter who said I should go ahead and do this.
If you’ve got anything to add to this conversation – or if you received a puzzle (and maybe even got around to making it) – add your voice using the hashtags #notacliché and #worldmentalhealthday
And maybe, just maybe, take a moment out of your day to ask those around you if they’re okay. It might just be the best work you do this week.
The images
