A developer and a GP's partner on a mission to help everyone clear their head
Having a partner who is a GP (family doctor in UK) means I get to hear first hand how stressful and hard work it is trying to work in an environment that is overworked, underfunded and overwhelmed. In the evening I quite often dread the sound of the front door opening as it’s a real lottery as to whether she’ll be raging, crying or happy she’s potentially saved someone’s life. Her job is truly about trying to spot the needle in the haystack. However, while these feelings often linger she’s normally back to herself after a short while.?
How do you help someone like this? Give them solutions; tell them to see a therapist, do some meditation or go for a run? Well actually sometimes they just need someone to listen, to vent and get things off their chest. But here’s the dichotomy: I want to help but I’m not a coach or therapist and there’s only so much venting I can take or else I’ll need a therapist too!
I began to hypothesise that there is a framework to being happier, that it can be engineered and measured but without losing the empathy and emotions.? The more I researched it the more I realised it’s actually not rocket science but like a lot of things it needs proactive and regular management as it’s a series of actions that build up to be greater than the sum of its parts. I quickly realised that this is nothing new and many civilisations and cultures have created frameworks to help understand this much deeper.?
Sometimes, like the moment when Nicky walks through the door, you need real-time on-demand solutions to an issue. A therapist next week at 2pm isn’t really isn’t going to help fight the problem right now. Or if you wake up at 1am worrying about something, is your therapist going to be available as I don’t fancy getting out of bed and going for a run at that time!?
Not everyone can afford a therapist and finding one that works for you, your personality and communication style is also a challenge. Furthermore, having a therapist doesn’t seem like a very British thing to do; isn’t that something reserved for celebrities in LA? Even admitting you need to speak to someone can be a step too far for some.?
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While going down this rabbit-hole I met Thomas, a developer building a tool to scratch his own itch. As a founder he had felt a different sort of pressure and challenge to my partner but one which still weighed on his mind. This was something I could definitely resonate with and I know many of my peers often feel like they are bearing the weight of the world on their shoulders. Clearing the brain fog helps you feel better and perform better.?
There’s no silver bullet or magic pill to fixing or managing mental health but we think we’ve got the spark of an idea that should be in everybody’s toolbox. Just like we all know we should eat 5-a-day and do 30 minutes of brisk exercise, we believe that you should take 5 minutes out to clear your head too, at whatever time of day that suits you.
It’s super early stage but if you want to give it a try and give us some feedback you can take a look here (and yes, my partner is now using it!)