By Sophia Parvizi Wayne, Founder & CEO of The Feeling Forest
We have all been affected some way or another by poor mental health. Whether it is the effect of everyday challenges of relationships, money stress or sleeplessness, to the more explicit effects of trauma, grief and diagnosed disorders, nearly all of us have directly or indirectly been affected by poor mental health.
However, this does not mean our children have to be the same.
Only in the past ten years has "mental health" become mainstream and whilst we are now bombarded with options of therapy in person and online, meditation apps and relationship coaching - our children have been left with nothing.
The irony of all of this is that children are the first place we should have started.
By the time we hit adulthood, we are a scramble of our experiences and surroundings and as a result, are much more difficult to retune and re-educate. However in front of us lies millions of blank canvases with the potential to develop, nurture and grow emotional resilience and understanding.
Why wouldn't we start with them?
I wanted to build a game with a difference. Screen usage is not going to change but the content we absorb and the content we put in front of our kids can. I decided on the Feeling Forest because our ultimate goal was not to take children away from nature but to bring them into it. Much of mindfulness practise is based on engaging in one's surroundings, particularly nature and how great it is that the year we decided to launch, coincided with the theme of nature for Mental Health Awareness Week!
Over the next few months, we will be building out our gaming platform and in the meantime are looking for parents to help us. Whether it be answering the two minute survey below or being willing to spend ten minutes talking to us, we would be incredibly grateful.
We can't wait to help you and your child explore the feeling forest together very soon! In the meantime, we would love for you to sign up for our up and coming beta version on our website too!
If you have any questions or feedback in the meantime, do not hesitate to email our team at hello@feelingforest.app.
Link to two minute survey: https://forms.gle/oj7Q4EfTh7p8wPhx5
Link to website: https://feelingforest.app
Here's to having some fun!
Sophia Parvizi Wayne
CEO and Founder of The Feeling Forest