You know that moment when you’re listening to a song, or reading a book, and there’ll be a single line that seems to have been written entirely for you? It seems to reach out, as a personal link between you and the writer:
“What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
C.S. Lewis dubbed this line the defining moment of friendship, but it’s so much more than that, and so much more necessary. It’s a sign that someone – living or dead, nearby or far away, shares your experiences, thoughts and feelings. Seeing your familiar thoughts expressed by someone else validates them, as well as offering you a connection to something other than yourself.
Mental health issues – experienced by six million people in the UK – can be incredibly isolating, in part due to our unwillingness to discuss them.
This is where Anxy Magazine comes in.
Founded by Indhira Rojas, the magazine aims to bring to light the mental health conditions we often hide, and help those affected unlock the inner worlds that are often lost amongst the noise of anxiety.
By starting these conversations, Anxy has created that ‘you too’ moment of connection for the huge number who will, at some point in their lives, feel stressed or anxious. Each edition has a specific theme like ‘loneliness’ or ‘boundaries’, to raise conversations around relatable, everyday issues, advice from mental health professionals, and – importantly – testimonial-led content, with essays, short stories and poetry, all with the potential to connect.
Using creative content to encourage discussion surrounding mental health, Anxy presents anxiety in an entirely new way. It doesn’t promise to ‘cure’ you, but by creating a community of like-minded people, and presenting it through highly curated visuals, it works to reframe anxiety as a lifestyle: you may not have chosen it, but here’s how you can make it work; all wrapped up in something beautiful.
Content marketing and social media can be used in the most incredible ways, to empower, to educate, to make people laugh, discuss, play. This is our goal.