Two things that don't often mix is social media and meditation, but Headspace, one of the world's best meditation apps, has partnered with Snapchat to change that. Aiming to “help support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of Snapchatters,” Snapchat announced the introduction of 'Minis', a third-party in-app partnership, at its virtual Partner Summit in June.
The Headspace mini is the first bite-size third-party app to feature on Snapchat so far, and it's offering free meditations within the chat section of the app for friends to meditate together. That means you can do three or four minute meditations straight from your smartphone.
According to Snap, this is a response to new research which has shown that 'friends are the first people we turn to when dealing with stress, anxiety, depression and many other emotional challenges.'
Headspace Mini: How does it work?
There are six meditation sessions currently featured on the Headspace Mini, with the themes “Just Breathe,” “Get Out of a Funk,” “Kick the Panic,” “Be Nice to You,” “Pressure to Succeed,” and “Me Time.” The Mini also encourages you to "Snap how you feel", with the Headspace graphics we know and love translated into colorful and expressive stickers to be used in Snapchat messages.
Another great feature is the "Vibe check" option, which enables you to check in with friends and find out how they're doing. When it comes to opening up the conversation around mental health and wellbeing, this is a great way to start.
To use the Headspace Mini app, simply type "Headspace" into your Snapchat search bar. This will allow you to meditate solo, but if you'd prefer you can also tap on the rocket icon which features on the lower right hand side of your chats to initiate a meditation session or "vibe check" with friends.
Back in February, Snapchat released its 'Here For You' tool designed to provide mental health resources to teens in an effort to boost "emotional wellness".
