Pods — A Social Approach to Self-Care

Happyfeed Pods are private groups for sharing motivation and happy memories with your best pals, partner, far-away family, or anyone in need of a little cheer. Pods encourage you to grow together and share your joy along the way.

Isolation isn’t the solution.

Most self-care apps are single-player. You do a thing (like meditate or reflect), the app records your progress, and you return the next day to do it again. You chase streaks to stay motivated and climb leaderboards to prove who is the happiest.

This approach has helped millions of people, but going it alone can set a limit on your capacity for self-improvement. Research has found that close relationships and social support can benefit your well-being and that a lack of relationships can actually decrease your life expectancy.

There’s a better approach: one that uses our relationships to build support around new habits to create real positive change. Not competing with friends, but cheering them on.

Less competition, more cheerleaders.

Most of us aren’t trying to break world records or “be the best” – we just want to be a better version of ourselves. We seek out new habits that can push us in the right direction, and usually, the hardest part is getting started and then doing it again day after day.

If you wanted to start running in the morning, wouldn’t it be easier if you had a running buddy? If you wanted to read more, wouldn’t a book club be a great way to begin? You want someone cheering you on from the sidelines, or better yet, running alongside you. Someone to celebrate with after the smallest of wins, to share in the struggles along the way, and encourage you during inevitable setbacks.

Pods are a way to share your gratitude habit with others – a chance to find a positive mindset together and cultivate stronger relationships

• With your best friend or partner
• With your family, parents, or siblings
• With a group of close friends
• With your team at work

Sharing self-care like you share step counts.

There are few communities as positive and motivated as runners. They meet up regularly to challenge themselves and improve their health. They are quick to welcome new runners into their world and happy to share their training tips. Runners track personal records – their best times for a given distance. Everyone is just trying to become a better version of themselves.

It’s not surprising that many fitness apps have a strong social component. Strava allows you to easily share runs and cycling and send “kudos” to friends. Peloton has a “high-five” feature. Seeing other people, friends, moving makes you want to move too.

We’re all in this together.

Pods are like a running club for happiness. It’s a way to share progress, encourage others, and grow together with the belief that feeling happier is something you can get better at with practice.

• Strengthen your relationship with your partner
• Keep friends close
• Make your parents feel like part of your life
• Share intimate moments in a judgement-free group

Being mindful about social.

Social media has given Social a bad name. We chase dopamine hits from likes, ❤️s, and 👏s. We worry about not being good enough when we see perfect, filtered photos. We fight over politics and forget about the humans behind the @username.

We need an environment that allows us to experience moments together in a more mindful way. Reflection can lose its meaning when we post our thoughts to hundreds of followers.

Happyfeed is first and foremost focused on the practice of daily reflection. Pods are a bonus – an extra way to take that joy and spread it to others. We keep it simple because happiness doesn’t need to be complicated.

• All your private and shared moments are in one place. You pick the ones you share.
• Get into a positive mindset with your friends. Join as many Pods as you like with no size limits.
• Emoji reactions only. There's no stress about long conversations or what to say: good vibes only.

Happier Employees – Pods for Teams

Let’s face it, most of us will spend the majority of our waking hours clocked in at the office or online. Overlooking our friendships at work is ignoring a huge part of life.

A paycheck doesn’t make these relationships any less real or worthwhile. Building something together, feeling the same pains and frustrations, and sharing a schedule can create some of the strongest bonds in our lives.

If you’re interested in making a Pod to use at work, please get in touch! With a few extra settings and the right integrations (e.g. Slack), Pods can be a way to add a little more joy to your teams and help your employees feel happier.

Our Promise.

Mental health doesn’t need to be an isolated struggle. Happyfeed Pods offer a simple way to enjoy happy moments from far away and send little nudges to help friends focus on their happiness.

Especially right now, we think the small act of seeing a happy memory from a friend or congratulating your sibling for completing a week of gratitude can make a world of difference.

😊