The pandemic exposed to employers what working parents already knew: employers need to do more to support the mental health and well-being of the entire family, not just the individual employee.
When one member of the family suffers from mental health challenges, the whole family is affected. And when families suffer, repercussions extend to the workplace.
Nearly 80% of parents and guardians say their kids’ mental health has affected them during business hours, according to a Calm survey. One in four parents say they’ve missed work to support their kids’ mental health needs.
This isn’t surprising when you consider that one-third of parents say their kids are feeling nervous, anxious, or stressed all the time. Those statistics could worsen as fall approaches and back-to-school nerves kick in for many kids, causing stress, issues with concentration, and sleep challenges.
When we asked parents what mental health benefits they wished their employer provided as preventive support for both themselves and their families, more than 40% said mental health solutions to address kids’ stress, anxiousness, and sleep issues.
Calm introduces the Disney Princess collection to support family mental health
To support the mental well-being of kids and help families make mental health a priority, Calm is collaborating with Disney and launching a new Disney collection in the Calm app.
The Disney collection features beloved Disney Princess characters guiding kids through breathing exercises and other preventive tools to help reduce their stress and anxiousness. Sleep Stories by Disney Princess characters also help make bedtime easier and more restful for kids and adults alike.
Here’s a preview of the new Disney Princess collection in the Calm app:
Stress, anxiousness, and resilience tools
Kids’ stress and anxiousness were high even before the pandemic, with approximately one in five children and adolescents experiencing a mental disorder such as anxiety or depression each year. Add the pandemic into the mix, and that’s why it’s more important than ever for employers to provide tools to help parents manage their kids’ stress and anxiousness on a day-to-day basis.
In Calm’s new Disney Collection, beloved Disney Princess characters guide kids through imaginative breathing exercises to help calm their nerves. Resilience-building tools help kids develop positive thinking and confidence. The new Disney Collection includes all of the following:
- Breathe like the Ocean with Moana: Soothe worries and feel more peaceful with this breathing exercise from Moana
- Feel Rooted and Strong with Rapunzel: An imaginative breathing exercise led by Rapunzel from Tangled eases nervousness and promotes stability
- Let Your Light Shine with Tiana: Discover a fun way to brighten up your inner spark with Tiana from The Princess and the Frog
Sleep Stories
Sleep boosts resilience, focus, and creativity and eases the negative effects of stress and anxiousness. To help kids and their parents fall asleep and stay asleep, the Disney Princess collection features three new Sleep Stories:
- Rapunzel shares the story of the new observatory she wished for in Starry-Eyed Quest
- Moana recalls the wisdom of her ancestors and saves Fonu in a storm in The Ocean Guardians
- Tiana from The Princess and the Frog shares the memory of her father and finds a special way to honor him on his birthday in Daddy’s Front Porch
Soundscapes
Soundscapes are a great way to soothe the nervous system and find focus. Calm is introducing six new soundscapes as part of the Disney Princess collection, including these:
- Raya’s River Boat Ride: Journey to the lands of Kumandra and take in the calming sounds of Raya’s river boat ride from Raya and the Last Dragon
- Aurora’s Forest Cottage: Venture into the forest and experience the magic of Aurora’s cottage from Sleeping Beauty
- Merida’s Mystical Scottish Forest: Traverse Merida’s mystical forests to discover the will o’ the wisps and the wonders of Scotland from Brave
Employers benefit from cultivating healthier, happier families
Employee stress can take a significant toll on the health of the organization by lowering productivity and increasing absenteeism and turnover. In fact, more than 20% of workers spend at least five on-the-clock hours a week thinking about their stressors, including the mental health challenges of their children. Unfortunately, kids are often left behind when it comes to mental health resources and important conversations about mental health.
With Calm, employers can provide employees and their kids with preventive tools to combat stress, anxiousness, and sleep problems while building self-care skills, confidence, and resilience. According to a survey of nearly 2,500 Calm subscribers, 87% of parents using Calm with their kids said that Calm helped their child sleep. Sixty-three percent said that Calm helped their child to manage emotions, such as feelings of anxiousness.
By bringing together two reputable, well-known brands, the Disney Collection in the Calm app can help break down the mental health stigma and inspire engagement with mental health.
For more information on proactively supporting employee mental health and well-being, check out our pricing or connect with a Calm specialist today.
