WeMind Kit
Embracing social anxiety in the workplace
Embracing social anxiety in the workplace
Social anxiety has become the third most common mental illness in the U.S, but there still is a lack of public understanding of this issue as it often goes unspoken.
Through my research, I found that social anxiety is deeply entangled with environments, situations, and interpersonal interactions; especially within unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and unsafe situations. Workplace exacerbates social anxiety as people are constantly being evaluated by others, exposed to new situations, and required to perform well, which leaves no room for people to share the unspoken and seek support. Guided by the questions of what social anxiety is and how it affects people, this thesis researches how internal and external factors produce and sustain social anxiety.
I create tools and activities for people to support themselves and their peers, while making space for people to voice their needs. This thesis advocates for emotional awareness in the workplace and emphasizes the need to create an emotionally supportive environments built off mutual understanding, support, community, and care.
You could check more details about this project by reading my ︎thesis book ~
Images from 2022 RISD Grad Show. I made these artifacts to elucidate the function of each objects. The stickers of speech bubble invites people to interact with the objects, as well as understanding of the context in a more engaging way.
