Source: Paul Zimmerman / Getty
Elmo made a friendly appearance on “Good Morning America” this week to discuss Sesame Street’s new initiative highlighting mental health awareness.
Earlier this year, everyone’s favorite childhood character took to X (formerly known as twitter) to pose the question, “How is everyone doing?” What was meant to be a simple check in turned into an outpour of responses from individuals expressing their true feelings, ultimately resulting in the post going viral, accumulating 217 million views on the platform. “Some people were feeling very happy but some of them were having a hard time,” Elmo told GMA host Robin Roberts. The post prompted Sesame Street to get proactive and create an online space filled with emotional well-being resources catered to those struggling with feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
On May 1, Sesame Street kicked off Mental Health Awareness Month officially launching its mental health initiative which included animations, emotional well-being guides for parents and guardians, and several over resources that can be found on their website.
As Elmo sat down with Roberts to express how surprised he was from the reaction of the viral post, his friend Dr. Rosemarie Truglio from the Sesame Workshop also joined in on the discussion. The three discussed the viral post and the importance of meeting the needs of kids all over the world during the mental health crisis that is currently taking place.
“We know there’s a mental health crisis and it’s important for us to express our feelings,” Truglio said. “We’re meeting the needs of kids today. We wanted to make sure our stories and resources are there to help children and their circle of care.”
Truglio touched on one of the Sesame Street workshop techniques where they make a glitter jar to symbolize one’s feelings swirling all around, eventually giving a calming effect as the glitter settles to the bottom.
“Glitter represents all the big feelings we’re having inside,” Truglio explained. “So it gives us something to focus on as we’re taking a deep breath.”
While this technique is perfect for young children, anyone can make a glitter jar.
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Elmo’s Viral Check-In Prompts New Mental Health Initiative was originally published on elev8.com
