Hi Anxiety is a digital social impact campaign that uses the field of social emotional learning (SEL) to help young people better manage everyday anxieties and improve emotional well-being.

In July 2019 Hi Anxiety launched as a social impact video series to help teens better deal with anxiety. In the series celebrities shared previously untold personal stories that illuminate their experiences with anxiety and mental health both before they were famous, as well as still today. Premiering in Teen Vogue, the first two episodes featured Awkwafina, star of Crazy Rich Asians, Oceans 8 and Jumanji: The Next Level, and Lana Condor, star of one of Netflix's most watched movies, To All the Boys I've Loved Before. In only a few days, the videos reached well over a quarter million views across Instagram and YouTube, and the campaign has received press coverage in over twenty publications including MTV, Bustle, the Daily Mail, AV Club and Well + Good, in addition to our Teen Vogue exclusive premiere.

In 2020, the campaign expanded to deepen its impact, developing a framework to bring the field of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) from the classroom into social media.

As our SEL framework was being designed, the COVID-19 pandemic began, creating an immediate and incredible need for more mental health support for youth on social media. Hi Anxiety launched several campaigns in response to the multiple challenges of 2020, including a community-driven and expert-vetted anxiety tips campaign and a new season of the Hi Anxiety video series, produced completely remotely and featuring teen stars Lauv, Madison Bailey, Jessica Marie Garcia, Odeya Rush, and Hayley Kiyoko. Premiering in NYLON, the videos have had over a million views across platforms. 

Today, the Hi Anxiety Instagram channel has organically grown to over 200,000 followers with 3.97 million engagements in just eighteen months. Within the account, we share and create art that offers mindfulness, resilience and relatable tips and messages. Additionally, the Hi Anxiety Community Managers provide ongoing social and emotional support to our audience within the comments sections. Our intention is to have reflective, rich engagement by offering stress management tips and self-awareness building dialogue. The team has also referred thousands of followers to mental health professionals in their local communities. 

Hi Anxiety’s partners include The Jed Foundation, our mental health clinical partner, and U.C. Irvine’s Connected Learning Lab, who are sharing their academic expertise on digital well-being and conducting research on the campaign. The first two episodes of the Hi Anxiety video series were made in partnership with Hearts & Minds Media.

Hi Anxiety is produced by social-impact experts Single Palm Tree Productions, and we are honored to be supported by Pivotal Ventures, the investment and incubation company created by Melinda Gates.