A husband and wife team have created an app that they say takes a proactive approach to men’s health.
Kelowna’s Candace and Mike Chisholm have recently released the ‘he’ app and it’s available as a free download while it’s still in its beta version.
“The premise of the app is balance before burnout,” Candace Chisholm told Global News.
“So we deal with all the five fitnesses: mental, physical, emotional, soul and social,” Chisholm added.
Chisholm says the ‘he’ app has tools and resources built into it to help men manage those five fitnesses effectively throughout the day.
But the app’s biggest feature is its community forum.
“Where you can go in and interact, you know, if you are having a tough time, you can really lean into that there,” Chisholm explained.
“But if you are doing okay or if you have been through something and survived it, you can lead that there.”
“Men’s mental health and just mental health in general has always come with a bit of a stigma, ” Jared Kittlitz said.
Kittlitz was an early user of the app and is quick to point out that there’s none of that within the “he” app community.
“These are guys, talking about real problems, in a real manner, they are addressing in such a way that can often be understood by fellow men,” Kittlitz explained.
The Kelowna man recommends the app to anyone with an X and Y chromosome.
“Check it out because there’s no commitment to it, no demands, you are not required to give anything out any information,” Kittlitz said.
Candace and Mike Chisholm are also working on a men’s interactive online course with CMHA Kelowna called “It’s Tough To Talk”.