Pinterest has launched what it calls "compassionate search". This is a set of tools surfaced to people searching for terms which suggest they may be having a bad day. The tools cover everything from deep breathing exercises to self-help exercises.

How to Access Pinterest's Wellbeing Tools

In a post on the Pinterest Newsroom, Pinterest describes these tools as "emotional well-being activities" you can do if you're feeling "stressed, anxious or sad." Each tool "offers people an interactive way to try to improve their mood."

You'll trigger the tools by searching for any one of a number of terms including "stress quotes" and "work anxiety". You'll then see a prompt inviting you to check out these resources, and can either click on them or ignore them.

It's very easy to get these things wrong, but Pinterest's activities have been created with help from Brainstorm, the Stanford Lab for Mental Health Innovation, and advice from Vibrant Emotional Health and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Pinterest has kept these tools separate from the rest of the app. This means you can interact with the mental health and wellbeing tools without that fact being made public. Pinterest is also promising not to track users or show ads based on this activity.

Pinterest already directs people searching for something related to self-harm to the National Suicide Prevention Helpline, and that isn't changing. These are designed to be additional tools for people feeling down and who need a nudge in the right direction.

Download: Pinterest for Android | iOS

Try Logging Off and Going for a Walk

These mental health and wellbeing tools are being rolled out now on the Pinterest app for Android and iOS. Just look for Pinterest v7.25 or later. Unfortunately, this is currently US-only, but Pinterest is promising to expand the activities to more countries soon.

While this is a noble effort from Pinterest, it's thought that technology is feeding people's depression. So we would recommend logging off occasionally as well. Or, if the thought of that moritifies you, here are some free positivity apps that might help.