In our time of need, Kalm gave us puppies on election night.

Happiness is warm puppy.

This is a little wisdom from Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz was passed Tuesday night by an increasingly frazzled American electorate seeking refuge from potentially catastrophic news. As polling stations closed and states were announced, anxiety began to grow. Will my candidate win? Were the polls misleading? Will I have to live in America where I feel unsafe?

Unfortunately, Steve Kornacki and his many folders were not immediately filled with answers, so we turned to friends, family and online communities for reassurance. In the end, we heard a whisper from all the statistics, an oasis of peace:

“There are puppies playing on the Calm app’s IG page (live stream) if you need a moment to take your mind off your election anxiety,” TV host Nina Parker wrote on X.

And indeed, the screen was filled with puppies, frolicking and chomping, circling and dozing. “Paws and look!” read the caption “Calmness”. “We live with some true friends who are looking for a home.”

The pups were living their best puppy lives, blissfully unaware of any political upheaval. It was a welcome break from the growing anxiety over the election results. Apparently, “Calmness” is not just meditations and bedtime stories. These are also puppies.

Salon spoke with a Calm representative about the puppy’s livestream, as well as the “30 Seconds of Silence” ad that aired Tuesday night and other initiatives to combat political anxiety:

Can you tell me about the origins of the concept of puppy live streaming? Who are the puppies? Someone’s pets? Saves?

Our goal was to create a calming corner on the internet through our Instagram Live. We streamed calming wildlife like penguins and meerkats at the San Diego Zoo while the polls were still open. And when the polls closed, we followed that stream of cuddly puppies up for adoption from Live dog rescue. This plan was research based This shows that watching cute animals can reduce anxiety.

What were the discussions like about how long the live broadcast should last?

It was important for us to provide support to people as polling stations closed and results began to trickle in across the country. That’s why we followed the San Diego Zoo’s live stream of adopted puppies. When the sun set for the zoo animals and they went to bed for the night, we were still able to provide people with calming animal sights to tune into.

Calm Puppies Live Stream on Election Day (Courtesy of Calm)

What has been the response to the livestream?

More than 145,000 people tuned in to these livestreams in search of a place of respite, and the response was overwhelmingly positive, with people sharing their appreciation through social channels. On social media, Calm mentions are up more than 600% compared to the daily average in 2024.

What’s the lesson here – for those people who don’t think there’s any benefit to watching puppies on an app?

The response showed that there is a collective need for respite and respite from the 24/7 news and warnings. It was also important to us to meet people where we knew they would already be—scrolling on their phones—with a moment of calm in real time.

This wasn’t the only election-related content. There were blog posts dedicated to political anxiety and election anxiety, not to mention breathless Instagram posts. I even saw an ad that suggested 30 seconds of silence.

In addition to live streaming, Calm has created supporting resources to help people find rest and relief during election season, including a free collection of content called “Election Season Support” (calm.com/election), “Navigating World Events“A series of mindfulness exercises and personalized, uplifting sleep stories like “Night light.“We also ran calming commercial breaks throughout the election season to break up news cycles with a moment of calm, including our first ‘silent ad’ that aired throughout election night.

How early did the discussions need to take place to have a varied content about the elections?

It was important to us to have support resources for people throughout the election cycle, from debate nights through election week and beyond. This included creating a free resource page with lots of meditations, sleep stories and breathing exercises so that anyone who needed support could access it.

Can you tell us about this “30 Seconds of Silence” ad, from concept to execution?

Building on the meaningful impact of our 2020 CNN Key Race Alert sponsorship and amid a heightened political climate, we knew that providing moments of calm would again be important this election season. Election Day (and the week) comes with a lot of noise, from breaking news to election results to political advertising. As people strive to stay informed and engaged, they may find it difficult to step away, leading to increased stress. We wanted to meet people where they were, with a moment of calm in real time, conveyed through a simple and unexpected 15-30 second video. quiet commercial break between updates and alerts.

Do you have a calendar of high-stress events that you want to target? What’s next?

Calm has always been committed to supporting people through life’s most stressful moments, and we will continue to be there as a resource, whether it’s a collective moment of stress or an individual going through a particularly challenging time.

Calm is also known for partnering with celebrities to invest in and create content, most notably Sleep Stories. Who is the most listened to celebrity of all time?

The top five most popular bedtime stories included Blue Gold (read by Stephen Fry), Wonder (Matthew McConaughey), Waterfall (Tamara Levitt), Night Train in Northland (Erik Braa) and Dream with Us ” Me” (Harry Styles).

Harry Styles Dream With Me Dream Story (Courtesy of Calm)Some of them are very strange and funny. The most recent thing I can remember in this spirit is Tom Hardy as Venomwhich at first glance may seem counterintuitive for sleep. Could you talk to me about this? Is it really calming?

We’ve partnered with Sony on this “Sleep Story” to give Marvel and Hardy fans a way to calm down after watching “Venom: The Last Dance.” This Dream Story gives fans a unique way to connect with the characters and get a good night’s sleep. Our team of content experts knows how to add a soothing magic to all our Sleep Stories with the rhythm of a narrator with background music to lull people to sleep.

I often look for bedtime stories, but many of the ones in Calm are geared toward children, which is my default (Sienna the Sleepy Sloth, by the way). Will there be more made for adults?

We’re constantly creating new sleep content for our members, including bedtime stories for adults since sleep is one of the main reasons people turn to Calm.

How do you think Calm has evolved? Where does it want to go?

Calm started as a meditation app, but we have since grown into a mental health company committed to supporting people on their mental health journey. Through our resources, we help people sleep better, relieve stress, develop daily mindfulness practices, and navigate the many experiences of being human, be it becoming a parent, coming out, developing healthy relationships, dealing with health issues, or changing jobs. and much more.

We are also committed to expanding access to Calm and our newest evidence-based mental health app Peaceful healththrough partnerships with health plans and employers.

Do you have any advice or insight on how to cope with political anxiety?

Focus on what you can control. Worrying about things you can’t change can only make your anxiety worse. Focus on positive actions you can take, such as volunteering or connecting with your community, to help you feel stronger.