Elmo checks in, a worried nation comes clean
Top, Elmo, the "Sesame Street" character, and above, the Elmo post on X, formerly Twitter, that went viral. Credit: Getty Images/Jemal Countess
It seems a simple question:
“How are you doing?”
Often, we provide a simple answer:
“Fine.”
But are we really “fine”?
If we really ask — and answer — truthfully and fully, neither the question nor the answer is often that straightforward.
That became clear last week, when a furry red monster — the one so many kids love to tickle, or hug at night, or learn from on television — took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and posted:
“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?”
Needless to say, the answers were not: “Fine.”
“Elmo I’m suffering from existential dread over here,” said one.
“Elmo we are tired,” said another.
“Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life,” said a third.
“I’m so tired of this life @elmo the anxiety and my panic attacks and also my depression is killing my mental health,” one practically cried. “I NEED HELP.”
Elmo’s post now has more than 208 million views, more than 20,000 replies, and more than 60,000 shares. The responses are both personal and universal. People are worried about the world, worried about the nation, unable to pay their bills, or otherwise suffering and struggling in small and large ways.
Mental health professionals say the thread reflects our nation’s severe and very real mental health crisis. Sesame Workshop and the beloved residents of “Sesame Street” themselves responded with resources and support, including an offer of cookies from a certain furry blue monster. At the top of the replies now sits a response from 988 — the nation’s suicide and crisis hotline — offering assistance.
Elmo’s question, combined with the collective cry for help and the collective attempt to help that followed, highlights just how extensive and common our mental health struggles are, just how far behind we are in addressing them, and just how important it is to talk about it. An analysis published this week by KFF, formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, found one in five adolescents reported experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety. Previous studies found that half of adults ages 18-24 reported similar symptoms.
It may feel as though there’s nothing any of us can do. But Elmo taught us that’s not quite true.
We can ask “How are you doing?” — and mean it. We can seek a real answer to the question — and truly listen and respond with support, suggestions and ways to get help. We can check in — really check in — with those around us more often. And when our own answer is not “Fine,” we must be honest with those we trust and seek help, not only from a big-hearted monster with a squeaky laugh, but from friends, family, colleagues, and the therapists and physicians best suited to guide us.
A day after his check-in, Elmo posted again, saying he “learned it is important to ask a friend how they are doing” and promised to check in again soon.
“Elmo loves you,” he wrote, in his familiar sign off.
It may be easier for us to let a three-year-old “Sesame Street” character ask the tough questions — and to answer him truthfully — than say any of it out loud. But we have to try. Especially when everything’s not A-OK.
Columnist Randi F. Marshall's opinions are her own.
Randi Marshall is a member of the Newsday editorial board.