Humming
Inside Us
How might we support young Chinese Americans to care for their emotional well-being while honoring East Asian collectivist cultural values?
Outcomes
- We hosted two hybrid workshops—combining in-person and online participation—focused on awareness-building and developing self-care routines. In total, 33 people took part.
A participatory project that reframes everyday cultural practices as tools for emotional well-being among first-generation Chinese American young adults in New York City.
Humming Inside Us hosted in collaboration with clinicians and local organizations, Henry Street Settlement and Accent Sisters, a series of culturally relevant self-care workshops blend mind-body awareness with approachable emotional wellness strategiesaimed to build sustainable self-care routines, strengthen individuals’ ability to understand their feelings and reduce the shame often associated with expressing emotions.
CATA
Process Overview
Background
Research Question #1
Research Question #2
Research Question #3
Research Question #4
Logic
HMW
Prototypes
ToC
Intervention - Co-Creation Workshops
Intervention - Journal
Process Overview
Here is a map outlining our step-by-step journey. Our project is based on the Community of Practice (CoP) framework and the Two Loop Model.
Background
Today, approximately 4.7 million Chinese Americans live in the United States, representing 19% of the nation’s total Asian American population. Among them, many young Chinese adults navigate the complex terrain between two cultures—balancing familial expectations rooted in collectivism with the individualistic norms of Western society. Although mental health awareness has grown nationwide, cultural stigma around emotional vulnerability remains deeply ingrained in many Chinese communities.
Approximately 15-20% of Chinese patients visiting general medical clinics reported somatic symptoms without a clear medical cause.
In collectivist cultures, keeping family and community harmony is more important than showing personal emotions. Expressing negative feelings such as stress, sadness, or frustration is often seen as selfish, weak, or disruptive.
Research Question #1
What are the barriers that prevent young Chinese adults from maintaining their mental wellness?
Methodology
We began with a broad inquiry to explore what holds young Chinese adults back from caring for their mental and emotional health. Our methods included:
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22 semi-structured interviews with diverse stakeholders, including Chinese young adults (ages 21–34), licensed therapists, psychologists, and directors of nonprofit organizations focused on mental health.
- Extensive secondary research to contextualize our findings within broader cultural and systemic patterns.
Breakthrough Points
While barriers like stigma and access issues were expected, what stood out was how often participants spoke about the absence of culturally rooted methods that made them feel seen, heard, and supported.
This raised an important question for us: How might we support young Chinese adults in caring for their mental wellness in a way that aligns with their cultural values and lived realities? But before we could design for that, we needed to delve deep into:
Research Question #2
How does Chinese culture play a role in shaping young adults’ willingness or ability to care for their emotional well-being?
Methodology
Given the strong cultural themes that surfaced early in our research, we decided to explore the role of culture more deeply. Our methods included:
- 8 semi-structured interviews, including 5 first-generation Chinese young adults and 3 experts in psychology and mental health.
- Extensive secondary research on Chinese cultural values and their relationship to emotional expression and mental health behaviors.
- In each conversation, we asked participants to reflect on cultural expectations around emotions—specifically touching on themes like collectivism, filial piety, social harmony, emotional restraint, and saving face.
Breakthrough Points
It became clear that emotional restraint wasn’t just a personal habit—it was culturally ingrained. Many young Chinese adults inherited a model of endurance that values silence, composure, and protecting group harmony over personal expression. This helped us recognize that it’s not enough to “encourage emotional openness”—we needed to rethink how emotional well-being is perceived and practiced in ways that align with cultural values.
How might we support young Chinese adults in caring for their emotional well-being in ways that feel culturally familiar, safe, and aligned with their values?
Research Question #3
What kinds of approaches or formats feel safe and engaging for young Chinese adults to explore their emotional well-being ?
Methodology
To explore alternatives to traditional, verbal mental health models, we:
- Conducted 5 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (3 experts working in emotional expression and mental health, and 2 first-generation Chinese young adults).
- Continued secondary research on emotional well-being tools and complementary self-care practices.
We focused on understanding what types of emotional care participants already found accessible, enjoyable, and culturally familiar.
Breakthrough Points
One expert introduced the “emotional wheel” as a helpful tool to expand emotional vocabulary and support self-awareness and expression. While conceptually useful, it didn’t fully resonate with our participants.
While the emotional wheel may not feel culturally accessible in its current form, it sparked an important question for us: What would a Chinese version of the emotional wheel look like? One that moves beyond words—blending familiar daily practices with subtle forms of emotional reflection and self-care.So,
How might we reimagine emotional reflection for young Chinese adults through culturally familiar, non-verbal practices they already engage with in daily life?
Research Question #4
What are their current experiences and preferences with self-care—especially those rooted in culture and non-verbal expression?
Methodology
To better understand participants’ existing emotional coping habits, we designed and distributed a survey focusing on:
- Preferred activities for stress relief
- Past engagement with self-care practices
- Preferred sources for emotional health resources
Surveys
To better understand our target group's preferences for interventions, we designed a survey through Qualtrics .
Breakthrough Points
We realized that emotional care was already happening—but it looked different from traditional Western mental health narratives. Rather than introducing entirely new practices, there was an opportunity to recognize, frame, and amplify the everyday, culturally familiar activities participants already engaged with. This shifted our design focus toward reframing existing rituals—helping young Chinese adults see these familiar practices as meaningful tools for emotional self-awareness and care. This led us to the foundation of our final intervention.
Logic
Expressing negative feelings, as a result, Chinese Americans are more likely to seek care at general medical clinics rather than mental health services, increasing the risk of misdiagnosis or unexplained symptoms.
Our goal is to help Chinese Americans connect their physical symptoms back to underlying emotions, and encourage them to engage in emotional care.
How might we support young Chinese Americans to care for their emotional well-being while honoring East
Asian collectivist cultural values?
Prototypes
Then, we designed this Mind-Body Map to identify current somatization issues within our target group.
To explore how the Mind-Body Map prototype might resonate with Chinese young adults, we conducted 7 rounds of one-on-one, in-person usability test workshops.
Our goal was to observe how participants interacted with the tool, navigated emotional reflection through body-based awareness, and interpreted the visual format in a culturally relevant way.
Participants responded positively to the prototype's unique, visual, and non-verbal approach to emotional self-reflection. Drawing on the Mind-Body Map helped them articulate difficult emotions they often struggled to express in words. Many described a sense of relief, clarity, or emotional release after externalizing their feelings through the drawing process.
In addition to personal insights, participants noted the tool's potential for use in therapeutic or community-based settings. By helping individuals visually express their internal states, the Mind-Body Map could serve as a bridge between clients and mental health professionals—facilitating clearer communication and deeper understanding. Service providers could also use the tool to track emotional patterns over time, evaluate progress, and personalize care in a more culturally responsive way.
There are also places for improvement. For example:
1) participants suggested offering alternative, low-pressure options—like using stickers or color-coded symbols—for those who feel less comfortable with drawing;
2) moreover, several participants emphasized the importance of distinguishing chronic physical pain from emotional discomfort to avoid confusion;
3) emotional reflection can be intense, so there were suggestions to include grounding reminders or gentle prompts to prevent re-triggering distress;
4) participants were excited about the idea of embedding this tool into everyday objects or rituals—like journals, tea packaging, or digital touchpoints—to promote consistent, low-effort use; and
5) long-term sustainability and personal growth were also mentioned. Users wanted a way to track changes over time and revisit previous reflections without pressure.
Based on the valuable feedback from our prototype testing and research, we developed a clearer direction for our final intervention—one that supports both individual self-awareness and community-based engagement through culturally relevant practices.
Theory of Change
Intervention - Co-Creation Workshops
A Series of Co-Creation Workshops: These workshops will be hosted in partnership with mental health organizations and service providers. Each session will combine guided self-reflection using the Mind-Body Map with hands-on, culturally grounded activities that promote emotional care in familiar, approachable ways. The workshops are designed to:- Create a safe, welcoming space for emotional exploration
- Reframe everyday cultural practices as meaningful self-care practices
- Encourage open conversation through non-verbal formats
- Foster trust and connection among participants and facilitators
Workshop
We collaborated with ZiLu, a musical therapist from The Center For Discovery to host a two-hour workshop called [swing with the spring, feel the body and emotions] at Accent Sisters Bookstore on March 22.
Which is an improvisation-based, culturally relevant mind-body awareness workshop to blend mind-body awareness with a playful connection. Also focuses on listening to your body, releasing stress, and building community through joy.
“ Compare my body map before and after the workshop. I notice I can feel my meridian system better...my body became a whole. ”
—participant A
“ I’ve done these exercises before but with white people. It is nice and interesting to do it with the Asian community here. ”
—participant J
This first workshop was insightful. We discovered that the body map can be an effective tool to evaluate workshop impact by using it before and after each session. To enhance the experience, we realized the importance of creating strategies to help participants settle in and engage in deeper self-reflection. Moreover, since we used drawing this time, we're also considering alternative tools like collage for those less comfortable with drawing.
Intervention - Journal
[On- going]
A Mind-Body Map Journal: A printed journal designed as a personal companion for emotional self-care. It will include:
- Several Mind-Body Maps for self-reflection
- Educational content on mental health
- Step-by-step guidance for culturally rooted coping strategies (e.g., tea rituals, calligraphy, breathwork)
- Space for journaling or visual expression
- Information and resources for seeking professional support when needed