How The Air Out App makes attaining Emotional ‘Instant Relief’ accessible to All

The Air Out app, available on iOS and Android, strikes me as a personalized version of the similar-in-scope Blind for professionals. On its website, Air Out describes itself in part as enabling people to “vent, confess, and even brag in the six themed chat areas—without any debate!” Air Out says it’s fast, effective, and provides users “instant relief.”

Air Out’s six spaces are named Moms, Dads, Work, Love, Vent, and Brag.

“Think of it as a virtual diary of sorts: [it’s] a place to vent, confess, and brag privately,” Courtney Stanfield, Air Out’s founder, said in describing the app during a recent interview with me. “What we don’t say, we store in our bodies; a small negative thought can quickly build, leaving you feeling weighed down, bad about yourself, and stuck. When you give thoughts and feelings a place to go you are freeing yourself, instantly. It is a quick and effective tool for keeping your peace when emotions run high.”

Stanfield, a mother to three children and a longtime Canadian broadcaster who’s the weekend weather anchor in two major cities, explained to me Air Out’s origin story traces back to its beginnings as an outlet for parents. Air Out’s original conceit was to, according to Stanfield, “help parents with the struggles of raising kids” but which quickly widened its aperture so as to be accommodating of everyone. Air Out’s target demographic is people ages 13 and older, with Stanfield saying the software is “a helpful tool for anyone and everyone wanting to feel more peaceful, confident, and at ease during their day.” Brevity and concision drive Air Out’s posting, as the app has a 100-character limit with language filters in place. Notably, there are zero mechanisms for liking or commenting on posts; in this sense, Air Out is the “anti-social media” app of sorts. Users are able to view their previous posts, but that’s it. Air Out is for the user.

“The idea came to me in a dream and I started emailing app development companies in the middle of the night because the vision was so profound,” Stanfield said to me in describing where Air Out’s roots lie. “I want to help people help themselves, and this is an easy way to stop feeling stuck, stop being impacted by the thoughts that aren’t even yours. Our thoughts are often just a byproduct of our emotional and energetic state, not a reflection of us. When you ‘green light’ the thoughts you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing for fear of judgement, giving them a place to go, you make space in your body and mind. With anonymity, we are all equal and safe to express ourselves freely.”

Stanfield conceded making Air Out “has been a huge learning experience and leap of faith as this is completely out of my wheelhouse. She leapt into app development because “nothing like [Air Out] exists” and she wanted to help people “feel better.” She added she’s a “firm believer” in the idea of “being able to separate from your thoughts and not buying into the criticisms, self-doubt, and frustration we all experience.”

Air Out has been out only a few months, with Stanfield continually amazed at how she, with the help of a software development firm, is a developer. “It’s not where I thought life would take me,” she said, “but I am very excited to be here and see how it grows!”

At its core, Air Out is all about accessibility. Stanfield said as much, telling me that by providing an anonymized safe space where one can speak their mind without fear of neither judgment nor retribution, “you are safe to express yourself freely and are allowing the weight of them to fall off your shoulders.” Stanfield’s sentiments are of particular poignance to the disability community. Already a group casted away to live at the margin’s margin societally, it can be difficult, if not downright impossible, to talk about things such as systemic ableism without the aforementioned fears of judgment and reprisal. This is not at all trivial, as talking about disability (and disability inclusion) is oftentimes fraught with emotional and logistical landmines. In a world where not an insignificant number of people without disabilities characterize being disabled as a fate worse than death, take it from me: it can be hard to bite one’s tongue and not say everything you want to say out of fear of the reaction. Given this context, a place like Air Out is an outlet to share those thoughts and feelings in an anonymized environment. In essence, Air Out can be a conduit through which a disabled person—or anyone else, really—can attain some measure of better mental health by baring their soul to no one.

Air Out’s testimonials speak to that ideal. One user, Jess C, said in part it has been “a lifesaver” and lauded the ability to “vent without worrying about anyone judging me.”

As to the future for Air Out, Stanfield is hopeful more people try it. The app exists, she said, “so you can make space in your life to feel lighter,” while noting early feedback centers on “how great it felt to say someone out loud, how freeing it is to actually say the things you wouldn’t say to anyone, and how refreshing it is to see we are not alone.”

Long-term, Stanfield believes Air Out has potential to become a “revolutionary space.”

“I hope the word continues to spread about the app and it lands in the right hands of the right people to help it grow,” she said of Air Out’s prospects for the future.