Technological breakthroughs have shaped how we manage stress on the daily. Think about it - even streaming services like Spotify and YouTube offer bursts of entertainment and inspiration when we seek it.
Today, as the world poses unforeseen challenges, accessible respite and advice to guide our mental well-being along is proving more vital than ever. Lucky for us, content creators and developers have innovated new and delightful ways we can share a laugh and loosen up at home. Here are some of our favourites:
Virtual Listening Ear
With measures and protocols dictating our days, it’s completely normal to feel weighed down by a new world of responsibilities and stress. Many apps have emerged in recent times to provide virtual listening ears, especially as we’re staying home. Woebot is a free therapy chatbot created by a clinical psychologist at Stanford University, using scripted responses to teach you to spot negative patterns in your thinking, before reframing them. The Bloom app is another go-to that offers daily video therapy sessions and a personalised mood tracker.
Calm And Connected
Wonder why people tell us to simply “breathe” when we’re stressed? Breathing is a subconscious, involuntary action that's among the most basic rhythms of life. Taking back control of our breaths helps us find our rhythm again, thus calming us down. Apps like Calm and Aura excel at providing guided meditation and relaxation aid. The Meditation Vacation offers a mystical journey of self discovery, and Optimal Living Daily podcasts inspire positivity upon pressing play.
Press N For Nostalgia
If you’re a gamer, one of the simplest joys of growing up has to be coming home from school to play computer games. Websites like Miniclip and Zynga still host in-browser classics that let you spend hours like minutes. Various studies through the years have proven that games provide mental stimulation that alleviates anxiety and depression, as does revelling in nostalgia. If your kids are showing signs of stress themselves, let them have their turns too!
Staying Social
It is only understandable to have boredom and cabin fever creep up on you at home. Thankfully, there are many around the world who’ve taken it to social media with ways to entertain themselves, and the rest of the online sphere. The ‘Hit Every Beat’ and ‘Say So’ challenges on TikTok are two of many that you can get your families involved in for some inter-generational fun. The #DrawingChallenge on Instagram also has millions unleashing their inner-artists from their homes!
Upskill & Onwards
Staying and working from home surprises us with pockets of free time we wouldn’t find otherwise. If learning new skills and information excites you, there’s plenty of resources online that encourage you to do just that. Browse through free Ivy League courses, register for online classes in a field you’ve always shown interest in, or finally pursue a hobby and learn the ropes by engaging with online communities. It’s like Dr. Seuss wrote, “the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”
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Unprecedented challenges tend to invite new stresses, but when we think we’re running out of ways to cope, there’s always new ways to think, learn, dance and find cheer.
To read more about taking care of your mental health and well-being, click here.