Improving One’s Mental Health Through Technology

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Whether you use mobile apps, gadgets, or virtual reality, one of the vital things to focus on is your mental health. You should spare at least an hour of every day for it, paying attention to your thoughts and emotions and finding ways to balance yourself physically and mentally. In the end, your efforts in taking care of how you feel and think will all pay off. As they say, life consists of only moments, but if you make them count, they will all matter. Being mindful or mindless is a choice, and so does winning and losing. The worst thing is to lose and be mindless!

Technology and mental well-being are complementary digital tools that can help us reach mindfulness and be mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. So let’s show you how to improve on your own with the assistance of technology.

In recent years technological advancements including the ability for face-to-face interaction across distances, as well as mobile phones and the ability to text, have allowed therapists to be available when they previously were not. — William Berry, LMHC., CAP.

Technology And Your Search For Mental Health

Mindfulness is among the most vital parts of mental well-being. It’s how we practice being in the moment, focusing only of the right now and setting aside the past and the future. Other mental health issues are equally challenging, but with the use of modern digital tools, which are not necessarily our enemies, help for us and our loved ones are not far from reach.

Stress is the number one culprit that leads to a gamut of health problems – depression, diabetes, heart disease, and even obesity. Family misunderstandings, troubled kids, traffic, and work deadlines – the number of stressors is longer than this one. So how does technology alleviate stress? How can a digital tool help handle mental and emotional issues? According to The Medical Futurist, meditating or distressing efficiently with the use of technology does not completely cure stress in the long term, but it’s a great tool for starting your journey to wellness. Below is a list of some helpful tools that you can use to loosen up in the middle of traffic, do some self-meditation during a lunch break, or just to listen to some calming sounds and music to awaken and clear the senses.

Digital Tools For Stress And Other Mental Health Issues

Muse Headband. This tool provides real-time biofeedback to your brain about what’s happening inside your head. It doesn’t try to modify your brain’s patterns, but it attempts to teach you how to make the changes yourself. When you put it on, you follow the breathing patterns instructed to you through sound waves and chirping birds. If you have a hyperactive brain, the Muse provides feedback to guide you into clearing your thoughts.

 Apps also provide more robust information to therapists, showing variation throughout each day and week and even tracking changes over time. And especially with younger patients who love to text, they’re offering up more information and commentary into the ‘log’ portion of the app, which gives therapists more to work with. — John Smith Ph.D.

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Headspace. Recommended by Hollywood actress Emma Watson, the Headspace app is something worth trying, and it is claimed to be one of the best choices for those who want to practice meditating and stress relieving on a hectic day. The ten-minute program consists of focusing and releasing stress and anxiety and doing a bout of meditation. You can choose from hundreds of themes, all of which provide you with feedback on your weak points.

Deep Virtual Reality. See yourself underwater with eyes open and your body very light and glowing. The world around you is turning slow, like your body moving against the water effortlessly. And then you imagine the scenario and use it as your point for starting meditation. That is what you will experience with Deep through virtual reality. There is nothing about the real-life toxic conditions – only peace. A personalized controller fastened around the diaphragm and a tool called Oculus Rift assists you as you perform your movements in an underwater VR via diaphragmatic breathing.

Relax From Fitbit. This is available only on Fitbit’s Ionic and Blaze models. It’s a breathing exercise that lasts for approximately 3 to 5 minutes. It is aimed at helping the user normalize his breathing and heart rate. It’s a quick method to do some exercise and a short calming practice every day. When you monitor your vitals and realize they’ve been going down or normalizing, you’ll want to do the app every day.

Focus@Will. I don’t know about you, but I am one who works better when I’m listening to music. It seems that concentration on my end gets sharper and I get more creative if I choose the right music to listen to. Focus@Will welcomes you to try their wonderful service for individuals who know that their work is seamless and the best with background sound. The program begins by identifying your type of personality by asking you to answer a few questions. Then it provides you with a choice of music genre that you can listen to while you’re doing something to help you improve your concentration.

Source: news.mit.edu

These technologies help us to connect on a level never seen in history; and for individuals less likely to seek professional help, they provide a confidential self-paced avenue towards change. — Frederick Muench Ph.D.

Do you know of more digital tools and other modern technology that reduces stress and other mental health issues? Let us know!