Technology often gets a bad rap when it comes to mental health. We hear a lot about how social media can make us feel bad about ourselves or how spending too much time looking at a screen can make us overweight, but technology can do a lot of good for us, too, particularly when it comes to our mental health. BALANCE and moderation are key.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at just some of the ways that tech can boost your mental health right now:
1. De-stress with meditation apps
Meditation apps like Calm and Headspace have been around for a few years now and they are great tools if you are feeling stressed out, anxious or depressed and you want to find ways to calm your busy mind and boost your mental health. In as little as 5 minutes per day, you could drastically improve your moods simply by following along with one of their meditations.
2. Neurofeedback for anxiety
If you are suffering from anxiety specifically, then you need to know about neurofeedback. Neurofeedback for anxiety is a simple tool that enables you to measure your brainwaves and use them to feedback to your brain to promote healthy functioning. It might sound a little complicated, but it can be very effective.
3. Social media to fight loneliness
If there is one aspect of tech that really gets a bad rap, it is social media. However, sites like Facebook and Twitter can also be a force for good, especially if you are someone who is suffering from loneliness. They help you to connect with people, make friends, talk about your hobbies and build relationships. It’s all about how you use them!
Social media is best when it SUPPLEMENTS real life relationships. This could mean helping you maintain and strengthen established relationships or START new relationships that you plan on reinforcing in real life.
4. Online therapists are there to help
These days, you do not have to head to a fancy office to speak to a trained professional about your mental health; you can simply download an app like BetterHelp and very quickly be matched with a trained therapist ready to help you.
If you are working on a tight budget, you can even talk to therapy chatbots that can help you to work on anything you need. Yeah, I know – sounds a little far fetched. But many people have been helped by talking through their problems with these artificially intelligent helpers.
5. Fitness trackers can get you moving
Fitness trackers like the Fitbit can encourage you to do more exercise and improve your health. This is not only good for your physical health, but also your mental health because studies have shown that exercise can help to lessen symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety by releasing happy-making endorphins into the bloodstream, making them great tools to boost your well being.
Technology has many pros and many cons, especially in the realm of mental health. While it’s smart to be aware and even wary, it’s also great to options that can be forces for good.
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