Why Apps Are a Vital Untapped Resource for Stress Relief

Apps can be great for relaxation. Here’s why.

If you’re reading this, it means you’re being proactive with stress management, which is a huge step in the right direction. Reading about stress management can help you to better understand the role of stress in your life and how to best manage it. One sticking point for many people that impedes their stress management efforts is the simple strategy of putting into action what you now know. It’s vital to adopt habits to manage stress.

You may already know about the importance of habits, but here’s a quick cheat sheet. Habits are vital for making change because simple will power alone can be difficult to maintain. If you make something a habit in your life, it becomes automatic. You don’t have to think about it as much or decide each time that you are going to do this thing; you don’t have to rely on motivation to get yourself to do what’s right for you when you’re busy and tired. It becomes something you do without thinking.

That’s where apps can help. They can help you to take what you’ve learned about stress management beyond simple knowledge and into the realm of action and habit. For example, I am a night owl. I know that I need to get enough sleep at night or I begin to feel stress more strongly the next day in the form of increased emotional reactivity and decreased mental acuity. But it’s difficult to get into the habit of getting enough sleep. When I started tracking my sleep, it became a habit to check my sleep and adjust my schedule to ensure I was getting enough. Checking the app became a habit and getting enough sleep became easier. There are several ways that apps can work for you, but this is one example.

For more recommended apps that can really help with stress management, check out this article on stress relief apps that can change your life. You can also, as always, find more in my book, 8 Keys to Stress Management. In addition to providing a large amount of research-backed information on stress, it can help you to create a plan that works for your specific needs, personality, and lifestyle and then put it into action.

Have a great day, and see what apps work best for you.