When the human body is placed under threat, real or imagined, or when too much demand is placed on it, it becomes stressed. The nervous system responds, releasing stress hormones as an emergency alert signalling the body to take a break. Everyone falls under stress once in a while. In Nigeria, stress is constant, especially for people who live in the metropolitan city of Lagos. However, aside medications, you can alleviate stress simply by utilizing your mobile devices.
There is more to your mobile devices than you use them for – text, call, browse and take pictures. Most people spend a lot of time on their gadgets chatting on various social media outlets on the internet, but this can also contribute to the stress pattern you are experiencing, as well as help reduce them. Sometimes, stress can be temporary and can come from doing one thing repeatedly without achieving the desired result.
This kind of stress is needed to motivate and help you achieve your set goals. That is where gadgets come in handy; helping you handle tension, anxiety and reduce stress. These simple tips below are non-medical prescriptions and solutions to help end stress in your life.
1. Find Your Stress Source
To begin your journey to end stress, you should first find out the cause of your stress. You can’t handle what you don’t know, so the best way to beat stress is to first understand it. With your phone, tablet or laptop you can download free stress-tracking applications that would enable you monitor your stress level. There are also stress managing apps to help you alleviate them. These apps are available on blackberry store, Google Play Store and Apple Store.
2. Meditate
Daily meditations are quick ways to calm your senses and reduce depression, anxiety and stress. Yoga is the most popular form of meditation, but not everyone knows how to go about it. Modern technology has developed many supportive tools for people who want to meditate with the help of their gadgets. With mobile applications like Headspace and Buddhify to name just a few, you can now use your mobile devices to meditate.
3. Listen to Music
You must have heard of the soothing power of music. Whenever you are feeling stressed, listen to some cool jams and escape into a world of your own where nothing else but you matters. Music is very effective for relaxation and stress management. It can have great effect on the emotional stability of the body and mind. Up beats would make you feel alive, active and alive, while slow songs relaxes and calms your nerves as well as brings memories.
4. Read
I know someone would always advice you read a book, whenever you complain of being tired. You might wonder what the co-relation is but reading has been proven to help reduce stress. Ebooks have made life easier, and now you don’t have to carry bulky books around. You can read on the go, even while waiting for your meal at the restaurant, without being tagged a bookworm. Reading helps relax the body by lowering the heart rate, thus easing the tension in the muscles.
Majority of your reading can be done on mobile. Reading has even been said to work better and faster than listening to music for stress release. There are a lot to read on your phone or tab, from novels to motivational and religious materials.
5. Play Games
Although exercise, relaxation and music are some of the common suggestions for how to relief stress, playing games on your phone is also a form of mind and brain exercise. There are various reasonable mobile games to choose from and some of these choices help to ease up tension, anxiety, reduce stress and possibly depression. You can go for non-brain cracking games like candy crush or zuma, but do yourself good to mute the sound and not play for more than 30 minutes on a roll.
6. Start a Conversation
Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Blackberry Messenger, Skype and the rest of these chat platforms were created to keep people like you busy. Whenever you feel pressured, tensed or bored with a routine, chat up a loved one or better still put a call through – video call if accessible. This will not only relieve you of the immediate stress but will also increase your productivity once you get back to work. Share your boredom with friends and family members you can trust through your phone and stress will be far from you.
In a nutshell, while trying out these mobile device stress relieve tips, observe and note the improvements you’ve made over time. However, if you still feel stressed after all, feed yourself with desserts because “stressed” is the reverse spelling of “desserts.”