By Dr. Nancy Kao Rhiannon
Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger, whether it’s real or imagined, the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or the stress response. Minor hassles, serious challenges, painful memories, and even positive events can all cause your body to go into this stress response mode and prepare to either fight the threat or run from it.
Mobile applications on smartphones and tablets have added a new weapon to the arsenal of individuals battling stress and its effects on their lives. Mobile apps put useful information and skills in a location that is virtually always available, making them more useful and more impactful. An example of such an app is Breath2Relax from the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2).
Breathe2Relax provides simple, step-by-step instruction in performing diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing has been documented to decrease the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, and help with mood stabilization, anger control, and anxiety management. Through a simple, engaging and customizable interface, Breathe2Relax instructs the user how to perform and apply the breathing exercise and provides education on the effects and benefits. The app is available for iPhone, iPad, and smartphones and tablets running an Android OS.
It’s important to remember that long-term sustained stress is dangerous. It can disrupt brain chemistry and interfere with healthy brain and body functioning. It can make you irritable, depressed, anxious or threaten your life by contributing to heart disease and weakening your immune system. Applications like Breath2Relax can provide vital techniques for controlling the physiological effects of stress, and help build your resilience in dealing with it in the future.
Dr. Rhiannon is a Subject Matter Expert for the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2), and lead for the mobile applications team.
Nice post, thanks for sharing. I cant go anywhere without my Iphone, so it’s nice to have some stress relief apps on it.
Look forward to seeing more
stress management