Stress is part of life. You might feel down because you are ill, it could be that you failed to achieve a goal, or you might just be feeling lonely because you’re far away from loved ones. Despite being immensely useful tools, smartphones have a bad reputation for contributing to our sense of always being ‘
on’. However, there are various simple ways in which you can use your phone to reduce stress.
Monitor your heart rate and calm down
There are several good medication apps available on the Android marketplace. My favorite one is
Instant Heart Rate. This is a free, essential application that measures your heart rate simply by shining a light on your finger tip. You can use it to apply slow breathing down and observe the impact in real time through changes in your heart rate. This handy app provides a kind of biofeedback that you can use to calm down anytime you’re feeling a little anxious or stressed out.
Set location aware reminders
Holding a lot of information (on a daily basis) mentally can be taxing. You have to keep up with everything you need to do in the day, including the smallest things. One of the best ways to relieve this pressure is to use ‘
To do’ lists that are time-specific. You can also configure location-specific reminders that use reminders, Wi-Fi or mobile data. For instance, you might set a reminder to pay someone when you get to the office. The
Tasks – Locale & Tasker Plugin works great for this. It costs $3 on the Play Store.
Communicate with those you love
Feeling down because you miss your loved ones? In a happy relationship, the involved parties feel emotionally together even when physically apart. Use any
instant messaging app on your device to share positive experiences, especially via pictures and videos. Let those close to you know what’s on your mind when you aren’t close together.
Use the weather app to prepare for your day
You don’t want to be caught up wearing light summer clothing on a day that turns out to be rainy. If you’re traveling or organizing an outdoor event, take a look at the
weather app on your Android Smartphone and see what it says. You may need to take an umbrella if there’s a forecast for rain.
Manage your time better
Not managing your time well can get you into stressful situations. For instance, imagine you have an interview slotted for 9 am the next morning. So you somehow miss your regular alarm and oversleep a little bit. You fumble with everything and rush things to get there on time after you wake up. This could have been very well been avoided by setting a
custom alarm so you know that this is a different day. You could record an audio saying that this is interview day and set it as your alarm tone.
Use Google Maps to find your way around
Ever got lost in a new place, maybe a faraway town or city? This costs your valuable time. Google Maps is a solid app that provides street to street directions when walking, driving, or taking public transport in an unfamiliar locality. Making sure that you have this app running on your phone can help you avoid stressful situations.Does your phone reduce or increase your stress? Let us know…
