Mindfulness can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.
NOTE: These apps are not intended as a replacement for professional medical advice. If you feel like you’re struggling with your mental health, contact your GP. You can also find tips for coping with the coronavirus outbreak at sacoronavirus.co.za/2020/04/10/covid-19-lockdown-and-your-mentalhealth/ (or call 0800 029 999).
What is mindfulness meditation?
All the apps highlighted here have one feature in common: mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness-based therapies have been shown to reduce anxiety and stress, and prevent relapses of depression. Mindfulness meditation involves closing the eyes and allowing thoughts to come and go. It often involves focusing attention on the breath, or on the body. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not about trying to get rid of unwanted thoughts: the aim is rather to let thoughts pass through the mind, without latching onto them.
VI@panorama.co.za
5 MENTAL HEALTH APPS TO HELP YOU THROUGH THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
In late March, as the lockdown was just beginning, surveys in the UK and the US were already showing that the pandemic was negatively affecting people’s wellbeing. Thankfully, there are resources out there to help us. Mental health apps can provide one way to calm the mind and help you keep track of your well-being. Here are five of our favourites, all available on iOS and Android.
1. CALM
Denne historien er fra November/December 2020-utgaven av Very Interesting.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November/December 2020-utgaven av Very Interesting.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TAKE IT SLOW
Slow running is a fitness trend with some hard and fast science behind it
Physics, AI and music share a common thread. You just have to know where to look
Studying science can lead you in many directions and open doors to unexpected possibilities along the way
BED BUGS VS THE WORLD
When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that's been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans
Kids are the key to understanding obesity. But we need more of their genes...
We can unravel the role that bodyweight plays in disease, but we need a bigger, more diverse, sample of genetic material to do so
COVID inquiry: What did we learn and what can we do better in future pandemics?
Masks, social distancing, lockdowns... how effective was the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic?
One hormone could be the key that unlocks a cure for morning sickness
The nausea and vomiting that, in extreme cases, can endanger mothers and babies might soon be just a memory
THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST CREATURES
Under the sea and upon the land, some animals look - to us - pretty strange...
WHEN MIND AND MACHINE COLLIDE
First, Elon Musk wanted to make electric cars ubiquitous, then he wanted to make space exploration a private enterprise. Now, with Neuralink, his newest venture, Musk hopes to merge humans and artificial intelligence. Turns out, it might not be such a crazy idea...
COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
Social anxiety is more than just being shy. It's a phobia born out of our evolutionary past. But that raises a puzzling question: why do so many of us fear human interaction when we're supposed to be the most sociable species on the planet?
SPACE ODDITIES
Take a tour of the weirdest spots in the universe, where the 'normal' rules don't apply. Places that squeeze time, blow bubbles and even rain glass... sideways