Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations. At Twitter Spaces, my friends and I talked about taking care of ourselves. The usual “me” time spent outside at the spa or salon is limited. Even fitness classes have turned into online classes. So we shared ways to take care of our mental health in addition to staying safe at home. I told my friends that I turned to technology to improve my well-being. I reviewed the resources provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) on tips for reducing stress and staying mentally healthy. “Doing What Matters During Stress: An Illustrated Guide” is a guide to managing stress in dealing with adversity. The downloadable illustrated guide supports the implementation of the WHO recommendation for stress management. Another unique guide that could be downloaded is “Living with the Times: A Toolkit for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Seniors During the Covid-19 Pandemic”.

In addition to WHO resources, wellness apps have proven to be helpful to me. Before the pandemic, I never needed wellness apps, but looked for self-help and assertiveness in my early quarantine. A good friend introduced me to all of her wellness applications. “I have all kinds of meditation apps, but I use one or two at a time. I have such a short attention span, so I like a variety of meditation apps. ‘between them offer free and paid versions, “she explained. I checked its recommended apps. Inscape is great for relaxing and de-stressing on the fly and when you need to sleep. There is a short meditation, then chimes and bells. The Calm meditation and sleep app includes stretching mediation, masterclasses and music to induce the ultimate state of zen. Mesmerize combines engaging visuals with soothing psychoacoustic music and guided meditations to deliver a complete meditation experience. Using the trial version, I was able to relax and sleep in a matter of minutes, so I didn’t even have time to enjoy the visuals. This is similar to “Cosmic Flow”, an app in my Oculus Virtual Reality headset, but it’s 2D instead of virtual. The graphics are so beautiful, crisp and clear, and the meditations help relieve anxiety.

Unlike my friend, I prefer to use one wellness app per device. Among all the apps she recommended, the tapping solution (thetappingsolution.com) stood out. Tapping, also known as the Emotional Freedom Technique, is known to be a powerful holistic healing technique based on research studies featured on their website. It is based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology. The basic tapping technique forces you to focus on a negative emotion at hand – a fear, worry, bad memory, unresolved problem, or whatever is bothering you. While remaining mentally focused on this problem, one uses the fingertips to tap five to seven times on nine specific meridian points of the body. At first it seemed odd to tap on these meridian end points, but verbally or mentally addressing the root cause of the distress, sent a calming signal from the body to the brain. My friend said that the tapping meditation helped build her confidence as she moved on to a new career. What I love about this app are the 18 Free Coronavirus Stress & Anxiety Meditations. To name a few, one could find meditations for anxiety relief, sense of security, financial anxiety, productivity stress, release anxiety related to doing being stuck at home, release from diagnostic stress and release from shock. Even children have their own meditation to relieve their anxiety. Nick Ortner, author of The Tapping Solution, integrates audiobooks on the paid version of the app. Follow the YouTube channel “The Tapping Solution” to learn the basics of tapping.

Find out about other ways that might improve your well-being, because what works for me might not work for you.

This article is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice. Consult your physician before embarking on any fitness and wellness plan. You can also contact the National Center for Mental Health by calling 02 1553, +63 917 899 8727 or 02 7989 8727. Visit mentalhealthph.org for stories and resources that inspire and educate, including a directory of professional services, facilities and more.