More and more of us are putting an emphasis on our mental well-being these days, understanding that we need to keep on top of our stress levels and anxieties in order to maintain a happy and healthy life.
We know that ignoring our mental health can lead to darker paths, from thoughts of suicide to the likes of alcohol and drug addiction, creating changes in your life that are very difficult to come back from.
That can all be avoided, or at least the risk can be reduced by continually looking after our own mental health. Exercise, talking about our feelings, and even just enjoying the company of others can all help, while there are also a range of gadgets that can help you better understand and improve your mental health too.
If 2024 is the year in which you pay closer attention to your own mental well-being, here are five gadgets you should give a try…
Muse 2
The Muse 2 is an incredible piece of kit that is a brain-sensing headband using electroencephalography (EEG) in order to monitor brain waves and provide real-time feedback during meditation sessions.
It’s the perfect accessory for meditation, helping you understand your mind’s activity and allowing you to make key changes to push you towards a more calm and mindful state. The headband itself comes with an app where you can monitor brain waves, as well as download various meditation programs to take your practice of the activity to a completely new level.
Circadia
Light therapy has long been a method that is effective for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder and boosting mood, simulating natural sunlight and regulating our circadian rhythms and serotonin.
The Circadia lamp is one of several on the market and offers a ton of smart features, allowing you to adjust the lamp to meet the needs of the time to make for a more calming and relaxed atmosphere.
Spire Stone
A Spire Stone is an intelligent wearable device that you clip to your waistband and it monitors your breath, tracking stress levels throughout the day. It analyses breathing patterns and activity, encouraging users to find a balance between physical activity and relaxation.
For the most part, you won’t even realize it on and it can be a great way to understand stress levels and the trigger points behind them.
Thync Relax Pro
The Thync Relax Pro is another wearable bit of kit that uses neurostimulation to provide a state of relaxation and calm. It uses electrical pulses to reach specific nerves in the head and neck that then modulate a person’s stress response, promoting a sense of calm.
The gadget itself comes with various different programs that you can tailor to your needs, and is becoming a go-to for so many people looking to manage their stress levels.
Withings Sleep Analyser
Finally, a big part of maintaining positive mental health is a good night’s sleep. The Withings Sleep Analyser is one of the best products on the market for monitoring sleep metrics. You place the sensor under your mattress, and it then tracks the likes of sleep duration, interruptions, and overall quality. The aim is to then use that date and focus on how you can enhance your quality of sleep and what may be causing you to struggle, whether it be activities before bed, foods you eat, and so on.