The Use of Technology in Helping Our Mental Health
I just got an Apple Watch two weeks ago, which was a new sort of thing for me to do. I typically do not like being surrounded by technology, so I put off the idea as long as I could until my husband presented it to me as “necessary”. But, I thought it was time to try, and I thought it would benefit others to learn about the ways that technology can support your mental and physical health goals.
One of the first things it notified me of was that I hadn’t stood up in an hour. I thought that was quite rude to bother me with, as I was in the middle of work so of course I wasn’t going to be standing and moving. And then it had to go and bring “goals” into it, which I couldn’t ignore- I never have been able to as a goal-driven person.
My watch informed me that for 12 hours of the day, I need to spend one minute standing and moving. Sounds easy enough right? Except I realized I tend to concentrate my physical activity solely into two time periods during the day and spend the rest stationary. I work during the day at a desk, then do a bunch of activity and errands, and then relax until it’s bed time. Apparently, that is not the best for my mental and physical health.
My motivation to win and exceed goals now has me standing up and jumping at my desk for the last minute of each hour just to appease a dumb watch. I can’t say that it has done anything for me physically, but I was surprised at how it effected me mentally. When working at one’s desk for hours upon hours, it is easy to get lost in the monotony of emails and typing. Having a reminder to change positions has now become a thing to look forward to. I may walk out to my garage, grab a bottle of water, and come back. I may remind myself to let my dogs outside, walk to the gate and do so, and then come back. I may walk over to my husband’s office one room over and say hi. One minute of my time, and yet I must say it allows me to feel more focused in my progress.
The other thing it tried to do- although admittedly I turned off the notifications a couple of days in because I got annoyed- is give me mindfulness reminders. Twice per day it would prompt me to spend a minute deep breathing, thinking positive thoughts, or focusing on relaxing my body. I can even track that in my watch and monitor its progress. How wonderful must it be to get reminded to engage in deep breathing exercises. Every counselor I have met has emphasized mindfulness, and now you can get reminders at any regularity you wish to be displayed on your wrist and tracked there as well.
For the mindfulness reminders, I would suggest modifying the notifications so that they are delivered during times you are more mentally open to such tasks. Mine liked to deliver to me at 7am- which is before I wake for the day- and 7pm- which is when I put my child to sleep. Maybe I would suggest having them set every 4 hours of your waking day, alternating in their prompts.
Next, it tracks my sleep and lets me know when I should go to bed in order to achieve my optimal sleep goal each night based on my calendar for the next day. It then can let me know how “successful” my sleep was- how restful, how much time I spent in each cycle, and how to modify my sleep schedule to make the most of my time!
Finally, much to my husband’s chagrin, I can now Walkie-Talkie him with the tap of a button. Instead of typing out a text he can ignore, or sending a phone call he can decline, I can ping him wherever he is and instantly begin talking at him. It’s lovely! But it has saved me a lot of time, has increased our positive communication, and helps me feel better connected to him and the other two contacts I have on it (the only two brave enough I suppose).
No, this article is not an ad for the Apple Watch. I just suppose it’s a prompt to get you focused on how to make yourself feel better without the feeling of having the time, energy, or ability to do so. Having silly goals on a silly device on my wrist has motivated me to exercise more, keep up with my life goals better, and communicate with loved ones easier.
If you are struggling to find easy reminders to focus on yourself and your mind, try using some outside help! Technology can sometimes provide positive benefits for our health, in the ways that it can, and if you feel like you may benefit from these programs I suggest you give it a try!
Kyndal Sims
Birch Psychology
