Smart Devices to Reduce Stress and Offer Peace of Mind

We all have and use coping mechanisms and plans to help us get through stressful situations in our daily lives. Did you know that there are several smart devices that can help you to monitor and suggest techniques to reduce stress and offer some peace of mind?

Smart devices are becoming so common in our society yet some of us may not know exactly how to define a “smart device”.

A smart device is an electronic device that is generally connected to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols that can operate to some extent interactively or autonomously. What this means is that a smart device can connect to and interact with the internet and other devices without wires.

Examples of some smart devices are smart phones which connect to other phones, web pages and to the internet. In addition, smart TVs can browse the internet, connect to social media accounts, stream movies and other TV programs. Smart Watches and other wearable devices can connect to the internet and can use Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone for ease of use, adding a degree of convenience that we have never had prior to 2009. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa offer some peace of mind when at home or on the go. They can connect you with resources by using hands free technology.

Many appliances and household features are now able to be accessed and operated by smart devices. For example, using smart devices you can close your garage door from anyplace, preheat your oven, start/stop your dishwasher, or your washer and dryer. You can set your thermostat from any place you have internet access or mobile data signal, you can lock/unlock and start your car too, from almost anywhere you have a mobile or Wi-Fi connection. You can program your Christmas lights to turn on and off by using smart plugs.

Smart watches and other wearable devices can help us to remain connected even if we are hurt and need help.

We can monitor our blood sugar using this type of technology, we can summon assistance if we fall and cannot get up on our own.

The list of conveniences goes on and on; but how can we use our smart devices to promote and nurture our own mental health?

We can use this same technology to monitor our sleep, set timers to remind us to take our medications, or to monitor our heart rates.

Another popular feature is that interchangeable and custom fonts, sizes, and ringtones/vibrations can be used to give added accessibility to users that may have vision or hearing impairments. These features can also aid in reducing stress because the users are able to connect to their own family or support systems.

We can use our smart devices to create calming screensavers, scroll a gallery of our family which might help us get through a stressful time. We can create playlists of our favorite music to listen to and to help us calm us down or to motivate us to get moving and be active.

There are also fun little games that can be installed. Repetitive games like color-matching and tile puzzles are fun to use and allow us to redirect ourselves and take our minds off a stressful situation, even if it is only for a few minutes.

Many people enjoy word searches, crossword puzzles and other brain games as a form of stress release.

There are also many health applications or apps to download from the app/ play store and use that can help us to organize our health history and goals.

These applications are not usually viewed as difficult to use, however, they may require a little guidance to set them up.

A super helpful feature is the built in Global Positioning system or GPS that is built into many smart devices. It is so helpful for families and other loved ones to feel comfort in knowing they can find someone if they need help quickly. There are many online apps that are available that can assist someone in locating a family member or a lost piece of technology.

This type of technology helps us to stay connected to our loved ones. Smart devices can also help us to preserve and extend our personal independence.

If you are willing and able to explore some of these options, you may find that the technology itself isn’t as stressful as we sometimes think it to be.

These lists and descriptions are not all inclusive and do require that your items are defined as smart capable technology.

These options really offer peace of mind, and convenience in a busy world. For many of us that takes just a little extra off our plates so we can focus on the other things that are important to us.

Smart devices are constantly changing/ evolving. Being a little cautious about technology and privacy is probably a good thing, however, smart devices are safe to use and can offer a lot of convenience to the user, and that can reduce stress and increase peace of mind.

Have fun exploring!