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Technology can be a double-edged sword. At times, it can be incredibly distracting whereas at other times, it can be quite helpful. Maintaining your mental health is extremely important, and technology can actually help people cope with challenging health-related situations that may arise. Using modern technology to improve your mental health, for whatever reason, can help reduce the likelihood of panic attacks, anxiety, stress, and other challenging situations.
Online Classes
For those whose panic attacks, stress, or other mental health challenges are brought on by social situations, or common stress-inducing phobias such as public speaking, online classes can help reduce panic. Whether you take a class with others or tackle the challenge yourself, online classes can give a person exposure to the stimulus that is inducing panic.
By educating oneself on how to confront the thing that causes panic in a safe environment, anybody can start to learn how to create a healthier response when put into a situation that would normally cause a panic attack to occur.
Virtual Therapy
One extremely beneficial aspect of technology has been the introduction of telehealth. Unlike normal healthcare providers, telehealth can occur fully virtually. Some medical doctors can even offer limited services wherever you may be.
Something that can be positive for mental health, though, is utilizing virtual therapy. Examples of such platforms include:
- Talkspace
- BetterHelp
- Regain
- Pride Counseling
- Teen Counseling
- Doctors on Demand
Some of these platforms offer services such as live chats with licensed therapists, text or phone call conversations, and general mental health treatment completely virtually. For those who don’t want to go to an in-person office or pay the premium that in-person therapy can sometimes have, virtual therapy is a great way to use technology to work through panic attacks or other mental health challenges. If you have certain forms of physical or mental disability in addition to your panic attack, you might want to use a disability calculator to learn more about your benefits. While virtual therapy might go a long way to help, it doesn’t hurt if there is a local therapist you could talk to without actually paying from your pocket.
Mood and Mindset Apps
In this modern day, there’s an app for everything. Mindfulness and mood logging apps are great resources for anyone, not just those experiencing panic attacks. The goal of these apps is to help individuals manage and improve their thinking.
One such example is the app Calm. This sleep and meditation app helps millions of users achieve better sleep and lower stress or anxiety. From guided meditation to sleep stories meant to relax the mind, this app aims to help users “calm” their thoughts and create positive thinking.
Another popular example is Headspace, which features hundreds of themed meditation sessions aimed at ridding anxiety in someone and improving focus. Just short 10-minute mediation sessions can potentially help someone who is experiencing distress. Adding mindfulness apps to the myriad of other apps on your smartphone won’t take up much space and can potentially have countless benefits.
Digital Journaling
Finally, another key area technology can help reduce panic attacks or other mental health challenges is through digital journaling. Studies have found that journaling can help improve symptoms for a variety of situations and improve a person’s overall mood. Using digital journaling apps or websites can allow a person to better organize their thoughts and declutter their minds.
Try apps such as:
- The Five Minute Journal App
- Day One
- Daybook
- Reflectly
Even taking five to ten minutes out of your day to write down your feelings into your smartphones notes app can help improve your mindset and reduce stress or anxiety, which can be factors in a panic attack.
Mental Health is as Important as Ever
Keeping a positive mindset and using technology to improve your mental health can lead to both physical and emotional benefits. Using some of the above technological resources and applications can help anybody start to manage panic attacks or other mental health challenges. Take the first step towards a healthier mind using technology today.