4 Ways Technology Can Help Ease Anxiety
There are many services that people use everyday because of their entertainment or productivity value. But entertainment and productivity are not the only reasons to use these services. Calming anxiety is a secondary effect of some of the most popular services out there. For sufferers of anxiety and other mental illnesses, this can be challenging because not all services are equally helpful. Some actually do more to trigger anxiety than resolve it. As with all things regarding health, check with your medical professional to be sure you are choosing services that maximize benefits while minimizing harm.
#1 Shop for Quality, Not Quantity
Online retail therapy is one habit many people get into when they suffer from anxiety. This can result in a collection of cheap junk that you don’t really need, but it’s an easy trap to fall into. Especially if you’re under a deluge of “save 10%” and “free shipping” email coupons, banner ads, and the like. We’re not saying that you should stop shopping online. But what if you decided to focus on quality, not quantity? Let’s say that of all the fragrance brands you could choose from you chose one from Tom Ford or Moschino instead of whatever was on sale at the local big box store? You’d probably feel a lot more self-confidence when you wore your new fragrance – even if you’re just wearing it around the house. And self confidence can go a long way towards helping with anxiety.
#2 Skip the Lines at Government Offices
For many people, filling out long applications full of difficult questions can be triggering. That is where online services come in handy. You can file for a new Social Security card without having to spend hours in an overcrowded room of people and not enough chairs with services like GOV+. Then, there are the bewildering questions about addresses you lived at 10 years ago. It is not that you don’t have access to the necessary information. It just might be difficult to recall important details on the spot. This sort of thing is hard for everyone.
Then, there is the added pressure of knowing that these types of documents are for government purposes and are vitally important. That is a lot of pressure, especially if you are filling something out for the IRS. One of the main reasons people use tax preparation services instead of doing it themselves is to relieve the pressure and responsibility for minor mistakes. A tax preparer does it a lot and that experience helps them avoid the mistakes you might make when doing it yourself. Mistakes with taxes can be crucial. Any mistake with any government documentation can be crucial. That is why people with anxiety can relieve the pressure by getting help with government documentation through services.
#3 Stream More Music (without the Commercials)
Children who suffer from anxiety will respond poorly to certain types of music. Some music is designed to play your nerves like an instrument. Your child might need something more soothing. Streaming services provide the world’s entire library of music at your fingertips or voice command. You will be able to streamline the music to your needs. Not only can you make playlists of specific music, you can make radio stations based on a specific song that you like so that you get more like it. In this way, you can filter out the music that is more discordant and clangorous to the nerves.
It is not just the tones and rhythm that can trigger. If you want to continue to enjoy your favorite songs, don’t look at the lyrics. That said, you might want to know what messages your children are getting from pop music. The best streaming services offer an easy way to see the lyrics of most songs. When a member of your family suffers from anxiety, you cannot take anything lightly. Everything is a potential trigger. So utilize music streaming services and parental controls to make music a part of the solution instead of part of the problem in your home.
#4 See Who is At the Door
There are many great home security products on the market today that do not include 24/7 monitoring. If you have suffered a burglary or have been the victim of any type of crime, you might have anxiety about your home safety. You will need more that a few smart home devices to feel at peace. What you need is the added comfort of knowing that someone is watching even when you aren’t. You might not hear the notification if you are asleep or in some place where you can’t get a cellular signal. With a monitoring service, you can feel confident that they will get the signal when you can’t. They will also be able to dispatch emergency services to check on any alarms that are triggered.
Anxiety is a challenging issue to live with. But at the end of the day, it is treatable. It doesn’t have to hinder you from living a normal and productive life. As always, follow the advice of your trusted medical professional. From there, utilize services to reduce insolents of anxiety such as government documentation services, music streaming services, and home security monitoring services. For a person suffering from anxiety, these services are more than valuable: They’re priceless.