Signal Spring 2021 Newsletter

www.alliancecom.net 15 If you touch the mouse or the keyboard, it resets the timer back to two minutes. It’s perfect for those days when you just need a couple minutes of peace. Raining.fm raining.fm For some people, there’s nothing more relaxing than the sound of falling rain. This website lets you listen to rain, no matter what’s going on with the weather outside. Listen to simple rain, rain with a bit of thunder, or a full-blown rainstorm. Put on your headphones, close your eyes, and relax to the sound of raindrops. Headspace www.headspace.com Headspace is a website (and mobile app) that’s on a mission to improve the health and happiness of the world. Started by a Buddhist monk, the site offers guided meditations and courses to help you be more mindful, reduce anxiety, and find relaxation in your life. The site also fea- tures articles to guide you on your journey to find peace. Wearable Tech to Monitor and Manage Stress Fitbit Most people know Fitbit as the wearable device that counts your steps, but it can do so much more. The most recent Fitbit, the Sense, tracks your body’s response to stress by measuring electrodermal activity (changes to your skin). Fitbit Sense gives you a daily Stress Management Score, which can help you pinpoint activities or tasks that stress you out so you can reduce or eliminate them. AppleWatch The Apple Watch can help you monitor and manage your stress levels in a cou- ple of ways. You can follow the guided breathing exercises on the Breathe app to help you relieve stress when your heart rate variability (HRV) sensor shows your heart rate and stress level rising. You can also wear the watch while sleeping and use the SleepWatch app to track your sleep habits. SleepWatch provides reports on sleep patterns including Total Restful Sleep, Sleeping Heart Rate Dip, and 7-Day Sleep Rhythm. This information can help you make little changes to your sleep rou- tines to get better, more healthful rest. Apps to CalmYou Calm Calm is a portable relaxation audio suite for your phone. The app offers guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing exer- cises, nature sounds, and even relaxing, voice-free music. Use the Check-Ins fea- ture to record how you’re feeling, what you’re grateful for, and any reflections on each day. YouTube YouTube isn’t just for funny cat videos anymore. You’ll find relaxation tools from guided meditations to yoga sessions and everything in between. Using the YouTube app on your mobile device lets you take all your favorite relaxing videos with you everywhere, so you can find moments of peace throughout your day. Pocket Yoga For those who find yoga relaxing, there’s Pocket Yoga. This app is your own por- table yoga studio. You can find a session designed to help you start your day, relieve stress throughout the day, or wind down at the end of the day. Beginners will like the illustrations of poses and the yoga dictionary that explains the benefits of each pose. Daylio Daylio is a mood tracking app that helps you keep tabs on your mood and activities throughout the day. As the app collects information over time, it gives you a clearer picture of what you’re doing and how those activities are affecting your mental health. The app can help you discover what makes you happy, set goals, and make reflection a part of your daily routine.