Learn all about the accessory that tracks your stress — and helps you cope
Technology makes it really easy to keep track of our physical health these days. A FitBit bracelet can track your heart rate, your movement, your caloric burn—even your quality of sleep. But what about keeping tabs on your mental health?
A new accessory called WellBe may be the answer. The bracelet, developed by two dudes that have already successfully created an online meditation community, functions much like a FitBit. It senses your resting heart rate and heart rate variability, which is the time between each heartbeat.
Here’s the phenomenal part: The bracelet sends this information to an app on your phone that syncs with your calendar and location. The program begins noting which days, activities, and people cause your heart rate to go up, signifying stress. Sure, some stressful situations might be obvious (math tests), but some might not be (toxic relationships). Instead of encouraging users to avoid stressers, WellBe provides personalized coping method suggestions, such as breathing exercises or meditation. What an awesome way to find which mindful habits can help you as an individual, based on your actual life, instead of a generalized article.
WellBe’s Indiegogo video shows the bracelet in action. One of the coolest features is an alert that shows up on your phone when the accessory senses that your stress level is high. “It’s probably a good time to take a deep breath, drink a glass of water, and take it easy for a few minutes,” reads the friendly message. Keeping stress under control has major health benefits, so taking five minutes every once in a while for your well-being would be a helpful addition to everyone’s regular routine.
The device’s Indigogo campaign surpassed its goal of $100,000 in under 20 days, so it’s clear that people are interested in the product. I’ve experienced friends and family walking in place during a conversation because they want to reach their daily step goal on their Fitbit—publicly working on your physical health has become totally mainstream. I hope a product like WellBe does the same for mental health exercises. Deep breathing, y’all! It works miracles.
For more information on WellBe, check out their Indiegogo video.
