The Healium AR App on your iPhone that helps you manage anxiety

In Australia, it’s estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression, and over 2 million have anxiety. But what is anxiety? Anxiety is basically holding a thought or a feeling for too long and repeating it over and over again. Everyone feels anxious now and then. But if anxiety doesn’t go away and is affecting your everyday life, then you might have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are very common and they can be treated.

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety is an important feeling for everyone. It helps us get around safely in the world and avoid danger. But for some people, anxious feelings don’t go away. They can see situations as much worse than they really are, and their anxiety affects their ability to concentrate, sleep and carry out ordinary tasks. These feelings can be caused by anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the most common group of mental health conditions in Australia and affects 1 in 4 Australians at some stage in their life. However, anxiety disorders can be treated.

Women are more likely to develop anxiety than men, but it is not clear why. There are many forms of anxiety disorder but the one thing they have in common is their impact on day-to-day activities.

Anxiety can affect your ability to concentrate, sleep and carry out ordinary tasks at work, home or school. People with anxiety disorders often feel they have to avoid stressful situations and in extreme cases avoid going out altogether. Physical symptoms are common and include shortness of breath, a pounding heart and trembling hands. Anxiety disorders can be caused by many things. These include genetic factors, ongoing stress, family background, physical health issues or a traumatic event.

The Healium AR App on your iPhone that helps you manage anxiety

Though it’s the doctor that you should contact in case of any Anxiety emergency but technology is helpful in many of such cases. If you own an iPhone then there is a such app that will certainly help you manage anxiety.

This app is called the Healium AR App. You use your brain’s positive vibes to hatch butterflies from a chrysalis and your heart rate to illuminate the planets. This app works with a 2016 or later Muse 1 brain-sensing headband or an Apple watch to power experiences with your heart rate.

You can activate a positive feeling, a time when you felt love, joy or appreciation and try to keep that brain pattern (blue wavy line) above the red reference line to see butterflies fly out of the chrysalis. If you have a flat blue line, that could be forehead tension. Then take a few deep breaths and relax.

In this app you can adjust the difficulty by selecting the settings wheel. For heart rate with apple watch, lower your heart rate and see the planets illuminate.

If you want the VR check then try more Healium by emailing hello@story-up.com. Healium stories are metaphors that your thoughts and feelings have power not only in the virtual world but the real world as well. This AR self-awareness experience is not meant to be a treatment or diagnostic tool for any kind of mental health or physical disorder. Remember this app integrates with the health app.

Click here to download Healium AR App, This app requires iOS 11.0 and watchOS 3.1 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Finally remember in case of an anxiety attack or other related disorders you need to talk to your doctor about your anxiety symptoms which will help them make a diagnosis and decide how to best treat or manage your anxiety. At any time, if you feel that you may harm yourself or have thoughts of suicide, talk to family or friends and inform your doctor straight away. You can ring a phone service such as Lifeline 13 11 14, available 24 hours a day. If you are the loved one or carer, dial triple zero (000).