May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but we’ve made mental health a focus of the entire year here at Davin Healthcare. We’ve already brought you a few blogs of tips to relax and reduce anxiety, but in addition, Davin Healthcare recently announced that all employees would get a year of Headspace for free!
Never used Headspace? Not even sure what it is?
Since we’re super excited about it, here’s an overview of the app!
As stated on their website, “Headspace was started with one mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world.” With this goal in mind, the Headspace app was created and is now used in 190 countries around the world with over 70 million users. The downloadable app promotes mental and physical well-being through programs and exercises that are easy to do.
Once you set up your account and get into the app, you’re greeted with a day’s worth of activities broken down into bite-sized pieces. You can start your morning with a simple breathing exercise, followed by a wake-up inspirational video (that changes every day), and then finish up your morning with a meditation. Depending on how much free time you have, this can take less than ten minutes or up to a half an hour. You continue your day with afternoon and evening activities, including exercises, soundscapes, video blogs, relaxing meditations, and sleep sounds.
Beyond just the day’s activities, you can explore more content to help your mental and physical health. The content is broken down into four main categories. The Meditation tab is filled with unique meditations to fit any situation. There are even beginner meditations for those new to guided meditation. The Sleep tab helps you relax before and after your head hits the pillow. This includes wind-down meditations and breathing exercises, as well as music and soundscapes to sleep to. The Move tab is there to get you up and active. There are quick workouts, dance breaks, yoga, and more. And finally, there’s a Focus tab to help you when you need to get work done and don’t want to get distracted. And threaded throughout all the categories are instructional and motivational videos.
The app is constantly updated with new programs, meditations, and videos. Your home screen offers fresh fun activities each day, so it never gets stale. They even theme some of the activities around the seasons and holidays. Just last week, they had Star WarsTM themed content for May the 4th Be With You Day. (I mean, who doesn’t want to do breathing exercises with YodaTM or R2-D2TM??)
Beyond all of the ways they help you relax and be mindful, they have a section where you can view your progress. In this section, you can “Check In” with your stress and anxiety, view your stats of all of your hard work, and even an easy way to invite your friends to join and work on their happiness!
It is already a hit with Davin Healthcare employees:
“I have used Headspace for breathing techniques and Sleep Radio for a better night’s sleep. It helps me get the clutter of the day out of my brain and focus on me. The tools they have help!”
David
“What I love about Headspace is that when I click into the app itself, it is simplified in colors and navigation, so I immediately feel relaxed choosing which mediation to listen to for the night. Dealing with high levels of personal stress throughout the day can be difficult, so Headspace bringing everything full circle at the end of the evening has been extremely beneficial to my mental health and well-being overall.”
Faith
“Whether you’re doing a 5-minute meditation, listening to rain sounds to help sleep, or having someone read you virtual bedtime stories, it’s clear why they chose to call it ‘Headspace.’”
Dylan
“I love using Headspace at night, the guided meditations and sleep sounds really help clear my mind and prepare me to tackle the next day with a positive bright attitude!”
Bailey
If you’re a Davin Healthcare nurse, allied health professional, or office employee, reach out to your HR rep (or email: benefits@davinhealthcare.com) to learn how you can join for free and participate in these benefits.
We encourage everyone to focus on their mental health and happiness through 2022 and beyond. We’ll continue to bring you tools and tips to ensure you’re well equipped to tackle life’s unexpected stresses and anxieties. So, continue to check back for more!
Note: The included graphic is the intellectual property of Headspace, Inc. and is used with its permission.
