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July 22, 2013

Mobile App Created to Reduce Student Stress

College students are notorious for living unhealthy lifestyles. Not only do eating habits slip and strange sleep schedules develop, but students are often put under enormous amounts of stress. Between classes, working and dealing with being on their own for the first time, many students find themselves not knowing how to cope with higher anxiety levels than what they’re used to. Luckily, there are resources available, and the latest help comes in the form of an app.

The app, developed by researchers at the University of the West of England Bristol named SAM, is designed to let users monitor their anxiety levels over time as well as provide them easy access to relaxation exercises. Despite the fact that heavy cell phone usage is associated with poor health, packaging the self-help tool as an app has its benefits; students tend to be technologically-oriented, so the move will allow the tool to reach a large audience.


Image via Shutterstock

The anxiety tracking portion of the app asks users to rate how much they are experiencing certain things, such as “worrying thoughts” and “unpleasant physical sensations,” on sliding scales. This information, when tracked for long enough, allows users to discover patterns in their anxious feelings, which could lead to better stress management.

SAM also provides access to exercises meant to calm stressed-out users, such as one for muscle relaxation and one for calm breathing. The exercises take full advantage of the mobile platform they’re being delivered on. For example, the deep breathing exercise doesn’t simply give users instructions and tell them how long their breaths should be, but includes a timer and the option for the user to set breathing preferences by dragging their finger along the screen.

By better managing their stress, students will be able to perform better in class and simply be healthier, both of which will make their lives better in the long term.




Edited by Alisen Downey


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