Feeling stressed at work? Let VR help you

Many companies are developing VR experiences to help employees lower workplace stress- a problem which is becoming increasingly common.
29 May 2018

VR is being used to support mental health in the workplace. Source: Pexels

Many of us live in a fast-paced environment where stress is part of our daily lives, and much of this stress is work-related.

According to the American Institute of Stress, 80 percent of workers feel stressed on the job, and almost half say they need help to learn how to manage it.

The fact is, stress is a major problem in many corporations and it usually goes unnoticed. Many companies do not have adequate procedures in place to offer help to employees due to a lack of budget, resources, or knowledge in the area.

This is leaving employees feeling helpless and overwhelmed, resulting in detrimental effects on their mental health and well-being.

Not only does work stress have vast impacts on the employee, it also has unfavorable implications for the business.

Being stressed at work can cause productivity to plummet. Source: Shutterstock

The consequences of stress include increased absenteeism, higher employee turnover, and a lower quality and quantity of work- all of which will drive down your profits.

It is clear then that mitigating workplace stress should be a priority for businesses.

Recently, many companies are levering the help of VR technology in order to maximize their employees’ well-being.

VR can be a fantastic outlet of stress. Even taking ten minutes out of your day to take part in a virtual reality experience which transports you to beautiful, soothing environments can have truly wonderful impacts on your well-being.

Here are three apps that can help relieve that work stress:

1.Relax VR

This Australian startup wants to bring VR experiences into high-pressure corporate environments in order to relieve occupational stress.

The app -which is compatible with Google’s Cardboard and Daydream, as well as Samsung’s Gear VR headsets- allows users to virtually transport to a tranquil location of their choosing.

Whether it’s the Great Ocean Road in Australia, or a picture-perfect beach in Portugal, this 360-degree landscape is paired with the soothing voice of a therapist, overlaid into mesmerizing music.

The goal of the application is to teach users to self-manage their stress and divert attention inward.

As well as its uses in the office, Relax VR are looking to work with hospitals in order to transport patients confined to their bed. With hospitals not commonly associated with a positive experience, VR has the potential to uplift patients and keep their minds active.

2. Starflight VR

This mobile mindfulness app is designed to bring you into a state of peace and promote well-being through a 3D flight in space.

The app creates a calm state using soothing starry imagery complemented with music to sooth the sympathetic nervous system.

The mobile VR app is well suited for a break in work as well as after, giving you an outlet to help manage anxiety and stress both inside and outside of work.

After conducting research on the app, founder Dorote Lucci, said that high-anxiety participants who used StarFlight showed a significant reduction in anxiety immediately after using the app.

This app is only for iOS devices.

3. LUMEN

Imagine leaving the stress of a workday behind and slipping into a magical enchanted forest of calming lights and harmonizing sounds.

This is the vision of LUMEN, a VR experience launched through LIFE VR’s new mobile app.

The virtual reality experience allows users to partake in calming breathing exercises, experience a luminous multicolored woodland where you can interact with the sights and sounds of your environment.

Users have the magical ability to customize their own setting where you can stimulate tree growth, navigate a winding forest floor while splashing colorful life to a dark and sparse landscape.

The LUMEN experience was developed by researchers of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. The developers are now evaluating how the VR experience can help children who are undergoing surgical procedures.

LUMEN is available through LIFE VR’s mobile app for iOS and Android.