British Vogue: FarmTok: The Wholesome Social Media Trend I Can’t Get Enough Of. “While social media can often feel oppressive, a place laden with perfect-looking people trying to sell us things, wholesome nature accounts are a joyful antidote to all of that. I’ve also found that it’s a great reminder that there is something beyond all of the noise, and it’s there for all of us at all times.”
CNET: Don’t Stress, but ‘Permacrisis’ Is the 2022 Word of the Year. “Over the last few years, it’s seemed like the ‘new normal’ keeps getting weirder and darker as historical events pile up. This month the Collins Dictionary acknowledged our apparent spiral into ever darker timelines by naming ‘permacrisis’ its 2022 Word of the Year.”
Purdue University: Developing game-based tech to detect and intervene against stress and anxiety. “A high-tech startup that uses game-based interventions to help users identify stress- and anxiety-related events in real time and receive a personalized intervention has been awarded a federal grant to partially develop its technology through research at Purdue University’s College of Engineering.”
Google Blog: Take a wellbeing break, and dive into the Rhythm Of Nature. “In Rhythm Of Nature is a digital wellbeing experience inspired by the Carl Linnaeus Flower Clock. Linneaus was a renowned 18th century botanist and taxonomist who developed a modern system to identify, name, and classify living things. His unique garden designs captured the natural circadian rhythms of different plants that would open and close their blooms in relation to the time of the day. In Rhythm With Nature aims to establish an intimate connection between humans and nature through a series of beautifully crafted breathing exercises timed by the flowers opening and closing. Essentially you are breathing with flowers that open according to your time of the day.”
Boing Boing: Scream your grievances into the void, online. “Simply type out what you need to get off your chest and click the ‘scream’ button. Repeat as many times as necessary. You’ll hear someone let out a blood-curdling scream as your text disappears into the void.”
MakeUseOf: 8 Emotional Support and Self-Care Apps and Resources for Women. “There is an ever-increasing collection of apps to provide self-care and emotional support to help cope with the stresses and strains of modern living. Some of these are designed especially for women. Here are some of the best apps and online resources providing women with aid and support to help with all stages of life.” I thought this was going to be a cheesy list where everything was pink and all worries could be fixed with a glass of wine in a hot bath. It’s much better than that.
Arizona State University: ‘News addiction’ can cause stress, anxiety, study says. “The obsessive urge to keep up with that news can lead to stress, anxiety and worsening physical health, according to a study in the journal Health Communication. The study found that 16.5% of 1,100 people polled in an online survey showed signs of ‘severely problematic’ news consumption, which led them to focus less on school, work and family, and contributed to an inability to sleep. Just more than 73% said they experienced mental health issues ‘quite a bit’ or ‘very much,’ and 61% reported their physical health suffered.”
I am linking to this because I have been Team Brown Noise since I knew about different noise colors, and I’m feeling vindicated. Yes, it’s petty. Mashable: What is brown noise? TikTok suggests it’s better than white noise.. “Whereas white noise encompasses sounds from all over the spectrum, including low, mid-range, and high frequency notes, brown noise uses only low frequency and bass-heavy notes. This makes brown noise much deeper in sound than white noise and more ideal for those who find the high frequency notes in white noise uncomfortable.”
Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas: Free online course on mental health and journalism: Learn how to take care of yourself and responsibly report on mental health issues. “In a recent survey of nearly 1,000 Canadian media workers, 69% reported having anxiety and 46% reported suffering from depression. Fifty-three percent have sought out health professionals to deal with work-related stress and mental well-being. In response to this pervasive issue in our global journalism community, the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, the Carter Center and The Self-Investigation are offering the free online course, ‘Mental health and journalism: How journalists can responsibly report on it and take care of themselves.’”
MakeUseOf: 15 Relaxing Websites to Help When You Feel Overwhelmed. “Life gets overwhelming for us all. Even browsing the internet can be taxing, with the vitriol of social media or the depressing news. Occasionally, we just need to step back, take a deep breath, and relax. What’s the best way to do that? One way to help yourself is to use relaxing websites. We’ve rounded up some of the most relaxing corners of the web; sites designed for nothing more than clearing your mind and being present.”
NBC News: Study finds ‘burnout epidemic’ for working women two years into pandemic. “Now, the latest survey of 5,000 women in 10 countries by Deloitte, first reported Tuesday by NBC News, finds a troubling evolution for working women in a ‘burnout epidemic.’ Fifty-three percent of women reported stress levels higher than they were a year ago, with mental health lagging and work-life balance nearly nonexistent. And whereas women were considering leaving their employers last year, the top-cited driver to leave now is burnout.”
MakeUseOf: 5 Instant Calming Apps to Relieve Stress, Beat Anxiety, and Battle Negative Thoughts. “Sometimes, you don’t know why you’re low. Is it stress? Anxiety? Anger? Depression? It could be anyone or all of these, or something entirely different. All you know is that you just want to stop feeling like that right now. These free apps offer instant relief from negative thoughts and feelings. Importantly, none of these apps are claiming to be a substitute for therapy. If you feel such negativity often, it’s best to seek professional medical advice rather than rely on apps. Think of these stress-relievers as a stop-gap measure or a temporary treat, rather than a solution.”
University of California: People turned to gardening for stress relief, food access during pandemic, new survey says. “People who turned to gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic did so to relieve stress, connect with others and grow their own food in hopes of avoiding the virus, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the University of California, Davis, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) and international partners.”
NBC News: Americans are besieged by stress, poll finds. “Financial woes, coupled with a barrage of horrifying scenes from Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion, have pushed a majority of Americans to unprecedented levels of stress, according to a new report from the American Psychological Association.”
CNET: The Great Resignation Hasn’t Hit School Teachers Yet. Here’s Why It Still Might. “The pandemic may be the last straw for a profession mired in stagnant pay, compounding demands and endemic burnout. The situation has some asking if the field of teaching needs a reset.”
The ResearchBuzz Firehose is regular RB content presented as individual posts.
For digest-type posts a couple of times a day, please visit ResearchBuzz.
Want to know how to best use the Firehose for content discovery?
Check out this handy article.