We Tried It: Can This $2 App Really Help You Stay Stress-Free?

Stress, it happens to the best of us. And thanks to new app Pause, you can take a break (or a pause) from the daily stresses of life. The App is the result of a collaboration between UsTwo and Peng Cheng, designer and founder of Danish mental wellness company PauseAble. Cheng created the app as a way to personally manage his own stress and depression.

And after learning that it was only $1.99 (because that’s way cheaper than a therapist or spa day!), we decided to try it out firsthand. The 10-minute process goes like this. You start by following a blob that resembles a lava lamp with your fingertip. The goal is to follow it around as slowly as possible until it gradually gets bigger. If you move the blob too fast, it will yell at you. Okay, not really, but it’s a sign that you need to slow down the pace. We started without listening to the app’s spa-like serene music, which is way less effective. The music actually forces you to tune out the real world and really focus (try it with headphones). 

Images courtesy of UsTwo/Pauseable

And while 10 minutes seems like an eternity (we only made it to 5 minutes), we imagine that trying this when not on a major deadline works much better. Perhaps at home if you’re having trouble sleeping or on the weekends when you’re trying to have a peaceful few days of R&R. Bottom line, follow the blob when you feel stress coming on. It’s a cool, inexpensive way to learn how to meditate at home. 

[Wired]


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