Right now the world is testing all of us. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, we’re all confined to our homes, social distancing from most people in our lives.
Spending all your time alone is not easy, and with the disheartening and downright terrifying news updates constantly pinging our phones — the emotional effects of the outbreak are real, and we all need to do as much as we can to take care of mental health.
One of the ways to cope with depression, anxiety, stress and other emotional distresses? Talking.
Thankfully, due to our increasingly digitized world, we have access to numerous ways to talk to others virtually. This might include your friends, family or even… a very friendly and emotionally supportive robot.
That’s right — there’s a robot that will check in on you during this virus every day and give you resources for coping and staying positive. Their name is Woebot, and they’re your new quarantine partner to help you weather the storm.
The WoeBot app was developed by a team of Stanford psychologists who wanted to give people some DIY cognitive behavioral therapy resources if talk therapy or other forms of mental healthcare were out of reach for them. They collaborated with other psychologists, data scientists, storytellers, engineers and designers to build this comforting robot friend for the world.
They found that after being used every day by about 85% of participants, many of them, ages 18-28, saw significant reductions in anxiety and depression.
The Woebot, once downloaded to your phone, checks in on you daily to see how you’re doing and helps you improve your mood, feel more positive and better about yourself. They’re stacked with mental health resources from games and meditations to other behavioral exercises designed to help ease symptoms and help you feel better.
This type of mental health work is great for any time and is something we should all prioritize in our day to day lives, but especially during a pandemic like this one.
Team up with the Woebot to take care of yourself during these stressful times, you might even make a friend for life. You can download the app and try it out for free.
