Mindfulness, or focusing our attention in the present as it is, offers a way of dealing with worries and anxieties.
There are lots of mobile applications that can help people enhance their ability to be mindful.
Some of them can give access to whole networks of users and electronic resources. They also offer different exercises.
And there are other applications to help us relax, balance our energy and so on.
A few weeks ago I I tried headspace which is a very popular application. After ten (10) free sessions I was then invited to pay an annual membership and continue enjoying the benefits of guided meditation and other aids.
This is just an example. I enjoyed using it. However I still need to see more 'real' practice. Because I tend to think that on my own I need to be 'excellent' in what I have to do. So I get anxious and impatient.
This is a personal trait. I am a perfectionist. And with this type of mobile applications I have not found a way of telling them or my mobile who I am. There is a kind of forced routine I had to have. And worst of all I had to start paying for it!
Is this the illusion of mobile apps, inviting you to be better at what you do? What to do with people like me who get anxious if we cannot achieve it?
For sure in the future there could be applications that could measure my level of anxiety and help me manage it. Other applications could be designed for people like me. No need to 'get better'.
I think it is important for IT designers and users to better understand how we can deal with our own issues. There is no point in flooding the market quickly with lots of apps if we don't pause and listen to the user.
So mind the mobile. It could be helping you and it is great if it does.
But if not, mind who you are, listen to yourself and act accordingly.
