Eight-four percent of employees admitted that improving their physical, financial, and mental health was a key priority for this year, a recent Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence study uncovered. However, another study revealed that the average workweek has increased by 2.6 percent since November 2021, with 78.7 percent of employees reporting soaring stress levels due to more tasks but not enough time to complete them all. The reality then, is that there exists a disconnect between wellbeing in the workplace being a mental priority, and that priority actually translating into action.
Another startling statistic proved this fact: Only 16 percent of US employees are in a high state of wellbeing.
Throughout the month of October, and particularly as we approach World Mental Health Day, employers and employees alike are celebrating and championing awareness through hosting and attending events, engaging in training, and participating in wellbeing initiatives and challenges.
However, it’s all too easy to allow these concepts to remain at concept stage—something that is taught and advocated for during one month of the year, but not practiced daily. When you use AI tools, however, to assist you in your endeavours to achieve work-life balance, you will find it much easier to maintain daily concentration on your health beyond a designated day or month, even while working intensively.
Here is a round-up of six AI-powered wellbeing tools you might want to give a try, to optimize your health, improve work performance, and boost your unimpaired creativity.
AI-powered workplace wellbeing tools
But first, a word of caution. It’s important to note that although some have advocated for the use of AI chatbots for companionship and as a way to offload and process emotions, this application should be taken with extreme caution as it can lead to unhealthy habits and potentially harmful, biased, or misleading advice and information being given to you. Also take time to experiment to see what works best for you with the tools listed below.
Reclaim.ai
Reclaim.ai is a hybrid application between scheduling and optimizing productivity across your tasks and habits, helping you achieve the perfect balance at work and outside of work, especially if you’re working hybrid or remotely. David Cohen, CEO of UK-based online flower delivery service Love Rose, shared that he uses tools such as Reclaim to analyze his work habits and help him optimize his schedule for better work-life balance. “They can suggest time management strategies, allocate time for breaks, and prevent overloading your calendar,” he commented.
Headspace
Undoubtedly one of the most popular and easily recognizable tools, Headspace is an app that guides you through hundreds of meditations and focus music. Perhaps you could give the focus music a go during the “focus time” you allocate in your weekdays to do your “deep” work. “I use it to help me concentrate and calm down,” says professor Te Wu, CEO of PMO Advisory. “The more I practice, the easier it is for me to keep my cool and concentrate when facing difficulties.” Another user, small business owner Mojtaba Shakiba, noted how Headspace employs AI to tailor meditation sessions to individual needs, adding: “I’ve used Headspace to develop a daily meditation habit, which has significantly improved my stress management skills and overall wellbeing.”
Welltory
If you want real-time feedback on your stress levels so you can manage your work stress more effectively, you might want to consider Welltory, a scientifically-backed app that uses AI to analyze heart rate variability and stress levels. “I’ve used it to gain insights into how my body responds to different work-related situations. It’s been instrumental in optimizing my work routines for better mental health,” Shakiba continues.
Todoist
Ever caught yourself constantly forgetting important tasks or workflows at work or even at home? Todoist is a tool that helps you manage your tasks and create effective to-do lists. “I have been using this to organize my days and to keep track of everything that needs to get done,” writes P.h.D student and children’s book author Shania Bhopa. “It has helped me save so much time, and as someone who is constantly running around, it keeps me from forgetting important tasks and makes me a more efficient person in my day-to-day life!”
Breathhh
Nicknamed the “Workplace Wellbeing Companion”, Breathhh is a Chrome extension that monitors your patterns of interaction with your browser and suggests mental health exercises at appropriate moments to help relieve stress and stay active. Gareth Barkin, dean of operations and technology at the University of Puget Sound, shared his experience:
“Because it’s using AI to monitor my web activity and behavior, it seems to know when I need to step away and do some breathing exercises or stand up and stretch, both of which it helps guide you through. The AI connection to my work activities makes it a lot smarter than my smartwatch at predicting appropriate times to focus on mental health, and it does a good job suggesting and illustrating wellness activities.”
MealMind
One of the worst things about a maddeningly hectic work week is the lack of prioritization given to eating quality, nutritious meals. Grabbing something quick to eat, or anything out of the staff canteen, is the norm. Unfortunately, combined with sedentary work for most of the day, this scenario creates the perfect recipe for sluggishness, disease, and tiredness at work. Perhaps give an AI-powered meal-planner a try?
“Meal Mind is an AI-powered tool that helps you create personalized meal plans. It can create interactive shopping lists and produce recipes catered to your own wellness goals. This tool has helped me be more mindful of my eating and allowed me to try new recipes while still following my personal goals. I have loved using this tool to aid me in my grocery shopping so that I’m not sitting for hours trying to meal plan my week,” Bhopa shares.
By no means is this a comprehensive list. So rapid is the field of AI development, that is is virtually impossible to keep up with and try them all. However, this Mental Health Awareness Month, challenge yourself to start with one or two of the tools listed above, and see how you begin to experience less burnout, and achieve more productivity, satisfaction, and feel energized at work.
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