The holidays are touted as a time for rest and relaxation, but as anyone can attest, it’s all we can do but make it to New Year’s as a functioning human still capable of social interaction. The reality is that with the numerous Christmas functions, dinners, and office parties that are rife with awkward encounters and a faux pas or three, the holiday break is one of great stress and exhaustion. Rarely do we get a chance to put the feet up and sit down before we’re whisked away yet again, eventually finding ourselves returning to the office in the New Year as a shell of the human we once were.
It’s hardly the way one envisions starting the New Year and for most of us wanting to attack 2022 with energy and gusto, it’s also something we’d like to avoid. But where most talk of detoxes and cleanses, the fact remains that when it comes to lasting changes we can add to our daily routine to become more calm, centred and grounded, the focus needs not only be on what we’re consuming, but what we’re actively doing to change our healthy and lifestyle habits. Thankfully, the new mindfulness app on Apple Watch is here to bring some brief respite into our busy lives.
Now available with watchOS 8 and higher, the Mindfulness app offers two modes to help you take a break from the daily grind. The reflect mode encourages users to think about something for a moment: this could be a challenge you’re facing, a positive trait about yourself or someone else, a feeling you experience at certain times, or simply random thoughts that come into your head. Through prompts from the app, you’re encouraged to ruminate on this memory, thought or emotion and allow it to play out for a brief period of time.
The breathe mode many will be familiar with, having been carried over from past iterations of watchOS. An animate image and a dose of haptic feedback now guide you as you inhale and exhale for a minute. Given our fast-paced lives and the constant need we feel to be “online” in our digital world, simply taking a minute or two to breathe deeply is invaluable. As well as providing a brief break that allows you to practice deep breathing and gain a sense of calm both mentally and physically, it’s a tool that can also be used to centre yourself in stressful situations, like prior to an important presentation or speech.
Of course, mindful moments are important – particularly in these times of uncertainty – but the ability to reset with Apple Watch doesn’t end there. If your New Year goal is to move more, Apple Watch makes for an incredible fitness partner, with the activity ring in the activity app showing your daily activity (move, exercise and stand goals), as well as offering personalised coaching to keep you on track and motivated to achieve your goals. Now, you can even turn on Activity Sharing to let your friends or family with Apple Watches keep you on track towards your fitness goals, while challenging them with a one-to-one seven-day Activity Competition. And for fans of Tai Chi and Pilates, these are also trackable on the watch, allowing you to benefit both physically and with mindful movement.
With Fitness+, you can also take your workouts outdoors. Helping to train your body and mind with personalised and engaging experiences that incorporate workout metrics from Apple Watch right on the screen, the streaming platform motivates you from start to finish with music from today’s top artists. And for those looking to develop a stronger connection between mind and body, Apple’s guided meditations on Fitness+ offer the perfect entry into the practice, helping you to not only make it a consistent routine, but one you’ll incorporate daily.
