Workplace Stress + Wellness apps

Just your friendly neighbourhood UX Designer looking for input on an interview assignment (I got laid off so I'm really trying to smash this) So if any senior devs are online, what part of the work week is most stressful and how do you manage it? Do things like wellness budgets for yoga classes really work? Do you have strategies to prioritize time on your calendar? (We're supposed to address improving well-being in the workplace through an app/AI.)
19 Replies
13eck
13eck6mo ago
I meditate every morning, using an app called Insight Timer. 10m every morning, helps me clear my mind and get ready for the day
vince
vince6mo ago
I'm young(er, mid 20s, junior / mid-level) and don't do anything healthy to manage stress So that's to say, I wouldn't be personally interested in a wellbeing app to manage stress, unless I'm incentivized / convinced to do so
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
Do things like wellness budgets for yoga classes really work?
not if you do it with other people from work, has to be a way to disconnect and unwind, can't do that if you do it with the people you work with (not because they might be the reason of the stress but because they are associated to it by relation) my way of managing stress when I had a job (I'm in the same situation as you, except I quit instead of being layed off) was to go to the climbing gym after work 2 to 3 times a week. It helped my unwind pent up stress by working myself to exhaustion. And it also has the bonus point of being a physical activity which is very important for a healthy routine. another HUGE thing that helped me hold my job for as long as I have (I had strong arguments with management about how things should be done on a weekly basis) was therapy. I know it's expensive and many people can't afford it, but if you can do it, it's the best thing you could do for yourself as for the app thingy, the only app I use that can be related to that is a journaling app called Pixels (I think it's android only but I might be wrong)
13eck
13eck6mo ago
Hard agree. Therapy is best. And anyone who makes fun of you for it needs more therapy then you
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
Honnestly everyone should go to therapy at least once a year IMO most people would need way more personnally I do 1h a week, tried to lower it to 1h every other week but could not maintain it
13eck
13eck6mo ago
I'm doing it once a month Want to do it twice monthly, but expensive
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
I'm lucky to have found a therapist that could arrange pricing for me ho and, stay away from BetterHelp
13eck
13eck6mo ago
I used to have free therapy but the bursement decided that I suddenly made too much money for the full-coverage…when my income didn't change…
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
if you do your sessions through them try to reach out to your therapist from outside of it to arrange something directly, it'll be cheaper for both you and them and you won't have all you personal and health data sold to the lowest bidder and Fuck AI, it has no place in human well-being if not monitored by a licenced professional trained to use it as the tool it is don't use AI as self medication
13eck
13eck6mo ago
and Fuck AI, it has no place in human well-being if not monitored by a licenced professional trained to use it as the tool it is
Fixed it for ya 👍
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
nah AI has a place in med tech, I worked on it first hand it can help a lot, but it has to be used with caution and the people using it have to know what it can and can not do
13eck
13eck6mo ago
And you need to be sure to use a specialist LLM that was trained for that specific purpse and not GPT or Devon or whatever
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
AI is even better than us at detecting patterns, so it's great for diagnosis, but it's shit at giving solution to the diagnoses problem definitly AI assisted diagnosis tools should be purpose built and trained
13eck
13eck6mo ago
I listened to a podcast episode recently about the difference between "specialist AI" vs "generalist AI" and it was really good. Equated generalist AI to colonizers
Nene
NeneOP6mo ago
100% I've heard unpleasant stories of how BetterHealth is run. I faced a similar problem with online aggregators for therapists. Ultimately word of mouth and getting friends to connect you with their therapists was what worked out. Also just speaks to where the world is at right now and how many folks in my circle are using ChatGPT as a proxy
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
yeah, jeepeety should really not be used from most of what it's used...
Jochem
Jochem6mo ago
considering it's trained on your chats as well, and you mental health issues are going straight into the next person's chat...
Rägnar O'ock
Rägnar O'ock6mo ago
insert article about that teenager who offed themself after jeepeety (or consor can't remember) told them to

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