There have been numerous studies saying that constantly using your mobile phone is bad for your physical, mental, and emotional health. But there are also times when using certain apps and even games can actually be a good for you. A new app called Flowy (still in the Beta stage) is a game but was actually created to help people deal with anxiety and panic attacks through puzzle games that will help you breathe deeply and normally.
It of course will not cure you of those attacks or replace medical treatments, but it will teach you (or reteach) you how to breathe properly and get you to focus on the puzzle games to distract you from whatever is triggering your panic attack. The game’s story is that Aegir, the god of the seas (and apparently, the god of parties as well) has neglected his ship. Now with the help of Thor (yes, that Thor, but not the Marvel version) he needs to repair his ship in order to journey back to Asgard “to put on the party to end all parties.”
The puzzles you will encounter are controlled by your breath. Well, actually, you touch the screen when you breathe in and then let go when you breathe out. You are recommended to play it for at least three minutes everyday in order to get your attacks under control. In the studies the developers conducted with the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine earlier this year, Flowy decreased the symptoms of anxiety, panic and hyperventilation with the subjects in just a four week period.
Flowy is still in the beta stage so it might not yet work perfectly as expected. But if you want to try it out, especially if you suffer from constant attacks, and give your feedback, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store.
Hello Ida Torres! Thank you so much for posting this article; we here at Playlab London couldn’t be more thrilled. If anyone would like to leave feedback, or let us know your thoughts, please contact us on mona@playlablondon:disqus .co.uk – we would love to hear from you! All the best 🙂