Finals are often a stressful time for students as they prepare to take high-stake exams. Even well-prepared students experience anxiety due to multiple tests administered during a short window of time, and many use a variety of coping tools to help them cope with the additional stress of final exams.
Virtual Hope Box is a free smartphone app with tools that can help students deal with stress through distraction, relaxation, and positive thinking. You add a variety of personally supportive content or use some of the pre-loaded tools any time you want to take a moment to “de-stress”.
The content is organized into five sections, and you can access them any time you want or need a break.
- Remind Me is where you can upload photos, videos, music, and audio recordings that remind you of your life outside of school. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded of the people or places in our life to relieve stress.
- Distract Me has games and puzzles to distract you and give your brain a little break. Select a Sudoku puzzle, a word search, or make a jigsaw puzzle from one of your photos and indulge in a mini-vacation from studying.
- Inspire Me has inspirational quotes to help motivate you to achieve your goal. The app comes preloaded with different quotes, or you can upload your own favorites to help you stay on track to finish strong.
- Relax Me has breathing, muscle relaxation, and guided meditation exercises to help calm and quiet both your mind and body. Chose a meditation or relaxation exercise and renew and refresh yourself.
- Coping Tools has an activity planner that lets you plan an activity like going for a run or enjoying coffee with a friend. You can also create your own coping cards with strategies to help you deal with the most stressful times.
Virtual Hope Box is available for both iOS and Android devices. It is free, easy to set up and use, and is a good way to take a short break and distract yourself from the stress of finals. If you want to discuss anxiety with a health professional, contact the UAMS Student Wellness Program at 501-686-8408.