At this time of particular pressure on healthcare systems around the world, we wish to remind you of Happidote, the new meditation app especially for health and social-care professionals. Carers would also benefit. The app is free. A short video capturing the highlights of the launch can be found on the Janki Foundation website:
https://www.jankifoundation.org/janki-foundation-launches-happidote/
Happidote supports the wellbeing of health professionals around the world. Think ‘happy antidote’. It’s a quick and easy way to access simple guided meditations to help calm the mind and ease the stress of work.
It was written and designed by general practitioners (GPs), consultants, nurses, social workers and therapists—all of whom work in the National Health Service. They are members of The Janki Foundation for Spirituality in Healthcare, a UK registered charity, and they all practice meditation in their day-to-day working lives.
Dr. Sarah Eagger, Chair of the Janki Foundation, explains how it came about:
“We’ve noticed over the years how providing healthcare in a climate of underfunding and cuts, along with the inherent nature of the work, can be harmful to the health and wellbeing of those expected to deliver it! We wanted to develop something accessible to support and nurture those on the frontline. This is especially relevant at this time when health services everywhere are under unprecedented strain.”
The team agreed on 10 typical stress-causing scenarios they had faced at work. They recorded 3-minute meditations to act as the antidote to each situation ….
“We considered which situations at work we found most challenging, and what words of spiritual guidance have helped us personally at those times. What we needed was something we could use on the job – short, succinct ‘first aid’ commentaries of spiritual wisdom that we could listen to and which could protect us from further stress.”
It’s like the concept in sports medicine of recovery to build resilience. Athletes take a few minutes out to recover from the stressful situation and build inner strength. With the Happidote app you just click on one of the above scenarios to hear the situation in full. You ask yourself “How do I feel?” and the antidote corresponding to that situation is revealed through a short meditation of gently-spoken words and quiet background music. For each meditation there are beautiful, original images reflecting the changing mood.
Your state of mind moves from negative to positive, bringing you back to a state of balance. A slogan then helps you focus on ways to support yourself. In addition, the app has three core meditation practices that can be used anytime, anywhere, and a Spin the Value Scope feature, with one of 20 personal values to inspire and guide you, depending on where the pointer randomly lands.
The Happidote app, available for Android and iPhone formats, is absolutely free for all time, but donations are welcome for the ongoing work of the charity.
We hope you will share the news of Happidote with your colleagues to help support them through this difficult time. Please encourage people to post ratings and reviews on the App store or our website – feedback will help us greatly with any further development.
