Stressed adults turning to technology to beat lockdown gloom

A new study from Huawei AppGallery in conjunction with The Stress Management Society today reveals that two thirds (65%) of adults say they feel more stressed than usual as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over three quarters of adults (78%) have used technology to de-stress or motivate themselves since March 2020, with 94% of those saying tech has boosted their wellbeing.

With national lockdown measures set to continue until the end of March, adults have revealed the biggest technology benefits from their time at home, with entertainment (61%), socialisation (52%) and the sense of escapism tech provides (46%) the most important.

The results of the study are published as the world’s third biggest app store, Huawei AppGallery, adds Headspace, a global leader in meditation and mindfulness, to their platform to give customers access to app’s science-backed content and additional wellbeing support during this time of increased stress.

‘What if’ worries driving stress

The Stress Management Society identified three major trends in the way adults have been feeling during the lockdown: feelings of disconnection, uncertainty, and a loss of control. They say that the survey results show many of the main stressors are examples of ‘what if…?’ thinking: things that are worst case scenarios, are out of our control or have not happened yet. The survey revealed the pandemic has left 46% of adults feeling disconnected to others and 54% feel isolated. 46% also said that uncertainty about when things will get back to normal has