One writer tests the new $490 Cove wearable, which promises to cancel stress.
Plus, learn the science behind how it works.
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Ive downloadedHeadspaceand meditated, trying to focus on my breath instead of my to-do list.
Ive doneyogaand gone tofitness classes with chanting and shouting.
Ive taken bubble baths and spent the day at a spa where Wi-Fi wasnt allowed.
Francois Kress is the CEO and co-founder of Feelmore Labs, a company that develops wearable devices that train and tune the nervous system to help people feel and perform better every day.
Ive coped with alcohol, Netflix, and chocolate cupcakes.
Has any of it worked?
But,like most Americans, especially now, I certainly do not live a stress-free life.
Stress-centric wearables are becoming increasingly more popular, to the extent thatWell+Good named them a 2021 Wellness Trend.
The price, however, is (ironically) a bit anxiety-inducing.
An Apple watch, for example, is essentially a Swiss Army knife of health-improving solutions.
Considering the whole point of its existence is to keep stress away, this was something I appreciated.
There were times during the 20 minutes that I felt nothing at all.
This left me skeptical.
Francois Kress is the CEO and co-founder of Feelmore Labs, a company that develops wearable devices that train and tune the nervous system to help people feel and perform better every day.
How could something you hardly even feel cancel stress?
I wore Cove while answering emails and even while on the phone.
Still, a week and a half into using the rig, I didnt notice feeling any less stress.
Was it even working?
When that didnt work, I decided to go for a 20-minute walk outside.
Afterwards, I felt much less stressed.
Once again, I wondered how to know if the gadget was actually working.
This very slow, very low-pressure motion puts us in a state of trust and rest, Kress says.
Its a known pathway to the deep part of the brain, which is pre-conscious.
Based on their experiments, he says this varies person-to-person, depending in part on how stressed someone is.
Your brain actually builds new connections as you wear the gear more frequently.
These connections, Kress says, are similar towhat scientists have seen related to meditating.
Its actually best to use Cove about half an hour before a stressful event youre anticipating, he says.
The final verdict
I continued using Cove for another week after my conversation with Kress.
Someone with higher levels of stress in their life may notice a difference more than me.
After looking into the science behind how Cove works, I (personally) think theres something to it.
My school of thought is that just because something doesnt feel like its working doesnt mean it isnt.
And hey, it certainly cant hurt.
What using Cove has also taught me is that there are no shortcuts to managing stress.
I still need my afternoon walks when the length of my to-do list causes my heart to race.
Can Cove cancel stress?
No, I dont think so.
But it just might make your reaction to stressful events a little easier to manage.
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