The Easiest Way to Arrive to Work Fresh

In the growing world of smartphone notifications telling us we’ve been poked, tagged, mentioned or liked, our phones are constantly hitting our brains with a begging need for attention. Our smartphones were meant to help us but on your commute to work all it does is kill time without really doing anything for us.

In a recent round of research it was discovered that 5.9 million Aussies find their journey to work more stressful than the day itself. The research, commissioned by Virgin Mobile, found 83% of Aussies would prefer a calmer commute. Aussies are currently spending on average over an hour and a half (95 minutes) commuting each day, equating to 1.8 billion minutes nationally.

An app named SmilingMind has caught our eye this week and Virgin Mobile have added some elements to it to assist in our daily commute. SmilingMind is not a new app, it has guided meditation routines to help you relax, unwind and improve your mental health. They start from beginner to advanced and you’re walked through each session.

The new additions from Virgin Mobile are designed for your morning commute to work. Named ‘Taking Public Transport’, ‘Walking Mindfully’ and ‘Taking Flight’ they help users experience mindfulness no matter how they commute to work, while ‘Mindful Mindset’ allows drivers to get calm and centred before getting in the car. None of these programs are meant to be used while driving so please don’t meditate behind the wheel!

Ranging from four to nine minutes in length this isn’t going to be a case of sitting cross legged for an hour chanting “ohmmmmm”, it’s a modern way to feel centred and reconnected. Don’t bag it until you try it!

Trevor Long also caught up with James Gully, CEO of Virgin Mobile to discuss the app, you can hear that interview here.

Available for iOS, Android and in a web browser on any computer this can be done in any way, for free.

Info here