Vilnius-based Bear Room – Instant stress relief one tap away
Amid inflation, the cost of living crisis, and geopolitical tensions, the mental health of European workers is deteriorating.
A recent survey reveals a significant decline in mental health across Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, with 38% of workers at high risk of poor mental health.
The study highlights that 35% of respondents feel more sensitive to stress post-pandemic, leading to increased anger, cynicism, and conflict. Notably, 17% of European workers are diagnosed with anxiety, and younger employees are twice as likely to report mental health issues. Financial insecurity further exacerbates the crisis, correlating with lower mental health scores. As stress levels rise, companies face reduced productivity and increased burnout, urging the need for effective workplace mental health support.
That’s where digital mental health solutions step in, and that’s why Impact Venture Studio DŌBRA developed Bear Room—to provide a safe place during the most unbearable times and offer a much-needed break for those seeking it.
Minutes that make the difference
Bear Room focuses on the instant aspect of stress relief, basing the idea on the positive distraction concept, where even a couple minutes away from stress delivers substantial benefits to coping and further prevention.
The app offers a variety of scientifically backed exercises, including breathwork, EMDR, vocal practices, and tapping, lasting 3-5 minutes on average, allowing users to press pause during stressful moments. Even a short distraction is proven to interrupt the body’s stress response (PubMed) effectively, and in Bear Room they increase the power of the distraction by filling the time with evidence-based techniques that help to reduce stress further.
Another element contributing to Bear Room’s ability to deliver instant relief is the absence of a learning curve. Instead of navigating through text-based cards, which can confuse newcomers to digital mental health tools, the app puts users in a room that serves as a safe space and offers comforting objects as visual metaphors, directly linking the exercise to the user’s experience.
There’s a cup of tea for those needing a breather, a teddy bear for a hug, or a Newton’s cradle to help process a stressful moment. No background is needed, no research – the user picks the object that looks like something they need right here, right now, and starts the relief process.
Here’s what science thinks about it, summed up by the project’s advisor, Dr. Christina Spragg, Clinical Psychologist and Global Workplace Mental Wellness Consultant:
Redirecting our attention away from stressful thoughts and scenarios can profoundly impact our brain’s sensory input and overall function. Positive distraction, a type of “adaptive disengagement coping strategy,” involves focusing on pleasant, non-threatening stimuli in the present moment to shift our brain’s activity from the default mode network (DMN)—associated with self-referential thinking and mind-wandering—to the sensory cortices.
Dr. Christina Spragg
By engaging in activities such as listening to music or appreciating nature, we activate the brain’s auditory and visual cortices. These sensory engagements help divert attention from pain or stress, providing immediate relief and activating the brain’s reward pathways, which release dopamine and promote a sense of satisfaction and well-being.
Previous research on the benefits of disengagement coping highlights its self-restorative aspects (Kleiber et al., 2002). This approach allows individuals to restore their resources, enabling them to better engage with stressors later (Hamilton and Ingram, 2001; Skinner et al., 2003).
Bear Room – safe place for unbearable times
Comfort objects that represent exercises are organized into a room – a safe space user can escape during the most unbearable times. Safe space, that’s always handy, only a tap away, available any time and any day. The concept of a fort is encapsulated that could be different for everyone – some will think about their childhood rooms, some will remember the summer house or their own bedroom, that’s not as close physically, but always reachable through the Bear Room.
Bear Room currently focuses on coping, to help those with daily/chronic stress avoid further damage.
More than half of respondents of our surveys aren’t aware or use any self-help tools. And when people feel under pressure, stress piles up, leading to bigger crises and major life challenges.
says Jane Makarevich, Product Owner and Co-Founder of Bear Room at DŌBRA.
That’s why we decided to work with this topic of instant stress relief: to help people right here, right now.
Impact delivered by Impact Venture Studio
Bear Room is one of the concepts developed at Impact Venture Studio DŌBRA, based in Lithuania, as part of the ongoing digital mental well-being initiative. The studio focuses on finding solutions for global issues, with mental health a critical area of attention. As of June 2024, the studio has raised over €500K for concept development, with Bear Room being the frontrunner.
Digital mental well-being was a risky choice for an inaugural initiative due to the scepticism surrounding the domain from a venture perspective. However, studio research covering over 300 billion data points has shown an apparent demand for addressing the significant issue of access to mental health-related support.
In only two months of soft launch, over 10,000 people from all over the world experienced Bear Room, and the overwhelming amount of positive feedback (100+ store reviews) provides indisputable proof of product-market fit.
In the upcoming three months, their focus will be on enhancing the app’s preventive aspects. They aim to cultivate a positive habit of integrating exercises into users’ daily routines, fostering proactive stress management. Additionally, they are committed to implementing room customization features, empowering users to personalize their safe space to fully reflect their unique preferences and needs.