Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Kindspace is a voice application (also known as a Skill) for Amazon Alexa, which helps you to track and improve your wellbeing. It is easy to use with just your voice, making it a great option if you are getting fatigued after using screens all day long on your smart phone or computer. And we all know how distracting those little notification numbers can be! You take out your phone and immediate forget why you took it out. But why do technologies like Kindspace really matter, read on to find out.

WHy Does It Matter?

The Kindspace voice application is designed to empower people to better manage their self-care and help alleviate issues such as stress, anxiety and loneliness. In fact, loneliness was the key motivator when we were building Kindspace, as we wanted to create something that was supportive and helped people to feel like they weren’t alone.

Kindspace has three parts to how it works:

• A daily check-in that builds a picture of your wellbeing.
• Personalised tips and a large library of advice across different wellbeing topics.
• Interactive wellness activities such as journaling, affirmations, poetry, short stories and breathing exercises.

In our recent research, we looked at some of the issues that particular groups of people face with their wellbeing and also how they access support.

Mental ill health disproportionally affects people who are unpaid carers, older people, people with disabilities and people on lower incomes.

• Nearly 1 in 5 adults in the UK provide unpaid care.
• More than 1 in 4 sandwich carers of children and older relatives report symptoms of mental ill health.
• A lack of support can have a significant impact across carers’ lives, with 78% of carers saying that missing out on support resulted in them suffering from increased stress and anxiety.
• Over 3 million people (or 5% of the adult population) in the UK say they are often or always lonely.

Loneliness and isolation have been identified as risk factors for many health conditions, including depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline.

Does Kindspace Make a Difference?

TL Tech’s mission is to create a world where Smart Meets Kind® which empowers people regardless of age, technical ability, or finances to adopt digital solutions and create a unique caring and entertaining home environment. With an ageing population and less and less resources available to support people in later life, this is a crucial area for the future.

Kindspace is one of the ways TL Tech is helping people navigate the world of smart home technology and build their confidence to try new things so that they can get the benefits of using the technology in their daily lives.

People who use Kindspace are feeling the benefits, here’s what some of our research trial participants had to say:

“I love the wide range of functions. Everyday is different and depending on my mood, I can try different things.”

“I have very much enjoyed using Kindspace for the past six weeks. I have really benefited from using the Morning Journalling exercise, being able to write down my thoughts and feelings in a short 15/20 minute session has become something I look forward to and have found my mental health has improved no end.”

“I think it’s a fantastic resource and it’s become a fundamental part of my routine. The daily check in helps me to keep track of my good and bad days, while also offering tips on how to improve different aspects of my lifestyle. The poetry is beautiful, and has encouraged me to actually read poetry more. The mindful breathing is useful, but limited as you have to purchase the other breathing packages. I love the guided affirmations, and listening to them has encouraged me to incorporate affirmations into my daily life. My personal favourite feature is the Journalling, both morning and evening, as I find it so beneficial to my mental health to reflect on my days while also forcing me to focus on small things to be grateful for. Overall I will 100% be continuing to use Kindspace, and I look forward to seeing how the application expands on its already useful features.”

To learn more about Kindspace and how to get started on your wellbeing journey, you can get a free guide here. The guide will help you discover more about the world of smart home technology and how Kindspace can help you use technology to enhance your quality of life.