Can an AI app help with stress management at work?
By Siri Bandagiriye · Yes, in small ways: a two-minute breathing break, venting before you get home, rehearsing a talk with your manager. It can't fix an unhealthy workplace; overwork, harassment or unsafe conditions need to change, not just be coped with.
Yes, in small, practical ways. A two-minute breathing break between meetings. Venting about a frustrating day before you get home, so you don't carry it into your evening. Rehearsing a conversation with your manager.
What it can't change is a workplace that is unhealthy. If the stress comes from overwork, harassment or an unsafe situation, that needs to change, not just be coped with.
Talk to someone you trust, HR, or your employee assistance program.
What the research says
In April 2023, just over 4.1 million people in Canada, 21.2% of all employed people, reported high or very high work-related stress, most often from heavy workloads.1
Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost each year to depression and anxiety, and WHO recommends helping individuals build skills to manage stress.2
Across 48 randomized trials, conversational-agent programs produced small but significant reductions in stress symptoms.3
Written by Siri Bandagiriye
I've been a Buddhist monk and mindfulness teacher for 30 years, and for six years a chaplain with Correctional Service Canada, sitting with people in crisis. I built Saati in Halifax as a companion for the ordinary hard days. If you'd like to see what it's like, it's free to try.