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Going from long, lazy summer days to the nonstop pace of back-to-school season can be a jarring transition, even if you’re not the one heading back to the classroom. Getting kids back into the swing of school and extracurriculars is a challenge in and of itself, and even if you’re child-free or an empty nester, early fall just has a different feel to it. The days are getting shorter, the holidays are approaching, work is getting more stressful — it’s a good thing fall is also pumpkin spice season, or we’d have a real hard time with this time of year.
All of that makes it even more important to focus on self-care right now. Working out, yoga, meditation, relaxing baths, reconnecting with friends, getting plenty of sleep — whatever your stress relief routine, now’s the time to stick to it. Another thing that can help? One of our favorite self-care gadgets, the Apollo Neuro wearable.
The Apollo wearable looks like your typical fitness tracking device, but it works very differently. Instead of simply tracking your steps, pulse, or calorie burn, the Apollo wearable actively soothes your nervous system through the power of touch. You wear the device on your wrist, ankle, or clipped onto your clothing, where it sends soothing vibrations to your body in order to “improve your resilience to stress through novel touch therapy,” the brand says.
The best part? You get to decide what Apollo does for you. You choose a “Vibe” on the Apollo Neuro app, browsing between options like Fall Asleep, Social, or Focus. Your Apollo wearable then gently vibrates to calm and soothe your nervous system, easing any fight-or-flight feelings you might be experiencing due to stress or anxiety. You can also choose the duration of the session and adjust the intensity of the vibrations to suit your body.
It might be a different form of stress relief than you’ve tried before, but reviewers love it, including ours at SheKnows. Our reviewer tried the Apollo wearable during a particularly stressful week at work, and found that, “once I got used to the light tapping feeling on my wrist … I did feel soothed and reassured by it.” Depending on the setting she chose, she felt “grounded enough to accomplish tasks… as well as being able to chill out from said stressful tasks when I used the ‘relax and unwind’ and ‘sleep and renew’ modes.”
The waves of vibration that Apollo delivers to your nervous system might just help you strike the right balance during busy back-to-school season. You can hop into Focus mode to power through a work project before picking the kids up from school, then relax on Unwind mode as you sit down to dinner, before using Sleep mode to fully wind down for bedtime. The Stress mode can help you stay calm and in the zone during an important meeting, while the Recover mode can help you come down afterwards (or after a tough workout). We’d also recommend the Energy mode to get you through those early-morning school drop-offs.
There seems to be an Apollo Vibe for just about any situation — which is good, because to get the most out of your wearable, the brand says you should use it consistently. Apollo recommends wearing the device at least three hours a day, five days a week, during both day and night to reap maximum benefits. The battery lasts for six to eight hours, so you can get a lot of use out of it over the course of your day.
Another plus? Apollo says the wearable is appropriate for both adults and children, if you think your kid or teen could benefit from some extra stress relief or focus during long school days (especially during the tricky transition from summer break to classes). Make sure you snag a small wristband size for any kids under 12.
Quick note: Apollo isn’t a replacement for other stress relief techniques, therapies, or medications. That said, it can definitely be used to complement your current routine, the brand says.
And back-to-school might be the right time to try it out, considering the Apollo wearable is on sale for $40 off until Aug. 31, with the code B2S23, or for $50 off if you buy before Aug. 27. Between the savings and the stress relief, maybe this is the year we can finally kiss those fall blues goodbye.
Before you go, check out some must-have workout accessories for your home gym: