Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) is developing a board game simulator to improve the quality of life. In the Master of Condition project, psychology, physiology, and management are combined into a single method to increase stress tolerance and performance, prevent burnout, and reduce anxiety through self-regulation practices. The project was among the winners of the Student Startup competition of the federal University Technology Entrepreneurship Platform project. The project team received grant support in the amount of 1 million rubles for the implementation of its startup.
In a world obsessed with productivity and success, we have forgotten how to listen to ourselves and others. Anxiety, insomnia, and burnout have become a new pandemic, especially among active and ambitious people — students, entrepreneurs, and top managers. At the same time, traditional approaches often work with the effect rather than the cause, notes the author of the development, Anna Gladka, a 1-year graduate student at the Department of Electronic Devices at NSTU-NETI. The goal of the Master of Condition project is not just to provide temporary relief, but to teach the nervous system to cope with stress on its own by training new useful patterns of breathing, movement and thinking.
The work was carried out in three key areas: scientific substantiation and synthesis of methods, creation of a structured system, approbation and proof of effectiveness. Thanks to its Master's degree in PRO (NSTU-NETI educational project), Anna Gladka was able to study not only psychological disciplines, but also business programs, analyzed and combined the most effective, scientifically proven practices from psychology, neurophysiology, integrative medicine and management. These are breathing techniques, elements of sensorimotor and body-oriented therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, meditation, neurofitness, and spiral dynamics.
The second stage involved the creation of a structured system. All the tools have been systematized into clear step-by-step action protocols, resulting in a proven algorithm for different situations with the ability to quickly return to a resource/ working/ desired state. The program has been tested at the youth center for 2.5 years. During this time, more than 20 people have been able to dramatically improve their quality of life, from finding employment and overcoming depression without medication to successfully finding the desired job and launching business projects.
The uniqueness of the development lies in the synergy of three areas: physiology, psychology and management, as well as in an integrative and preventive approach. According to the developers, this project is a new standard of mental and physical health care.
"With the help of the Status Wizard, three key problems can be solved. For the corporate sector, it is important to reduce employee burnout, increase their focus, stress tolerance, efficiency and social engagement, and reduce the number of sick days due to stress. This is a direct economic benefit for companies. For the education system, it is important to provide students and teachers with tools to manage their emotional state before exams, diploma defenses, and during periods of high workload. This will help to maintain the resource state: mental and physical health. It is important for everyone to make mental and physical health care an accessible and daily practice. You no longer need to wait for an appointment with a psychologist to cope with acute anxiety, it is enough to apply the necessary algorithm," said Anna Gladka.
At the moment, the core of the technique has been developed, which has proven its effectiveness, high-quality videos have been recorded on Rutube (in the video studio of NSTU-NETI). For example, videos to relax / calm down (under stress, for example, increased heart rate, insomnia, etc.), videos to gather, create a resource, increase energy levels (when you are too lazy to do something, woke up and was tired, etc.)
In the near future, the developers plan to introduce a set of techniques in the field of mental and physical health: to cope with panic in 5 minutes, increase productivity by 30%, and reduce the impact of stress. In the slightly longer term, we plan to create a mobile application and an online platform where anyone can get a personalized set of practices to suit their needs, stress levels and the dominant nervous system. In addition, it is planned to partner with corporations to introduce programs as an essential element of corporate well—being in large companies.
The startup team would like to thank the Reactor Startup Center represented by Dmitry Kuleshov and the Department of Management represented by Evgenia Goreva for their support at all stages of applying for a grant.