And while it’s always OK to use whatever is near you, the app does provide a quarterly chocolate subscription that sources chocolates from Ecuador. A quarterly subscription to these Ecuadorian delicacies sees you receive ninety-nine small pieces of chocolate, or thirty-three pieces for each month which equals an ounce, all of which adds up to 3 ounces, a healthy amount to consume in the span of three months. However, our private and social lives are not the only areas in need of rejuvenation with regard to wellness practices. A huge percentage of stress can be attributed to office and work environments, where we feel the pressure on our shoulders from the weight of duty and responsibility in our respective careers. This leads to a mental antagonism in the workplace whereby employees are constantly in a hurry to leave the office and, more often than not, reluctant to go in. Unfortunately, this antagonism may extend to individuals in the workplace, colleagues, and superiors, leading to less effective communication and an even less effective teamwork experience, negatively impacting workflow. Fortunately, in 2024, wellness and mental health practice campaigns have significantly improved in response to the increasing need for attention to the mental health of individuals. Even though it’s a relatively new player in the game, the MYRetreat app is helping companies with team building in order to decrease stress and increase mindfulness in the workplace by using, no surprise, chocolate instead of trust falls. In an attempt to fix the lack of team spirit by bridging the gap between team members, the MYRetreat app sends chocolates to each member of a team and puts in the effort to bring them together either in person or online, thereby fostering a sense of communion between team members. Combining the pleasant experience of chocolate consumption with the simplicity of mindfulness practices and techniques, Mueller-Douglas has succeeded in engineering a subtle yet effective technique that silently initiates change, which reverberates to all areas of livelihood.
We’re creating a space where people can be very intentional with making connections and building bonds together over chocolate.”
confident about their system. “Due to the quality, people are being satiated with just one piece. The whole experience makes use of all your senses, from looking at the colors, listening to the sounds when unwrapping, tasting the new flavors, feeling the textures, helps you to really focus on the chocolate. And we are finding that the majority of people don’t need more; one’s enough,” says Mueller-Douglas, LMSW. She also went on to add that the entire chocolate experience is a great lesson to spill into other areas of your life; whether you’re at work or spending time with the people you love, just being in the moment can fulfill you more than trying to multitask. The different types of chocolate (dark, white, etc.) afforded by the MYRetreat app all contribute to the growth of users in ways unique to each individual. Seeing as everyone has their favorites, starting with that is key because it’s familiar, Mueller-Douglas
emphasized. However, if you are trying to change your mindset, in any area of your life, it’s OK to start with the simple practice of trying something new and adding in a little chocolate. “When you try something new with a child’s mindset, and it feels so great you want to do it again, that spills over into other areas of your life, in your career, social life, etc,” Mueller-Douglas adds. The chocolate mindfulness campaign will also be featuring a retreat in March of next year on Grand Cayman Island, a location very dear to Mueller- Douglas as it’s also home to her family. Mueller-Douglas and her team are bringing chocolate to the forefront of the wellness conversation. They hope that when people (users of the app) enjoy chocolate, they are reminded of their commitment and will remember to use the MYRetreat app, thereby boosting mental health efforts and improving relationships in both the office space and our private lives.
After a bit of consultation among the members, Mueller-Douglas arrived at chocolate, which she saw as a wonderful idea seeing as chocolate is a beloved treat and a “love language” for a lot of people. Additionally, it is very accessible and can be acquired easily. While managing mental health by stimulating the palate may appear straightforward, the process of habit stacking may prove a bit more complex, which is why the MYRetreat app offers hands-on instructions and advice to help guide you through the process. Comprising three-minute daily meditations—all concluding with gifting yourself a small piece of chocolate—and spanning from setting intentions to a full body scan with guided imagery, the MYRetreat app is engineered to accompany users on a journey of wellness that will leave both mind and body in a state of genuine satisfaction.
When teams come together to break bread, or in this case, chocolate, while also practicing mindfulness and enjoying being in the moment, they’re distracted from other negative thoughts and replace them with a positive atmosphere ripe for socialization. Eventually, the peace and joy enjoyed in these moments will be translated into positive feelings toward each other. “We’re creating a space where people can be very intentional with making connections and building bonds together over chocolate,” explains Mueller-Douglas, LMSW. Seeing how a much beloved and easily addicting everyday snack has become instrumental in improving mindfulness practices, this presents an apparent danger in just how much chocolate should be consumed. When asked in an interview with TrooRa about the app’s efforts in curtailing the amount of chocolate consumed by users, Mueller-Douglas was
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