The first product you'll need to "geek your cube" is a personal stress reliever!

According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all health problems are related to stress. Even when you don't think you're stressed, you probably are. I learned this by testing HeartMath's emWave Personal Stress Reliever.

Description. Developed by Doc Childre, the emWave Personal Stress Reliever is a device that "objectively monitors your heart rhythms and confirms when you are in the coherence mode." Most people will try taking deep breaths or walking around to alleviate stress. However, sometimes these activities can make you even more stressed. The emWave is all about achieving "psychophysiological coherence," a sustained state of positive feeling, similar to what athletes feel when they are in the zone. When you experience stress such as tension, anxiety or anger, your heart rhythm becomes irregular, consequently negatively affecting your health, brain function, and performance. However, when you're experiencing postive feelings such as appreciation, joy or love, your heart rhythm becomes more regular and coherent.

There are three levels of coherence detected by the emWave:

Red = Low Coherence (stressed)
Blue = Medium Coherence (semi-stressed)
Green = High Coherence (relaxed)

Objective. To reach a high coherence level (green). While you're inhaling and exhaling, think of something positive. Every five seconds you maintain the blue and green levels while breathing in and out, a blue light will be added in the Heart Action strip. But if you go back to the red level, lights will be subtracted from the strip. Each time you fill the strip with lights, you'll hear a sound and the process will start over. You can change your challenge level when you first power the device by giving a short press on the top of the sensor button. There are four Challenge levels altogether.

Performance. When I tested the emWave, it took me about a minute to read a high coherence level. What worked for me was to first practice breathing in and out by watching the heart strip. Once I had a good pace going, I closed my eyes and thought about being on a bed of flowers. I also tried looking at a picture of my boyfriend and I to achieve a high coherence level, but it never seemed to work because background noise at work distracted me. So closing my eyes and thinking positive emotions worked the best. After wearing the sensor for about fifteen minutes, my coherence ratio was 60% high coherence, 10% medium coherence, and 30% low coherence. I noticed that while using the device, my coherence level went into the red when I opened my inbox to 40 unread messages! But when I started reading about a cool gadget, my coherence level went from red to blue to green.

The emWave comes in silver or blue and includes an AC adapter, ear sensor cable, carrying case, and the Coherence Coach CD. Purchase the emWave Personal Stress Reliever for $199.

Learn how the emWave works and my overall impression.