Julia Wikeepa, founder of Hā Habit. Image supplied.
Hā Habit is a new stainless steel breathing tool that can be worn as a necklace and is designed to tackle anxiety. Created by Julia Wikeepa (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Maniapoto, Te Atihaunui-Ā-Pāpārangi) who is on a mission to destigmatise anxiety, Hā Habit is backed up by a short e-book that allows users to get to the root of their anxiety or patterned behaviour. The Hā (‘breath’) tool works by assisting the user in slowing their breathing which helps relieve feelings of anxiety and anger.
With the aim of providing Kiwis young and old with a simple tool and the education to self-manage their symptoms, Hā Habit is informed by psychological science, mātauranga Māori, and Wikeepa’s personal experience. The product was created after a call from Māori health leaders for more reporting and mental health services designed from a kaupapa Māori point of view to help a population struggling from the effects of COVID-19.
“Slow breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system and is scientifically proven to calm the body and mind. The tool also helps to train the individual to make a habit of self regulation, and can be used to intercept thought patterns related to addiction, mental illness, and eating disorders,” says Julie Wikeepa. “With the uncertainty of Covid-19 and the anxiety that has resulted, I am looking forward to seeing how the Hā tool and framework will positively impact not only individuals, but their whānau, and the schools or workplaces they attend.”
Wikeepa is excited about the potential for the Hā tool in Aotearoa after seeing similar tools proving popular overseas. Hā Habit will be useful to help reduce anxiety among overworked, stressed people, as well as teachers and employees in high stress occupations – or any one who experiences anxiety or who wants to change patterned behaviour.
Academic Staff Member Centre for Health and Social Practice at Wintec Institute, Dr. Rawiri Karena recommends the tool and says, “I believe that the Hā tool is better and more accessible than any other calming technique currently available. A person alone experiencing an anxiety episode or panic attack can be so overwhelmed, it may become too discombobulating to try to remember anxiety or panic attack calming techniques. The beauty of the Hā tool for anxiety and panic attack sufferers, is that no thinking or cognisant skill is required. You just inhale through the nose for 4 seconds , and then exhale through the Hā tool for 8-10 seconds. Continue, or up the dosage until the anxiety or panic attack is alleviated.”
For Julie Wikeepa, the process to create Hā Habit has also been personal and reflects her own mental health journey. Growing up with low self esteem and social anxiety, Wikeepa turned to drugs and alcohol during her teen years to suppress her emotions. She also used food as a vice and suffered from bulimia for eight years.
When she was 24, Wikeepa fell pregnant with her son and made the decision to turn her life around. She took online courses to better herself, travelled to India to build houses with Habitat for Humanity, and studied psychology and HR at university. Wikeepa thrived at university and gained an A grade average, but wanted to find a tangible way to connect indigenous wisdom with her scientific knowledge.
She’s delighted to launch Hā Habit online with the stainless steel Hā Tool available in silver, gold, and charcoal. It is able to be worn around the neck as a stylish, unisex necklace and there is also a koru design available.
Images supplied.