Design and Development of a VR Based Relaxation Environment for Mental Wellness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15662/IJEETR.2026.0802120Keywords:
Virtual Reality, Mental Wellness, Stress Reduction, Immersive Environment, Guided Breathing, Mobile VRAbstract
Rising levels of stress and anxiety among students and working professionals have intensified the demand for accessible, cost-effective, and technology-driven mental wellness solutions. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for relaxation and stress management due to its ability to provide immersive and distraction-free environments. This paper presents the design and development of a mobile-based VR relaxation environment aimed at promoting mental wellness through immersive natural scenes and guided relaxation techniques. The proposed system integrates 3D nature-inspired virtual environments, spatial ambient soundscapes, and guided breathing exercises within a smartphone-enabled VR framework using low-cost head-mounted displays
Emphasis is placed on affordability, personalization, and real-world usability to overcome limitations of existing VR systems that rely on expensive hardware or controlled clinical settings. Users can select preferred relaxation environments and session durations, enabling a customizable and user-centred experience. The system architecture, environment design principles, implementation methodology, and evaluation approach are discussed in detail. A preliminary evaluation involving volunteer participants assessed perceived stress levels, usability, comfort, and immersion.
Experimental results indicate a notable reduction in self-reported stress levels after short VR relaxation sessions, along with high user satisfaction in terms of visual comfort, audio quality, and overall immersion. The findings demonstrate that mobile-based VR relaxation systems are feasible, scalable, and effective for everyday mental wellness support. The proposed solution highlights the potential of immersive VR technology as a practical digital intervention for stress management in educational, occupational, and healthcare settings
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