6 Awesome Mental Health Apps
Whether you’re currently struggling with a mental health issue, or you just want to build upon your skills, everyone’s looking for ways to improve their mental health. You might think of joining a yoga class, signing up for a meditation group, or participating in another activity that brings you peace. However, you may not always have the time to do these activities consistently. This is where apps can be super helpful. Within the palm of your hand, you can have a variety of tools to boost your mental health, whether you have an hour on a weekend or 5 minutes at the end of a busy work day. Here are some apps that can help you on your mental health journey…
Headspace -
Headspace is a great app for meditating and winding down at the end of the day. Not to mention, it’s user friendly, it’s designed for all ages, and it has an extensive library of resources. Headspace has specific sleep meditations with wind downs, calming music, and “sleepcasts,” which are stories that vary nightly to help you calm down. (The sleepcasts can even be adjusted for adults or kids, with stories featuring Sesame Street characters for your little ones.) In addition, the app has meditations for panic attacks, stress, coping with depression, improving focus, and just about any other mental health issue you can think of.
Meditation has been proven to be an effective tool in mental health treatment, and can be done in as little as 2 minutes. When you’re stressed and need a deep breath, Headspace’s meditations may enable you to put things into perspective.Calm Harm -
While Calm Harm was originally designed to help with people who struggle with self-harm, the app can actually help with other addictive or harmful behaviors. It can become another tool within your tool belt of coping skills. The app provides 6 different categories (comfort, distract, express yourself, release, breathe, or random) of coping skills to “ride the wave” when you feel the urge to engage in addictive or harmful behavior. It can also be password protected, so children and teens feel safe to use it in public or around friends if needed.Booster Buddy -
While this app may seem juvenile with its animated foxes and rabbits, this app may be beneficial and fun for people of all ages. Booster Buddy makes self-care a “game” for users; in fact, it can be a motivator for people to take care of themselves if they need an extra push. In order for your “buddy” within the app to wake up, you need to complete 3 assigned tasks for the day. The difficulty of each task will depend on your mood that you track through Booster Buddy.
If you’re having a particularly bad day, the app might encourage you to brush your teeth, and if you’re doing well, it might encourage you to go out and volunteer in your community or spend extra time with family. Plus, the app can send reminders about medication if necessary and help you organize a list of people to reach out to if you need extra support. This app is especially valuable for those who struggle with depressive moods, as it can boost internal motivation.Worry Kit -
Worry Kit is another app that offers coping skills. It provides affirmations, gives you a visual breathing exercise, and helps you visualize your negative thoughts drifting away. One unique and worthwhile skill within Worry Kit is the “thought defuser.” With the thought defuser skill, you write down your negative thought and pull it apart, until you realize that your negative thought is not reality, only your own perception. Then you get to see it literally fade away on your screen!The Mighty -
The Mighty is a mental health social media app. This app is best for adults because like any social media app, you can interact with strangers online. However, if utilized correctly (and with supervision for teenagers), the app can be a great tool to foster community. There are forums where people can share their thoughts about mental health and internal communities ranging from craft rooms to LGBTQ+ health support to a self care lounge. They also have a virtual events page where you can log into these craft rooms, journaling clubs, or support groups via zoom.I am - Daily Affirmations -
The concept for this app is simple but powerful. “I am” sends you daily affirmations as frequently as you’d like. It offers the ability to add a widget to your Home Screen, so you can cycle through the affirmations at your leisure. Reminding yourself just how great you are can be quite powerful.
While apps may not fix underlying mental health issues, they can certainly contribute to improved mental health over time when combined with other treatments like therapy. They are not an alternative to mental health care, but rather an extra tool to help you during those tough moments. Any of these apps can be a great addiction to your treatment plan—it’s all about discovering what works best for you!