We often think of our phones as another source of stress - they're so often with us and asking for our attention. However, there are a lot of great apps that can help you to take control of your mental health, and even find moments of grounding.
iOS, Android, & Web, free to download, subscription for full access
Pacifica is an all-in-one app that is designed to help manage stress and anxiety. The app provides guided self-help like mindfulness and cogitive behavioural activites, as well as relaxation like meditation and progressive muscle relaxation exercises. The app also allows you to set goals and track your mood and progress over time to help identify patterns.
iOS, Android, Starts at $32/week
Accessing therapy can be difficult - from finding the right fit, to fitting it into your busy life, to affording it. Talkspace is an online therapy app that takes therapy into the 21st century. A matching therapist will work with you to find you a licensed, background-checked therapist who suits your needs. From there, you can message your therapist whenever you'd like and get responses. If you need a little more facetime, you can also schedule video sessions.
iOS, Android, Web, Free with option add-ons
Stop Breathe and Think is an easy-to-use app that is a great introduction to meditation and mindfulness. When you sign into the app, you're given a few minutes to select how you're feeling both mentally and physically, as well as any emotions. The app will then recommend a short selection of meditations for you to do based on what you need in the moment. Most of the meditations are fairly short, making this a great app to try.
iOS, Android, Free.
What's Up? is a great, free app that provides you with Cogntive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in your pocket. Resources include games to help you stay grounded, breathing exercises for relaxation, activities to overcome negative thinking patterns, and more. The app also includes a diary for tracking your emotions and habits.
iOS, Android, Free.
Although Mindshift is created for teens and young adults, it's a fantastic resource for anyone dealing with anxiety. The app provides information about ways to manage different types of anxiety, including perfectionism, test anxiety, social anxiety, and more.
iOS, coming soon to Android, Free
Stigma makes tracking your mood easier with tools like a word cloud and reminders set up to your own schedule. The app also allows you to share your posts annonomously so you can give and reveive peer support.
iOS, Android, free to download with in-app purchases
Wildflowers is a mindfulness meditation app that takes mindfulness to the next level. The app uses your phone's camera to measure your heart rate, providing data which helps the app to learn more about you. You can also use their meditation suggestion tool to find meditations for your mood, and track your progress in the journal.
iOS, Android, Free.
Happify is an app that focuses on, you guessed it, happiness! Based on science, the app provides a selection of activities that are designed to boost your mood, reduce negative thinking, and improve mindfulness and relaxation.
iOS, Android, Free
Designed specifically to help manage urges to self-harm, Calm Harm has categories of tasks so you can choose what you need in that moment. Distract helps to develop self-control, comfort offers ways to care for yourself rather than harm, express helps to release emotions, and release provides safe alternatives to self-harm.
Thank you so much…I was happy to see that there are apps to help our mental health.
Thank you so much for this post! I haven’t heard of any of these apps and they all sound great for managing your mental health. I’m going to check these out, thank you! ❤️