5 Great Mental Health Apps
With all the technological resources at our fingertips today, there are so many options on how to increase our mental health. A growing trend lately appears to include an influx in apps designed to increase our mental health. But just as I feel when I walk into H&M .... there are too many options, it is immediately overwhelming and I end up quickly leaving with nothing. With all the options out there how can we know which are most effective and which are a waste of time and money?Well, first let's look at what kind of app we need. Mindfulness exercises? Mood Charts? Group Forums to talk about mental health? Knowing what we are looking for can drastically narrow down the search. In my travels I have found several great apps that can help you improve your mental health. The 5 listed in this blog are my first 5 go-tos, however there are many, many more options out there. This is merely a good starting point to finding what you're looking for. So, here we go! In no particular order:
Headspace - This app is a great starter tool for learning the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness is an effective approach to reducing depression, anxiety, negative thoughts and emotional management. Mindfulness is used for many other practices, Headspace gives you the chance to exercise this tool for 10 days for free. This is a great way to see if Mindfulness is a good fit for you before spending any money on an app. If you find you connect with Headspace they offer membership for a fee, with membership you receive different mindful meditation packs including depression and anxiety, as well as mindful practices for kids!
10% Happier - Another mindfulness app designed to help you learn the practice of mindfulness. This app also offers a free trial period. I suggest this app to those who roll their eyes at the idea of Mindfulness. 10% Happier offers a mindful meditation approach to skeptics of mindfulness and meditation as an effective mental health tool. If you are someone who imagines mindful meditation as a practice including incense, pillows on the floor and noticing the uniqueness of each star - and if the idea of that sounds horrible, this may be the app for you!
Pacifica - This app is intended for stress and anxiety. Pacifica uses Cognitive Behavioural, mindfulness and relaxation tools to challenge anxiety and stress. Pacifica allows you to track your moods throughout the day at to rate them. They also offer community forums and chat groups with specific topics so users can chat with others in similar situations. Pacifica does have a free version that is helpful on its own, but for those wanting more features you are able to purchase a premium subscription. I recommend trying it out for a while before spending any money!
Stigma - Another app that uses cognitive behavioural tools and social supports to increase mental health. Stigma offers a pen pal option where you can connect to others who are using the app. You can also chart your mood throughout the day, giving you an average at the end of the day. There is a journalling option as well to keep track of your thoughts and moods throughout the day. Stigma also offers a month view or a graph showing your mood tracking. This is similar to the year in pixels tool that was popular last year. This gives you the opportunity to see your moods throughout the month and note how many days were good, bad or neutral.
Thought Diary - also has a free version you can try out with limited features. The free version has enough features to make this an effective app without having to spend money. This app is primarily a cognitive behavioural approach to challenging negative thoughts and patterns. In Thought Diary, you can track feelings and thoughts, challenge these thoughts and rerate your feelings after challenging negative thought patterns. Journal entries are saved and can be reviewed at a later date. This can be a helpful tool to tack thoughts and feelings in the moment to then discuss with your therapist at a later date.
These 5 apps are just a few of the many great tools out there intended to help us improve our mental health. What apps would you recommend?