Everyone has mental health. It is natural to find yourself struggling with your mental health and when that happens, reaching out for supports is important. Supports and strategies to aid in mental wellness are more accessible now than ever, with hundreds of apps to support our mental health right at our fingertips. While these apps cannot replace diagnosis or treatment from a mental health professional (Psychologist, psychiatrist, counsellor, etc.), these apps can be part of your mental health wellness plan.
Thinkfull
Thinkfull is an app that “helps you manage your stress to enrich your life”. This app allows you to:
- Record your stress level along with life events to build self-awareness.
- Recognize patterns in your stress and start to solve the real problems.
- Personalize life tips that help you achieve healthy life balance.
"Using this App is like having a personal "coach" that you can use to help you learn to smooth the peaks and valleys of life's journey. Take it along with you." - Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Financial Chair in Adolescent Mental Health.
It is available for apple and android devices.
BeSafe
BeSafe allows you to create a personalized safety plan for when you are in crisis. In a moment of crisis, it may be difficult to think about what you should do or where you should go to get help or feel better. Having an established plan that you can refer to in those moments is a good idea. The app features a personalized safety plan as well as an option to get help.
- My Safety Plan
Fill our personal and medical information, as well as answer some questions related to your own coping strategies. - Get Help
Answer a couple questions about your current crisis and be directed to resources in your geographical area.
Daylio
Daylio is a mood and diary tracker app. It allows you to keep a free private diary and capture your day without writing down a single line! Each entry involves two simple steps: Pick your mood and add activities you did during the day. You can also add notes if you like. Daylio’s statistics and calendar help you understand your habits better, keep track of activities and create patterns to become more productive.
Headspace
We could all use a little mindfulness in our day, and Headspace is a popular app that can help you learn to meditate and live mindfully. The app features hundreds of quick sessions for anxiety, stress, sleep, and focus, designed to fit easily into your busy schedule. Meditation has been shown to reduce psychological symptoms of stress, anxiety, and pain related to stress, so why not give Headspace a try?
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the apps available to download. Want to discover more apps? See the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s list of Mental Health Apps, as well as their ratings for ease of use, effectiveness, research evidence etc., at https://adaa.org/finding-help/mobile-apps.
With so many apps available, which one will you download first?
