When most people think of apps, they tend to think of addicting games like Candy Crush or the new Mario Kart, or social networking apps such as Snapchat and Instagram. But what most people aren’t aware of is that smartphone apps extend beyond leisure, and there are plenty of apps that cater directly to mental health needs. Here are four of the most useful apps for mental health.
- Headspace
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Mindfulness meditation is a practice that is often brought up in my psychology classes, and there’s even a minicourse offered by Rutgers to partake in the ancient therapeutic technique during the semester. I think there’s a pretty big stigma around meditation – mainly because we think of it as being boring, antiquated and a waste of time. However, it’s increasingly evident that these thoughts come from a lack of knowledge about the actual benefits of mindfulness meditation, which include anxiety reduction, potential treatment and prevention of depression, increased body satisfaction and increased cognition.
Headspace is a free app that allows users to utilize the benefits of meditation at their fingertips. The app asks you a few questions to tailor its programs to your specific needs and, in particular, what you are struggling most with. It then asks you how familiar you are with meditating as a whole to match your skill and comfort with a specific therapeutic technique, as well as a time during the day (both in duration and when to use the app) and how long you’d most like to partake in it. It builds a custom plan for you to follow, but also grants you access to some brief guided meditations, courses, and exercise videos to get you in the mindfulness mindset.
- Calm
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I started using Calm my first semester of freshman year when I was experiencing increased anxiety from being away from home, which worsened at night when I was trying to fall asleep in an unfamiliar territory while my thoughts kept me up. I remember googling to see if there was anything I could do to get my brain to stop working itself up into an anxious state, and a blog I stumbled upon recommended Calm. Calm is similar to Headspace in that it promotes the implementation of mindfulness meditation in a daily routine, but the difference is that it emphasizes soothing audiobooks and playlists, too. When you first install the app, it asks you what you want to get out of the app. In my case, I selected “better sleep”, and was prompted to select a bedtime story to listen to, which is read in a calming voice to promote relaxation. Additionally, Calm has a variety of playlists for you to listen to that are mild and soothing, perfect for a deep sleep. I love this app for when I need some background music to distract all of the thoughts that seem to pop up as I try to sleep, and I really can’t recommend this app enough for those who are struggling to catch some z’s.
- Daylio
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There’s some pretty significant evidence that supports daily journaling for stress and anxiety reduction, and I am a strong proponent of this practice. Daylio allows you to keep a virtual diary by tracking your moods, feelings, and daily activities. The more entries you enter into the app, the more useful statistics the app will provide, which will help you identify some patterns in your life. This will help you take note of your good and bad habits, and allow you to work on making the latter better. At the end of every month, the app generates a colorful chart that shows you all of the data you’ve logged. The chart, which is satisfying to look at when filled, gives you the incentive to continue logging daily for the most accurate read on your daily habits. I’ve seen people try to recreate this journaling style on apps like Pinterest, but I like the idea of this being on a cell phone because it’s easier to do than drawing, and the app can send you reminders to journal.
- Talkspace
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Last semester, I was experiencing a lot of anxiety in school that prevented me from being able to go out for traditional, in-person therapy. My primary physician recommended I look into Talkspace as a virtual therapy instead. This is the only app that connects you to a real, licensed counselor via laptop, tablet, or smartphone through protected messages. You first take an assessment to identify your therapy needs, and then get matched with a therapist the program feels is a good fit for your situation. Everything is through messaging, so you can message your therapist anytime and anywhere you want. You can receive responses 1-2 times a day, but if you feel you need more, you can schedule video chats with your therapist too. Since this is a real form of therapy, it will cost money, but it is very much worth it if you need additional help that extends beyond the other apps mentioned. The app also offers a student plan, which allows for discounted therapy for students. Overall, I can’t recommend this app enough to people who feel that traditional therapy is just not a feasible option.
Mental health is just as important as physical health, and there are so many resources both on and beyond campus that can aid you when you begin to feel yourself losing balance. These apps are a good start if you need to reorient yourself or if you need instant relief, but work best in conjunction with therapy or other medical intervention for more serious situations. In no way are all of these apps used to replace the treatment of a licensed professional, but they can help immediately take the edge off stress, be effective long-term, be used alongside therapy and medical intervention, and offer a safe and free outlet for mental duress.