USING APPS TO SUPPORT MENTAL HEALTH

ACT Coach, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, teaches users how to tolerate negative thoughts and feelings. The app virtually guides people through awareness exercises and gives tips on how to ditch self- doubt. With an extra focus on mindfulness, this app also provides a log to track your progress.

Breathe2Relax, Sometimes, all we need to de-stress is take a few deep breaths. Created by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, this app teaches users how to do diaphragmatic breathing (read: breathe down into the low belly).There’s educational videos on the stress response, logs to record stress levels, and customizable guided breathing sessions.

Happify, Want to kick negative thoughts, nix worry, and dial down stress? The array of engaging games, activity suggestions, and gratitude prompts makes Happify app a useful shortcut to a good mood. Designed with input from 18 health and happiness experts, Happify’s positive mood-training program is psychologist-approved. Even cooler? Its website links to bonus videos that are sure to make you smile.

Sanvello, Formerly called Pacifica, the Sanvello app teaches techniques for dealing with anxiety, depression, and stress. It is based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It teaches through a combination of:  videos  audio exercises  interactive activities  mood and health habit tracking RESOURCES Sanvello is integrated with Apple Health, so you can input exercise, sleep, and caffeine figures. Sanvello also tracks Mindfulness Minutes in Apple Health, based on your meditation practice. You can also connect to a community of users where other people post on a variety of topics, including personal strategies and words of encouragement.

Daylio, is a journaling and mood-tracking app. Tracking moods can help you tune in to the positive things in your life. You enter your moods by choosing icons from Daylio’s large online database. Daylio also offers a journaling function to write about your activities.

Quit Pro, Think of this as a fitness tracker for your smoking habit. It monitors your cravings over time, the places you puff the most, the triggers that lead you to light up, and the money you save by resisting a cigarette. By keeping track of your quitting progress and offering you motivational messages and statistics along the way, this comprehensive app is a much better thing to have in your back pocket than a pack of smokes.

SAM (Self-Help for Anxiety Management) app lets you know what’s pushing you over the edge, so you can reel yourself back in. SAM’s approach is to monitor anxious thoughts, track behavior over time, and use guided self- help exercises to discourage stress. SAM takes it to the next level by offering a “Social Cloud” feature that allows users to confidentially share their progress with an online community for added support.

Stop, Breathe, Think! Got 5 minutes? That’s enough time to cultivate mindfulness, which can improve your mood, lower stress, and help you feel more compassion toward yourself and the world. Skeptical? Well, consider that mindfulness and happiness tend to go hand-in-hand. And, as added incentive, this app can also improve your focus.

Stop Drinking, Relying on the powers of relaxation, visualization, and positive suggestions, this pro-sobriety app has the goal of calming your mind and getting it to a less-stressed place — where you’ll be less likely to crave a drink. Take advantage of the reminder feature that gives periodic chimes to prompt you to breathe and focus on the good throughout the day.

Stress and Anxiety Companion, Sure, we know that releasing negative thoughts, practicing relaxation techniques, and engaging in mindful awareness is good for our well-being. But that doesn’t mean we actually do all of that. This app can help make the wellness process a lot easier by guiding you through proven techniques to reduce those off-kilter thoughts and emotions while cultivating a much more present mindset. Additional features allow you to identify anxiety triggers to make sure they don’t catch you off guard.

Worry Watch, Many of us get anxious at times, only to realize later our anxieties were overblown or irrational. The idea behind Worry Watch is to nip these moments in the bud. This app enables users to track what kick-starts their anxiety, note trends in their feelings, observe when the outcomes were harmless, and keep tabs on insights to stop future freak-outs. To lower your anxiety even further, Worry Watch is password-protected, so whatever you divulge in the diary feature is safe and sound.