Fortunately, access to mental health services is increasing in today’s digital age. If you can’t afford therapy but are struggling with a mental illness, there are plenty of apps that can provide you with therapeutic techniques to help you manage your disorder. As an additional benefit, apps for mental health can be a good option for those who feel that they will be negatively stigmatized if they admit their mental health struggles in person. Here are five of the best apps to help you with your mental health.
MoodMission
MoodMission is an app recommended for those struggling with anxiety, depression, or stress. As you may have gathered from the name, this app recommends missions based on how you’re feeling at the moment. After selecting your current emotions, the app will recommend specific missions, which may include thought-based activities such as transforming negative thoughts or emotion-based activities such as deep breathing exercises. The app keeps a log of all the missions you’ve created, allowing you to track your progress and reflect on which activities work best for you. MoodMission was developed by mental health professionals, making it a great option if you’re unable or unwilling to seek professional help.
Headspace
Meditation is an extremely effective way to lessen anxiety and depression and allow you to become mentally strong. If you’re interested in trying out meditation but don’t know where to start, Headspace is a meditation app that can teach you how to live your life more mindfully. Don’t worry if you don’t have any experience with meditation, as this app has meditation options for people of various skill levels. You’ll learn techniques such as deep breathing and body scanning, which can allow you to become more in tune with your inner self. Headspace also allows you to track your daily meditation progress, which can be motivating if you’re finding it difficult to stick to your goals. In addition to meditation’s positive effects on mental health, it’s also been shown to enhance focus and concentration, strengthen the immune system, and improve sleep quality.
Happify
If you’re struggling with depression, Happify may be the app for you. Happify is all about boosting your mood, with fun games, gratitude prompts, and ways to train your brain to reframe negative thoughts. As an added benefit, the games and activities were developed by psychologists who are familiar with cognitive behavioral therapy, and they reported that 86% of Happify users felt more content with their lives after just two months of using the app. Happify can help you more effectively deal with stress, boost self-confidence and achieve mindfulness.
Moodfit
Just as you need to exercise your body, you also need to get your mind in shape. Moodfit is a free app that can help you better understand your emotions, challenge negative thoughts and practice mindfulness and gratitude. This app also has a feature that allows you to track your moods, which can be helpful in determining what factors affect your daily emotions, such as the amount of exercise, medication, or sleep quality. For example, if you think that a certain medication is causing an emotional change, you can track your moods to see if that particular medication is working for you. Moodfit can benefit anyone trying to improve their mental health, but it’s best for those who are dealing with anxiety, depression, or stress.
Lifesum
Lifesum is a great resource for those struggling with eating disorders. This app allows you to set your own goals, such as eating a healthier diet or exercising more often, and you can program it to remind you to eat or drink water throughout the day. Lifesum also offers a “Life Score” option, in which you enter your own data to receive a personalized guide to achieve better health. While this app can help those with eating disorders foster a healthier relationship with their body, it can also be helpful for those who want to live a healthier lifestyle.
Whether you’re struggling with a mental illness or you just want to improve your relationship with yourself, there is a multitude of apps to choose from that can help you enhance your well-being. Using these five apps can help you on your road to recovery.
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