Three of my Favourite Apps for Supporting Your Mental Health
Technology can be a friend when it comes to supporting your mental health. I love taking time to test out new apps and see what they are all about. Every now and then you come across a hidden gem that is ad-free (or at least has very few ads), is inexpensive, and actually helps.
It’s important to have a well-rounded and overflowing toolbox when it comes to supporting your mental health. Attending therapy is one tool. Speaking to a friend is another. Practicing coping skills to regulate your emotions and calm your nerves are both great tools to develop. Utilizing apps on your phone is a modern, on the go, and easy to access tool to have in times of need.
I will only ever recommend apps that I have personally tried and use regularly. There is no benefit to suggesting you download useless apps that force you to use your phone more than you probably want to. I also don’t receive any sort of compensation from recommending these apps to anyone. My hope is that by bringing more attention to some of these smaller and less popular mental health apps, the apps themselves can grow in popularity and get even better. And, you know, help a few people out along the way.
#1 – Presently
https://presently-app.firebaseapp.com/
Available on Android only
Presently is quite possibly the most aesthetic and minimalist app I’ve ever seen. If that floats your boat, you’re really going to like this app. This app is a daily gratitude journal. It follows you around in your pocket, and you can set it up to prompt you with a single notification every day when it’s time to record what you are most grateful for. You can search and scroll through old posts (which seemingly have no limit, because I am approaching 600 recorded gratitude entries). You can even share your gratitude entry for the day online if that is something you like to do.
Another fun feature that really personalizes the entire experience, as if it really was your own personal journal, is the ability to change the theme of the app. You can opt for bright and punchy colours to inspire your gratitude, or soft neutral tones to calm your senses.
Presently is open source and is completely free to download through the Google Play Store. It is also ad free, which sweetens the deal.
There are many meditation apps on the market, and I’ve tried a lot of them. None are as good as Balance. Balance provides education on how to become skilled at meditating. One of my favourite features on the Balance app is the way they customize their meditations. Prior to your meditation, Balance will ask you a few simple questions about your meditation experience. Based on your answers they will adjust the guided meditation you listen to next as you make your way through the lesson plans.
You can decide to work your way through their meditation curriculum, or if you need something to support a specific issue or focus, Balance offers a variety of themed meditations. Balance also has support for things like sleep and focusing at work. You can use Balance to play 8 continues ad-free hours of relaxing sleep sounds if that helps you stay asleep at night. If you need to zone out and focus, Balance has recordings to listen to that are designed to enhance your concentration. With any meditation, you can choose the type of voice you would like to listen to, as well as the duration. You can choose to meditate for as little as five minutes. This is great for if you are a beginner when it comes to meditating.
Balance is currently offering your first year’s subscription for free, which is wild. After your first year, Balance offers monthly, annual, or lifetime options to continue subscribing or purchase access to the app forever. I am in my second year of using Balance for meditation, and I thoroughly enjoy it.
#3 – Dare
https://www.dareresponse.com/dareapp/
Available on Android and iPhone
This is one of my favourite apps when it comes to support for anxiety. In fact, this very app was recommended to me by my own therapist and I have been using it regularly ever since. This app takes a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach to helping support your mental health. The app is full of recordings that are designed for getting through a panic attack, learning about anxiety as a whole, and developing acceptance and tolerance to the discomfort that comes along with anxiety.
This is one of the more unique approaches I’ve seen in an app when it comes to helping someone manage their anxiety symptoms. Many apps focus on providing relaxation as you wait for the storm to pass. Dare takes an active and head-on approach, encouraging you to sit in the anxiety, accept it, ride it out, and see that you can survive. They have guided programs and an option to join support groups, but my favourite part of this app is the SOS features that you can call on to use in times of high stress, anxiety, and crisis. You’ll have to download the app to discover it for yourself!
One of the most fantastic things about this app, is that it was built and informed entirely by professionals that are related to the field of mental health. Therapists, psychiatrists, and even doctors and cardiologists were all involved in the development of this app.
Dare is free to download and many of their recordings are also free to access. They do offer in-app purchases for further support, structured courses, and more.
Hopefully you find as much relief and support from these apps as I have. If you have any other app recommendations that I should try out and add to my list, please feel free to let me know!
Disclaimer: If you are in need of support, Callisto Counselling is accepting new clients. Reading blogs on a counsellor’s website is not an appropriate or effective substitute for legitimate counselling services. The author of this blog cannot be held liable for reactions to content posted on a public mental health blog.
Callisto Counselling 