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Smartphone Apps
Here are a handful of apps that you may find useful to support your mental health.
Relaxation Apps
When you need to wind down, these can help you get there.
Free guided breathing exercises to help alleviate anxiety, fall asleep, get energized, and more!
An app to help with insomnia and
sleep issues. It has a great “Quiet Your Mind” feature
with guided imagery, a breathing tool, progressive
muscle relaxation, and a body scan. Includes a
“Worry Time” feature as well as a tool for defusion
(observing your thoughts) and great sleep advice.
This is an “ASMR” app that may produce
relaxation by inducing a sensation in the scalp that
moves down to the body. The sensation is thought
to be triggered by things like whispering voices,
paper tearing, and scalp massage.
Mood Management Apps
These can help you feel grounded and improve your mood. These are NOT a replacement for therapy but may be helpful in the short term.
Games and meditations to overcome negative thoughts and stress.
Worry-thought diary (place to record worries) which allows the user or their therapist to customize prompt questions that encourage use of coping skills. Can use a security pin. Created by psychologists.
A CBT-based app that allows you to use journaling as a coping tool. Select your mood on a daily basis, and you will be asked to follow a series of prompts that will help you solve the problem you are having and brighten your mood. Has an “Ask the
Expert” feature for a variety of emotional and life challenges.
Describe how you are feeling, and the app will assign you a tailored list of five missions (quick mental health strategies) to help boost your mood (i.e. relaxation, exercise, affirmations, gratitude).
Mood tracker. Has a chat function. Incorporates coping strategies from CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy). Confidential. Good for difficult
moments.
Contains simple and interactive tools to help with coping, relaxation, distraction,
and positive thinking. Allows you to store content (like family photos, music, inspirational quotes) that
bring comfort.
Includes many coping skills (e.g. breathwork). Allows the user to identify when they are engaging in thinking traps, provides thought challenging prompts and information about anxiety.
Games to promote resilience and reduce anxiety. A lot of fun!
Includes a thought diary. Geared toward depression. Includes information about the
signs of depression,
self-assessment, and resources for improving mood, including relaxation training
and meditation.
Mindfulness Apps
Here are a few to help you practice mindfulness.
Good for beginners but also includes programs for more advanced users, including guided meditation sessions as well as bedtime stories, soundscapes, and breathing exercises.
Brief daily guided meditations (2 - 3 minutes) on a new topic each day (such as coping with sadness or anger, or promoting focus and calm). Includes a meditation to start your day mindfully and mindful moments throughout the day as well as a movement feature and a buddy feature.
Guided meditations are added daily and all are timed (you can select by length). Includes music tracks and a community feature; browsable by topic.
From Australia, this meditation app
is designed for all ages, including the younger children. The features are designed to assist people in dealing with the pressures and stress of daily life.