May 29, 2018
Apps Help You Make the Most of Your Mental Health in 2017
With a new year comes new resolutions. Many lean on tried and true self-improvement promises related to sleep, weight loss, time management, and work-life balance. Some resolution-makers, however, are going a bit deeper in their attempts to start a new year off on the right foot and are instead looking at ways in which they can manage their mental health should a lack of sleep (or some other time management issue) creep up on them.
As a working mom, I have experienced my fair share of sleepless nights, looming deadlines and, sometimes, that overwhelmed feeling that comes with what seems like an innate female need to be all things to all people. As you might expect, feeling stressed, anxious, and even a bit depressed will happen from time to time. As a 21st century working parent, I often turn to technology during times like these to help get me out of a funk. My number-one mental health pick-me-up is the YouVersion Bible app. A brief bit of scripture on a daily basis (a New Year’s resolution from several years ago) can be uplifting and reassuring.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Our Mental Health Section
Apps more specific to mental health are making waves as society continues to de-stigmatize such issues and the healthcare industry in general attempts to better integrate mental and primary healthcare. My trusted circle of health-tech savvy Facebook friends helped me put together a list of mental health apps and features likely to help us all maintain our preferred level of sanity in 2017:
Pacifica – a fairly new app that offers users the ability to track their moods, health, and thoughts to help them relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. It also offers audio meditations and internal support communities.
Headspace – a meditation app that helps relieve stress and anxiety.
Breathe – a new app for the Apple Watch that encourages wearers to relax, meditate, and breathe throughout the day. A similar feature is offered with the Fitbit Charge 2.
Happify – an app that offers evidence-based activities and games designed to help users beat negative thoughts and stress.
MDLive, American Well – These telemedicine companies offer virtual behavioral health consults alongside their urgent care services.
Whatever your mental health need, there are many apps, resources, and organizations out there to help you feel good in 2017. (I’d be remiss if I didn’t stress that a traditional talk session with a licensed therapist or counselor can be a wonderful first step in anyone’s mental health journey.) Best of luck with whatever your mood-lifting resolutions might be this New Year!
