Mental Health Apps for Coping with Depression and Anxiety

Mental health applications or apps are popping up left and right. In the age of technology, we have access to so many tools that can aid in our journies to recovery. My phone is constantly by my side and I use it for many different tasks. In the last few years, I've found several mental health apps that help me cope with my symptoms of depression and anxiety. Here are three that have been helping me a lot recently.

Mental Health Apps that Help Me Cope with Depression and Anxiety

Daylio

I used to go through my journals to look at my mood trends, but this can be time-consuming and doesn't always give me the information I need. This app takes mood tracking to a whole new level. You're able to enter in a mood coupled with an activity at any time of the day. After enough entries, you can see statistics detailing your mood trends throughout the weeks and months. The app allows you to customize moods and activities which makes it a little more fun. This is a great way to incorporate mindfulness into your life because it enables you to just take a minute or two to reflect on how you're feeling. I've set up a reminder notification so that I'm being held accountable to enter in my information every day.

Breathe2Relax

Breath2Relax does just that; it shows you how to relax by breathing. This mental health app specifically targets stress. It guides you on how to breathe properly and provides exercises to help with stress management. For me, it's especially helpful when I feel anxiety or panicky feelings coming on. By practicing the exercises, I'm able to calm. I like to use it when I'm feeling okay too. If I'm not near my phone at the time of an anxiety attack, I'll already have the tools I need to help myself come out of it.

TruReach

This mental health app helps you practice cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It's a series of five-minute lessons that guide you through the basic concepts of CBT. I love this app. It has helped me recognize my negative self-talk whereas before I wouldn't have noticed until I was already down. Now, I find that I catch myself before it sends me into a spiral. If you're looking to try CBT, you may find this app is very helpful with the basics.

Mental Health Apps Are Great Resources for Coping Strategies

While these mental health apps are incredible, they're not a replacement for treatment or medical advice. They should be used to supplement other methods of treatment. Also, you should run the app by your medical provider or therapist to make sure it's the right one for you.

In this digital age, we have access to so many different resources. Phones are a key part of many of our lives. Using it as a tool for improving mental health is going to benefit you in more ways than one. 

What apps do you use to cope with depression and anxiety? Leave a comment below.