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10 Best Apps for Mental Health

Author:
David Schwartz, MD
February 27, 2023

Mental health is an important aspect of our overall well-being, and with the current state of the world, characterized by post-pandemic recovery and its many associated stresses, such as job loss, isolation, and economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to take care of ourselves.

The challenges of daily life can take a toll on our mental health, and knowing where to turn for help can be challenging. Fortunately, technology has made it easier than ever to access resources and tools to help us manage our mental health. This article will discuss the 10 best apps for mental health that can help you build your confidence and momentum toward the future you want. Whether you’re looking for a mindfulness and meditation app, a therapy app, or a mood tracking app, there is something for everyone.

1.      Headspace 

Headspace is a popular meditation and mindfulness app that offers guided meditations, sleep, and movement exercises. The app is designed to help users reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus, and promote overall well-being.

Guided meditations are led by experienced meditation teachers and are designed to help users relax and focus their minds. The app offers a variety of meditation options, including short meditations for beginners and longer meditations for more experienced users. The sleep exercises are designed to help users fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, while the movement exercises are designed to help users relax and unwind.

The app is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. It is free to download and offers a 14-day free trial, but a subscription is required to access all of the features. The subscription plans offer a wide range of meditations and exercises, as well as personalized recommendations and progress tracking. Headspace offers student and family plans.

2.      Calm

Calm is a mindfulness and meditation app that offers a variety of guided meditations, sleep stories, and music to help users relax and unwind. The app also includes a feature called “Daily Calm,” which offers short daily meditation to help users start the day with a clear mind. Downloading is free, but it’s subscription-based. If you choose to sign up for the 7-day free trial, you will be automatically bumped up to Premium, which costs $14.99 a month.

3.      Pacifica

Pacifica is a mental health app that offers a variety of tools to help users manage stress and anxiety. The app includes a daily mood tracking feature, as well as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) exercises, mindfulness, and deep breathing exercises, and a journal feature to track progress. The CBT exercises are based on cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, which are a well-established and evidence-based way of managing stress and anxiety.

Pacifica is free to download and use, but a subscription is required to access all features, such as personalized recommendations, progress tracking, growth paths, and relaxation exercises. With a subscription, users also have access to a library of educational content, such as articles and videos, that provide information and tips on managing stress and anxiety.

4.      Talkspace

Talkspace is a therapy app that connects users with licensed therapists through text, audio, and video messaging. The app offers a variety of therapy options, including individual therapy, couples therapy, teen therapy, group therapy, and psychiatry. Talkspace is a subscription-based app, but offers to get you started with $100 off.

5.      Happify A green sticker that says "free"

Happify is an app that offers games, activities, and exercises to help users improve their emotional well-being and happiness. Happify focuses on improving mental wellness through addressing negative thought patterns, decreasing anxiety and stress, building mindfulness and optimism, and gaining confidence and self-esteem

The Happify app offers “Tracks,” which are short educational courses created by experts like Ph.D.s,  therapists, and meditation coaches

Each “Track” includes activities such as:

  • Appreciating the small things
  • Practicing gratitude
  • Empathizing with others
  • Focusing on aspirations.

Happify is free to use.

6.      Moodfit

Moodfit was voted the best overall mental health app of 2022 by Verywellmind. It uses cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help users manage stress, anxiety, and depression. These exercises include thought records to eliminate common distorted thinking patterns like overgeneralizing, cognitive restructuring, and behavioral experiments. The app includes a variety of exercises, games, and activities designed to help users improve their mood and well-being.

Moodfit is free to download and use, but a subscription is required for access to all features, starting at $19.99. Free features include the mood and gratitude journal as well as mindfulness and breathwork exercises.

The rest of the features available on subscription include:

  • Mood insights
  • CBT thought records
  • Personalized reports
  • Articles

7.      7 Cups A green sticker that says "free"

7 Cups is a mental health app that connects users with trained listeners to provide emotional support. One of the key features of the app is its chat rooms and forums, which provide users with an opportunity to find support and friendship for many issues. Users can find chat rooms and forums for depression, anxiety, relationships, LGBTQ+, and more.

With 7Cups, users can ask for help, join a scheduled group support session, or share their own wisdom and life experience to help others along the way. The app also caters to teens, providing a safe space for teens between the ages of 13-17. The app has listeners available specifically for teens, so they can chat confidentially whenever they need to. Teens can also join lively teen community forums and chat rooms to share with peers who understand what they’re going through. This way, they can get support and make new friends along the way. 7 Cups is free to download, sign up and use.

8.      My3 A green sticker that says "free"

My3 is a mental health app that helps users create a personalized safety plan for when they are feeling overwhelmed. The app allows users to create a list of contacts, such as friends and family members, to whom they can reach out for support when feeling down. My3 is a free app, but it does require users to create an account to use all features.

9.      Worry Watch A green sticker that says "free"

Worry Watch is an app that helps users track and manage their anxiety. The app includes a feature that allows users to record their worries, as well as a journal feature to track progress and a variety of guided coping techniques tools such as deep breathing exercises and cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques. The app also includes a feature that allows users to set reminders to check in on their mental health and track their progress over time. Worry Watch is a free app.

10.  Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM) A green sticker that says "free"

Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM) is a mental health app that uses cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help users manage anxiety. The app includes a variety of exercises, games, and activities designed to help users reduce anxiety and improve their overall well-being. SAM is also a free app.

SAM can help users to:

  • Monitor their feelings and chart mood levels over time
  • Discover guided self-help techniques, including games and multimedia, for challenging unhelpful thoughts
  • Share advice and ratings with the SAM community through the Social Cloud.

If you are looking for efficient, everyday ways to manage your mental health, these apps can come in handy. From meditation and mindfulness apps like Headspace and Calm, to therapy apps like Talkspace and mood tracking apps like Pacifica, there is something for everyone.

Remember that it’s important to take care of yourself, and seeking help is always a brave step. Eleanor Health is here to help you build your confidence and momentum toward the future you want. We are passionate about transforming the quality, delivery, and accessibility of mental health care, and you can reach us throughout Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. If you’re looking for more comprehensive support, consider reaching out to us.

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David Schwartz, MD

Dr. Schwartz is a board-certified psychiatrist and the lead physician for Eleanor Health in New Jersey. He completed his residency in general psychiatry at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, NJ, and a fellowship at Mount Sinai Health System. At Mount Sinai, he studied and developed expertise in consultation-liaison psychiatry (also termed psychosomatic medicine), an exciting subspecialty of psychiatry that focuses on the care of patients with comorbid psychiatric and general medical conditions.

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