Top Mental Health Apps of 2023- A Therapist’s Perspective
The last year has been extremely tumultuous for many of us: financial difficulties due to rising prices, challenges with physical and mental health due to the ongoing pandemic, and changes in work status. So what can we do to get help with the little time we have to spare?
As we enter 2023, there are apps that help you with nearly everything. Perhaps you are looking to track your moods and emotions? Or maybe you want help in reducing negative behaviors? Are you having trouble sleeping and do you need an app to help you sleep? The good news is there are many different apps that can help with all these areas! How do you know which one is best? In the list below, we share some of our most recommended apps to use!
DISCLAIMER: Apps are not therapy. These apps are not meant to take place of therapy. If you are suffering from a mental illness or in crisis, seek out the help of a mental health professional.
10. Sleepio
Many of us struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, or lacking restful sleep. Whether you are overly stressed, anxious, or lacking positive sleep hygiene, Sleepio can help with that. You will inform the app what you are looking to improve upon, and the app develops a program for you to follow.
9. MoodKit
This app which was developed by psychologists helps those by providing evidence-based CBT activities to help improve mood and identify negative thought patterns. It also provides a journal where you can document your thoughts and track your mood. The app has over 200 mood improvement activities, ranging from improving your productivity to finding more ways to be active to enhancing your social involvement.
At one point or another, many of us will find ourselves feeling anxious. Whether or not you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, many of us could benefit from tools to relieve our anxious feelings. MindShift CBT is designed to provide anxiety relief by helping to adjust negative thinking and behaviors. The app does this by offering coping cards, activities, journals, and a variety of different activities. The goal is to develop positive thoughts, beliefs, and habits. MindShift also has their own community for users to find support and from and share progress with other users. You can set goals through the app and share this progress with family, friends, or even therapists via email. The app reveals information, including signs and tips, on each symptom as well as tools on how to manage each one.
We all need a little hope in our lives. Virtual Hope Box is an app designed to allow people to have a confidential place to store memories and activities that can help you in times of stress, sadness, or additionally anxiety. Furthermore, it can be used in conjunction with psychotherapy. The app also allows you to personalize its features designed for your own preferences. You can include personal photos and videos, music that soothes you, aspirations, achievements, affirmations, and inspirational content. Additionally, the app can provide you with activity planning and games, such as sudoku, word search, and solitaire. It also has various relaxation techniques, such as muscle relaxation, guided meditation, and controlled breathing.
6. Happify
Are you looking to add a little happiness and fun into your day? Happify is the app for you as it is filled with evidence-based games and activities that will help relieve your stress and lift your mood. Not only can it relieve your stress, but it can also help you build confidence, change negative thoughts, and fuel success in many areas of your life. Happify allows you to go on community mode to gain encouragement from other users on the app. Finally, it can provide recommended tracks to start your journey and improve everyday skills.
5. iBreathe
Sometimes we find ourselves in times of panic and anxiety and forget that simple deep breathing techniques can bring our bodies back to a state of peace. iBreathe is designed to guide you into deep breath work and breathing exercises. It can also provide support to reduce your daily or chronic stress. You can customize the breathing intervals to your liking and read about the benefits of controlling your breathing all while logged in to the app.
4. Daylio
Daylio is an app that allows you to have fun and learn all while tracking your moods and emotions. It is a way to practice self-care while keeping a journal documenting your moods and even has a happiness meter! Additionally, it helps to build positive habits, track your achievements, identify negative patterns, and set goals. You can track everything from your social life to your hobbies to your food intake. It allows you to set reminders on when you should journal throughout your day. One factor that sets Daylio apart from other apps is the ability to create a specific goal and set both the frequency that you wish to engage in this goal and reminders.
3. Motivation
Sometimes, we all need a little extra positivity and motivation throughout our day. Motivation does exactly what is supposed to do, which is to motivate you and lift your spirits by providing you with quotes ranging from all different topics such as self-esteem, depression, breakups, and more. Regardless of what you are going through, there will be a quote that resonates with you and helps to introduce you to a different perspective.
2. Headspace
This app is mainly used to help those practice mindfulness and get into the right “headspace.” Headspace provides themed meditation activities for both adults and kids. This app offers a daily schedule with videos to guide your activity. It tracks your progress and provides a guided program to manage your needs. The app also provides themed movement, sleep, and music videos. By practicing consistent meditation, you may find that you can reduce your stress, have a reduction of anxiety, and improve your attention span.
1. Calm
Calm is designed to do exactly what the name says…provide one with a sense of calm. It is designed to help one relax with the use of meditation, evening stories, breathing, and movement to help you get a restful sleep. There are a wide variety of themed story recordings, ranging from nonfiction, to travel, and nature. You can explore the sound library to find sounds that soothe you the most so you can drift off into a peaceful, stress-free sleep.
About the Author:
Amber Weiss, LMHC, NCC, THTC, is a psychotherapist and founder of Transformative Mindset. She is currently licensed to practice in both New York and Florida. Transformative Mindset is a practice designed to help clients transform their minds and work towards achieving their goals. Her team specializes in areas such as but not limited to transitions, LGBT, stress management, depression, sleep disorders, anxiety, eating disorders and relationships. More information including scheduling an appointment with Amber or another therapists at her practice can be found on her website: Transformativemindset.com