Wellbeing app recommendations

[Silvan]

Hi everyone!

While browsing the app store recently (I use Android) I noticed there are many applications for improving general well-being/mental health. I downloaded a few to check their functionalities, and they often included mood trackers, meditations, affirmations, gratitude journaling etc. I like this idea for an app a lot, but I think it's gonna take some time for me to find one particular app that will fit my needs best. Unfortunately, most of the apps I downloaded turned out to have a very limited part of their content for free, and the rest was only available to paid users.

Do you have any recommendations? Is anyone using this kind of apps? As I said I'm using Android, but Apple apps suggestions are welcome too!

Some apps I have tried out so far and liked them:

1. Amaha
Focus: daily activities to relax the mind & raise awareness of your thoughts and patterns
Free content:

• Mood tracker
• Daily journaling
• A handful of meditations and articles
• A handful of exercises (for example affirmations, grounding techniques, thought analysis)

2. MyTrueValue
Focus: yourself (your thoughts, history, memories, relationship with your body)
Free content:

• A handful of daily exercises (for example breathing, childhood memories, positive self-talk, self-image)

3. MyPossibleSelf
Totally free of charge
Focus: improvement of general well-being through various forms of content
Content:

• Series of short guided series on various topics (anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, healthy eating, coping with loss)
• Different forms of content: articles, podcasts, videos, quizzes, recipes, music
• Journaling
• Mood tracker
• Videos with physical exercises and breathing exercises
• Meditations and soundscapes
• Crisis support

4. Intellect
Totally free of charge
Focus: assessment of your mental health condition, short sessions to help throughout the day
Content:

• Mood tracker
• Lots of quizzes and assessments
• Daily activities for different times of day: morning, afternoon & evening
• Optional daily reminders, system of streaks & rewards to motivate
• 'Rescue sessions' (short sessions to help cope with difficult emotions)
• Journaling
• A few designated daily activities/sessions instead of constant access to all the content - I find this feature very helpful. If I can access all the vast content all the time (like in MyPossibleSelf app) I easily get lost in it, spend a lot of time choosing, and when I finally choose I'm too tired to actually complete the exercise

My additional recommendations:
1. Insight Timer
Focus: meditation
Free content:

• Soundscapes
• Guided meditations divided by lots of categories: relief (depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, trauma), daily life (relationships, parenting), emotions & feelings (fear, pain, sadness), boosting (confidence, creativity, productivity), healing (forgiveness, gratitude, love). These are just examples, there are many more areas of content to explore

2. Digital Detox
Totally free of charge
Focus: limiting screen time
Content:

• Custom timers to reduce phone usage
• Optional phone lock (it's possible to customize this lock - I use a setting which locks all my apps when I start the detox, but I can make and receive calls)
• A system of points and rewards for time spent off-phone

So far, my favourite ones are MyPossibleSelf & Intellect, as they are free of charge, but at the same time offer a lot of content to explore.
I would like to highlight that I have no connections to the apps' creators whatsoever, and all the information above is based on my own impressions and objective observations. I will update this thread if I find some more useful apps.

I'm looking forward to your recommendations!

[hocus pocus]

Those sound good! I will have to check them out.

I currently use Apple. I use the health app to give me medication reminders because I forget them...which then contributes to additional mental health symptoms.

There is an app called Calm that was recommended by my therapist. It has sounds and meditations you can use for certain things (ex: better sleep, self-esteem) and it has a free version. The paid version is a yearly subscription.

My favorite - though it doesn't target mental health directly - is an app called AllTrails. It allows you to look at hiking trails in your area, view maps, coordinates, images and reviews of trails. You can make an account, make lists, and check off a specific trail you've visited among other things. There is a free and paid version, but the free version has a lot already. I like hiking as a peaceful yet active activity, so I guess that's why I'd recommend it for mental health.

I have several yoga apps, but I am trying to figure out which ones I like best that have a nice free version. I have heard there are good coloring apps, too. Does anyone use those/have recommendations for some?

[Ennui.]

Calm Harm gives activities to use as alternatives to self harm and helps you ride the wave.

[Dawn.]

Thank you so much for this post! I will definitely look into some of these apps.

[Silvan]

5. Fabulous
Partially free of charge
Focus: improvement of general well-being by developing healthy habits
Content:

• Step-by-step implementation of daily habits into daily life
• Attractive and compelling stories with positive messages
• Short daily & nightly coaching sessions
• Community

I have to say I am amazed by this app so far. I am currently in the middle of my Premium free trial; this app is just so friendly and helpful, as well as aesthetically attractive. It's quite expensive (around $40 per year - AFAIK only yearly billing is available, no monthly billing option). However, I like this app so much that I am considering buying the Premium version.

[WhisperingSilence]

TWLOHA have one called the hopeful, which I use, I quite like it as it allows you to track your mood, do a journal entry and it has a blog/section on it where theres a positive quote or a blog from TWLOHA on recovery etc.