8 Apps That Can Help Your Mental Health

Mental health is very important, especially for high school students. It can impact not just how we think, but also how we feel and act. Mental health can determine how we handle certain stresses and how we make decisions in a difficult situation. Between class, friends, family, and your own personal struggles, being a teenager can be very stressful.

Some students see a therapist to help with managing things. But if that’s not an option for you, the eight apps below might be an important first step in getting to a healthier and happier mental headspace. And the best part? They’re all free!

Editor’s note: While all the apps below can be helpful, please don’t feel that you have to face your mental health struggles alone. You can always reach out to a teacher or counselor here on campus. And here’s a list of hotlines that you can contact as well.

Want some general mental health help? Try “What’s Up”

What’s Up is an app that involves Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you manage depression, anxiety, and stress. You can operate a positive and negative tracker provided to maintain your good habits and also break the ones that are counterproductive.

Struggling with addiction? Try “Quit That!”

Quit That! is an app focusing on helping users overcome and beat their habits or addictions. If you’re interested in stopping your tobacco, alcohol, or drug use, then this may be an app for you! You can track and monitor how many minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years it’s been since you quit.

Struggling with anxiety? Try “Self-Help For Anxiety Management”

Focusing on anxiety, this app prompts users to build a 24-hour anxiety tool-kit which allows you to track anxious thoughts and behavior. You can learn from 25 different self-help techniques, including a feature that lets you to confidentially connect with other users for additional support. You’re not alone!

Living with depression? Try “Happify”

This is an app with a psychologists-approved mood-training program, and it’s your fast-track to a great mood! There are various games involving you to engage, activity suggestions, and gratitude prompts to train your brain to overcome negative thoughts. Want a happy fix? This is an app for you.

Fighting Your Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Try “nOCD”

nOCD is designed to help individuals with OCD by incorporating two treatments — mindfulness and exposure-response prevention treatment. You can receive guidance when an OCD episode occurs. You can assess the severity of your OCD by taking weekly tests, and motivational support is provided along the way.

Have An Eating Disorder? Try “Lifesum.”

Lifesum is an app which allows you to set your own personal goals, from creating healthier eating habits to getting in more steps each day. After entering your own personal data, Lifesum generates your “Life score” which provides you with a personalized roadmap to bettering your health. For people with eating disorders, Lifesum comes with reminders to drink water and to eat regularly each day. This app is a great option for any individuals seeking to live healthier.

Struggling With Suicidal Thoughts? Try “MY3”

MY3 is an app focused on individuals who are depressed and suicidal. This app not only trains the user to recognize suicide warnings in others, but also help you create your own safety plan asking you to list your own warning signs, coping strategies, and support network. This helps the user to quickly act when recognizing their warning signs.

Dealing With Stress? Try “Calm”

Calm is an app providing people that are experiencing stress and anxiety with sleep stories, guided meditations, breathing programs, and relaxing music.

Apps like the ones mentioned above can be very helpful, but only if the person using them approaches them with the necessary attitude.

“Apps like these can only help if the person is actually going to contribute their time and use them,” says senior Steven Macis.

But if used correctly, these apps can be an important step in your journey to mental health.

As sophomore Marc Rodriguez says, “These can help people who are struggling.”

What about you? Do you have any apps that you use to maintain a healthy head space? Let us know in the comments below.