Tech and Mental Health

Mental health is an important part of a balanced wellness plan. Although seeking out care for mental health has been taboo in the past, this attitude is changing—especially as technology is playing a larger role in how we get support for our mental and physical wellness, particularly with phone and tablet applications.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular mental health applications over time, and what these apps have to offer to help us improve our mental health.

The top three areas of focus for these mental health apps are anxiety, stress, and mood. This comes as no surprise in a modern existence where pressure at work and school is increasing, constant news alerts can make us feel panicky, and social media apps can make us feel lonelier.

Apps that Help with Anxiety

The #1 mental health app in our list of 35 top apps is Calm, which was released in 2017 and aims to combat anxiety through meditation, music, and sleep. Feeling anxious? You can hear recordings of fireplaces, flowing waters, or crickets to put your mind at ease. Having trouble sleeping? Listen to a narrator read you a bedtime story to soothe you to sleep.

Other top apps geared toward reducing anxiety include Headspace, which comes in at #3 overall and teaches meditation and mindfulness techniques. Pacifica, coming in at #4 overall, was released in 2016 and teaches cognitive behavioral therapy exercises to app users. Anxiety Relief Hypnosis, created in 2013 and coming in at #6 on the list, is a mental health application that uses recordings of a certified hypnotherapist to curb anxiety and stress. Moodpath, released in 2015 and coming in at #9 on our list, is another popular anxiety app, which screens your well-being, assesses your anxiety results, and teaches you personalized exercises that give you a better understanding of your mental health.

Additional apps on our list that help users with their anxiety are Anxiety Coach (#12), Worry Watch (#14), Self-Help For Anxiety Management (#19), Mindshift (#21), Stress & Anxiety Companion (#27), and T2 Mood Tracker (#32).

Apps that Help with Stress

Stress has become an ordinary part of our everyday lives, but luckily there are plenty of apps that give us some relief. iCBT, which was released in 2010, is a stress app that comes in at #10 on our list. The iCBT app helps you manage stress using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy methods that correct distorted thinking patterns and improve well-being. Another popular stress app, 7 Cups, was released in 2013 and comes in at #13 on our top app list. The 7 Cups app provides users with emotional support and counseling from “trained active listeners” that are available to chat and can help users feel calm.

Other top stress apps on our list are CBT Thought Record Diary (#18), Breathe2Relax (#23), and Personal Zen (#29).

Apps that Help with Mood

Everyone can be susceptible to a bad mood once in a while, but when it becomes a pattern it can really affect your life in a negative way. Developers have taken notice of this and created applications to help us elevate our mood and become happier, healthier people.

The top-ranking mood app on our list was Moodnotes, which comes in at #2 overall. Moodnotes, released in 2015, is a thought journal where you can track your mood over time and increase your self-awareness. Other mood apps on our list are Daylio, coming in at #8, which is another diary-type app that tracks your mood and activities throughout the day and records everything to help you understand your habits. Moodkit, ranked on our list at #11, came out in 2011 and helps you take action to improve your life by charting your mood and giving you activities that help improve your mood. Another mood app, Stigma, ranks at #17 on our list and is more of a community-focused application. You can find support groups and pen pals on Stigma, as well as track your mood graph and journal right there on the app.

Additional apps on our list that help users with their mood are Moodmission (#25), Booster Buddy (#26), and Moodfit (#35).

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