In our fast-paced, technological society, there is an app for everything. This is true even for those that want to enhance their personal well-being. Let me share some of your personal favorites.
With the “T2Mood Tracker,” you can track things such as your general well-being, depression and anxiety, even post-traumatic stress symptoms. The app creates a graph to show you changes over time and provides a place where you can write notes about your progress. You can then share this information with your healthcare provider.
Another app is called the “Tactical Breather.” This simple app was designed for those who have panic attacks or a lot of anxiety. The purpose of this app is to educate you on what happens to your body when you have a panic response, and help take the proper steps needed to relax your body. Tactical Breather coaches you through deep-breathing exercises to help decrease your feelings of anxiety or panic. In order to relax, you must simply follow the steps given on the app.
The “Mindfulness Coach” is an app that was developed for vets and service members to learn to practice mindfulness skills. If you are interested in practicing mindfulness to build your resilience and to manage and reduce stress in your life, this app is perfect for you. This app teaches you about mindfulness and leads you through various mindfulness activities such as mindful breathing, walking, listening, and eating to improve the quality of one’s well-being.
The last app that I really like is called “The PTSD Coach.” This app was designed to educate people about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It provides education about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a self-assessment, and tools for managing and treating PTSP-related stress. The PTSD Coach was a collaborative effort between the VAs National Center for PTSD and the National Center for TeleHealth and Technology.
I hope you will look into these apps for additional support for depression, anxiety, or PTSD. The apps mentioned in this article are free. While these apps are useful and handy tools that most of us can access at our fingertips, please keep in mind that apps are not meant to serve as a substitute therapist. In fact, I encourage you to share these apps with your mental health provider and look at them together. Enjoy your App Adventures!
