We’re seeing a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, but that doesn’t mean the trauma of the experience also melts away. Being in isolation, working remotely, and having “real” life taken away was something that no one could’ve ever imagined. We all recognize that mental health is a priority, but therapy isn’t the most accessible resource to all. Thankfully, there’s a new wave of mental health-focused apps to get help in the palm of your hands — literally. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite apps to help you cope with the aftermath of 2020, the realities of 2021, and whatever else is in store for the future.
Shine: “The Daily Self-Care App for All of Us”
Now, more than ever, mental health is so important — especially as the pandemic is disproportionately impacting marginalized communities. Shine app founders Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey were tired of not seeing themselves nor their voices represented in the self-care space.
In this app, each week you’ll set your intention. You’ll choose from options like “breathing through change,” “finding moments of calm,” or “believing in myself.” You’re then guided to your daily ritual — called the Daily Shine — which takes about 10 minutes. It includes a curated meditation (all created with representation in mind), community support, and journal prompts to reflect how you’re feeling. The Daily Shine meditations feature timely topics (new to the app is an AAPI Mental Health Playlist, for example). You’ll also get daily push notifications each morning that help kickstart your day with some self-care and encouragement.
Cost: Shine is free to download and there are a number of forever-free meditations available through the app, but in order to access the full (1,000+) library of exclusive meditations, members-only community events, private one-on-one support, and personalized meditations, it’s $69.99/year after a seven day free trial.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Real Mental Health: “A New Kind of Healthy, At Your Fingertips”
Real is a membership-based, virtual group therapy organization that gives affordable mental health care while giving patients that opportunity to build a community with like-minded female-identifying people. It’s been called The Wing, but for mental health. CEO Ariela Safira was inspired to create a group therapy space that went beyond addiction (Alcoholics Anonymous, for example) to discuss topics like sexual identity, anxiety, managing family members and other real issues. Real recently announced a $10 million Series A financing from existing and new investors including soccer star and feminist icon Megan Rapinoe.
The first step is completing a “mental check-in” with their Real 10 system — a series of questions that you’ll answer monthly to chart your progress in different areas of your life, from energy levels to your mood. The next step is to join a “pathway” that’s designed to help you unpack a specific topic that speaks to you (choose from topics like “Owning Your Single Life” to “Exploring Your Sexuality” to “Undoing Your Upbringing,” and more). You’ll then tune into on-demand tele-sessions that will be in addition to some journaling prompts. Most of these sessions aren’t one-on-one, but group journeys (where you can still be anonymous as they’re all virtual). You can also attend virtual events and therapist-led roundtable discussions that focus on new topics each session. The benefits of a program like Real lets you immediately dive into a pathway as you’re feeling your emotions, as opposed to waiting for a one-on-one session with a therapist a week later when you’re already in a different state of mind.
Cost: With Real, members pay $28/month. The app is free to download, but only accessible for members.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Mine’d: “Self-Help, Together”
Launched in August 2020, Mine’d is making mental healthcare accessible to everyone with their entirely free app. It features 17 live classes each week where you can tune in to ask questions and chat with experts on topics like sexuality, money, health, career, spirituality, relationships — among others. Previous classes have included a series on money mindfulness, how to deal with long-distance, and how to have difficult conversations with your family. Their team of experts encompasses psychotherapists, psychologists, life coaches, activists, spiritual healers, financial mentors, and more. These community classes make it a great option for anyone who is just starting out on their mental health journey and might be intimidated by one-on-one sessions or group therapy. If you miss a live class, they’re all available for download on the app.
Cost: Mine’d is a free app.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Sanvello: “A place to feel better, wherever you go.”
According to the CDC, over one-third of American adults are experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, and one-quarter are experiencing symptoms of a depressive disorder, which is a 250% increase from 2019. Sanvello has teamed up with Aly Raisman, an Olympic gymnast and mental health advocate, to provide CBT (cognitive therapy tools) to help you explore different paths to feeling your best self. The app offers four kinds of support:
- Self-care: This is about establishing your baseline. They’ll check in with your current stress, anxiety, and depression levels by taking one of their assessments. They’ll recommend personalized in-app activities, coping tools, reframing exercises, meditations, and more.
- Peer Support: Millions of users use the app and you can find like-minded people in active discussion boards and chat groups to help give you a fresh perspective on things.
- Therapy: Get matched to a licenced therapist for one-on-one counseling (currently available in the following states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI). According to the app, over three-quarters of Sanvello users saw 50% improvement in their stress and depression levels within 60 days.
- Coaching: When you need guidance at the gym, some people get trainers. The app’s “coaches” are pretty much like self-care trainers. Coaches aren’t therapists, so they won’t tell you what to do, but they will provide personalized directions, support, and motivation through one-on-one messaging. You’ll also have access to live classes (for example, learning how to apply CBT concepts to real life).
Cost: Sanvello is free to download and contains some free content. You can upgrade to a premium membership via your health insurance or your employer, or you can subscribe (starting at $8.99/month) and get full access to all the content.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
MoodMission: “Change the Way you Feel.”
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find ways to deal with stress, moodiness, and anxiety (with the help of this app!). After logging into the app, you tell MoodMission how you currently feel, and the app — based on CBT methods — gives you a list of five quick and easy “Missions” to help you start feeling better. Missions might include tasks like grabbing lunch with a friend or going outside to watch the clouds and it’ll show you the reasoning behind why each of the missions are beneficial to boosting your mood. Completing Missions earn users milestone badges in the app, which encourages them to continuously take the proper steps to better their mental health.
Cost: MoodMission is a $4.99 one-time app purchase.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Happify: “Overcome Negative Thoughts, Stress, and Life’s Challenges.”
Happify helps overcome negative thoughts, reduce stress, and learn life-changing habits through building skills using the app’s activities and games (the company was co-founded by two people who previously ran a digital gaming company). After answering a few questions in the assessment, you can opt to keep your profile private or experience Happify in “community mode” so you can get encouragement and feedback from other members (you can always change your settings). You can choose from dozens of different “tracks” related to personal growth, family and kids, relationships, work and money, mindfulness and meditation, plus health and well-being. In one track, you might be asked to upload a photo about something that makes you grateful. Another track about forging better relationships might focus on writing something you look forward to when you see a friend. Each description of the activity describes why it works.
While the app is not a clinical mental health treatment, the bright graphics, colors, and interactive activities make it more enjoyable trying to practice mindfulness and be, well, happier.
Cost: Happify has a free to download and has some free content, but to access the full version it’s $14.99/month. There’s also a Happify Plus version that’s $139.99/year upfront, but you get access to over 100 tracks, personalized tips and insights, and more.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
I Am: “Daily Affirmations Help Rewire Our Brains, Build Self-Esteem, and Change Negative Thought Patterns.”
Every now and then you need a positive tap on the shoulder. A lot of people start their days with positive affirmations to set the mood and energy for what’s ahead. The I Am app sends you daily positive affirmations to help keep you going and remind you that you’re capable of anything. You can control how many affirmations you receive every day (up to 60 a day!) and you can control the time periods of the day you want to get them. The app is here to help you realize your strengths, build personal awareness, goals, and other positive aspects of your lives that you should always be carrying. Some of our favorites when we tried the app: “I am in charge of how I feel and today I am choosing happiness,” “I choose calm over worry and faith over fear,” and “I am proud of myself for all of my big and little victories.”
Affirmations are proven to make major shifts in your mindset and sometimes they’re not easy to come up with on your own. At the end of the day, you become what you believe, right?
Cost: I Am gives you a free three day trial, then it’s $19.99/year.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Reflectly: “A Journal for Happiness”
Want to start journaling, but have no idea where to start? Dubbed the first-ever “intelligent journal,” this app takes journaling to a new level. It utilizes artificial intelligence to help you reflect on your daily thoughts, emotions, and any issues you might be facing. You can safely and privately release your thoughts and feelings to shift your mindset and help improve your mood. Daily journaling promotes the practice of healthy coping and mindfulness. Reflectly uses positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy to build a positive cycle with your daily habits. If you don’t normally write in a journal and are unsure where to start, Reflectly offers pre-made prompts and reminders to make the process easier.
It works by writing down how you feel each day. You’ll get prompts and motivational quotes to help you get started. The app’s mood tracker helps by showing you mood correlations, graphics and trends with daily, weekly, and monthly overviews. The app then asks you more tailored questions based on your entries so you can reflect even further.
Cost: Reflectly is $9.99/month in order to use the app.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Exhale: “Cultivating Brave Spaces Where BIWOC Belong”
Black entrepreneur Katara McCarty believes the Black community has been “holding their breath” waiting for the next onrush of racism to happen. So she designed this app because she wants the BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, Women of Color) community to know there is power in breathing. The life coach and anti-racism advocate launched Exhale just a few months after the tragic death of George Floyd (where his last words were, “I can’t breathe”) with the hope of creating a space for BIWOC to address specific issues like how to handle microaggressions and dealing with grief. It features breath work, guided meditations, and coaching talks to encourage people to exhale all the things in life that aren’t serving them and breathe in healing energy.
Cost: Exhale is free to download and contains free content, but some content is available through an optional paid subscription.
Download for iPhone
Download for Android
Additional reporting by Christa Lee.
