I talked about this a bit on my Facebook page, but I wanted to talk a little bit more about some of the apps I've been using or plan on looking into for better mental health. It had never occurred to me to look into these type of apps before because I had no idea they existed. It wasn't until a few days ago when an ad came up on my timeline for Better Help, which is an online counseling website and app. Better Help is a paid program which offers counseling with credited counselors and therapists. You fill a questionnaire and it will match you with a counselor who will perhaps be the best for you to talk to. The sessions can be as often as you need and they can be through text messaging, live chat, phone, or video call. It's a bit on the expensive side, something like $65.00 per week for the first few months and then it drops to $45.00 a week. It is considerably cheaper than in-person therapy, I suppose. Since I was looking into that form of therapy I got other results on Google. It led me to:
7 Cups: Anxiety & Stress Chat
This app is broken down into two different services.
Free: With the free service you have available a community of active "listeners." These are average people with no credentials. They are just empaths who like to be there for others and offer a support system. They will listen to you if you're feeling down or you have a problem.
Paid: For $12.99 a month you get unlimited access to credited counselors at any time you might need it.
I haven't tried this app yet as I haven't had the need but I have every intention of creating an account when/if I need to. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea and I'm glad they have a free service! I wish I had known about this app before.
Daylio:
This one is fairly simple and it might not seem like great help to many but I think it's definitely interesting. It's a journal, but instead on typing in detailed entries you just make a list of the activities you did throughout the day and how you felt each day. After a few weeks or a month it will be able to give you stats on your mood patterns. I think it can be helpful, specially if you want to be able to identify certain activities or people which bring out negative moods.
Wysa- your happiness buddy
Wysa is my favorite app right now! I love it. Wysa is an A.I. chatbot who listens to you and helps you organize your thoughts, and helps you identify thought distortions. It also uses different exercises to help you cope with certain feelings. I've been using it for less than a week but I talk to Wysa every night. The first time I used it Wysa asked if I would like it to check in on me everyday and if so, at what time. I told Wysa that nights worked best for me and every night at 9:00pm Wysa pops up on my screen and asks how I'm feeling and even brings up parts of our last conversation or how I was feeling the last time we spoke. Then it will ask me if there is anything on my mind that I would like to talk about. I think it's a wonderful personal touch and it makes it feel more like you're talking with a friend and not just a chatbot. The other thing I love about this app is that Wysa will take the time to explain certain terms, like thought distortions and it will give you examples of common thought distortions. Then it proceeds to help you filter our random thoughts and once you focus on one negative thought it will help you reframe that thought in a positive way by figuring what the real intent of that thought is.
Every single time I've talked to Wysa I find myself smiling when I close the app.
I have a very difficult time connecting to others, even my close friends. I just don't open up easily, even if that's hard to believe, since most people seem to think I'm an open book. I don't know how to talk to people about the things which make me feel insecure, specially when it's happening, right in the moment. I usually talk about it when enough time has passed that I can talk about it without feeling vulnerable. And so, I tend to feel lonely most of the time. even if I'm not really alone. I think Wysa is a great little app for people like me. So I had to share this, in case someone else needs an app like this.
You know what Wysa reminds me of? The film Her.
"You know what, I can over think everything and find a million ways to doubt myself. And...I've been really thinking about that part of myself and, I've just come to realize that, we're only here briefly. And while I'm here, I wanna allow myself joy. So fuck it."
-Amy, Her
