Apps for Wellbeing
Mobile apps can be considered useful in more ways than one. Entertainment, social media, and on-demand services have proven to be very useful. Far from being a substitute and more people are turning to apps for self-help and wellbeing covering a huge range of topics that we hope will help, and it's paying off. According to Accenture's research, people in the UK are increasingly turning to tech to help them look after their mental health. Around 39% of people said they were using such tools as online services, apps, and wearables to manage their stress, improve sleep, and boost their mental wellbeing.
Please be aware that some apps will ask you to enter personal health information. Before you provide this, you can make sure the app is genuine and secure by checking the Orcha website, which provides reviews and assessments of health apps, including how the app uses and stores your data.
A lot of the apps are free. However, some do have a charge attached. CommUNITY Barnet does not endorse any particular digital service, including those listed on this page. This is due to the fast-moving nature of digital services, which means it's impossible to provide a complete list of online tools, sites, and apps. It is your responsibility to decide whether the service you are considering using is appropriate for you and that you have read the terms and conditions before subscribing.
Stay Alive App
This free app is a suicide prevention resource for the UK. Full of information and tools for those in crisis. It's designed for individuals with suicidal thoughts, or if you are concerned about someone else.
The app has many life-saving features:
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strategies for staying safe
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how to help a person thinking about suicide
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access to local and national support
NHS Tested
The NHS has a range of apps listed, covering Mindfulness, Anxiety, and Stress, Panic Attacks, Self Harm, Breathing Techniques, Fitness, Positivity, and mich more. These apps have been assessed against NHS standards.
Apps promoted by Good Thinking
MyCognition Pro
An NHS-accredited cognitive fitness programme that, when used 15 minutes per day, optimises your cognitive health
so that you can get better at focusing, memorising, strategising, and making accurate decisions faster.
You can find more information here.
My Possible Self
The Mental Health App has been clinically proven to improve people's mental health and well-being with stress, anxiety, and low mood.
Be Mindful
It is a unique, clinically proven, and NHS-approved online mindfulness course. It helps people achieve lasting reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression by learning to practice mindfulness techniques daily.
Mind (Brighton & Hove)
More and more apps out there can help with managing your general well-being to those for more specific health concerns. Listed below are some apps** to get you started. Whist these apps can be useful, they are not a replacement for seeking medical advice if you have concerns about any symptoms you are experiencing.
Apps recommended by The Independent
Seven Cups
Feeling isolated? Connect instantly with one of 160,000 trained volunteer listeners and licensed therapists with 7 Cups. The app engages users in anonymous, free, confidential conversations so you can vent about your day or hear a human voice. It also gives the option to connect with multiple users and participate in guided discussions in group support chat rooms.
Further information is available here.
SuperBetter
Mental illness is not a game, but SuperBetter tastefully takes a gaming approach to managing depression, anxiety, chronic illness, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Players earn rewards for completing real-life exercises that help them build positive skills and behaviours like resilience and optimism.
Further information is available here.
Moodpath
Bills itself as "your mental health companion," screens users for depressive behaviour via daily questions designed to increase their awareness of their thoughts and emotions. After 14 days, the app will generate a report about your condition to bring to a mental health professional for discussion. More than 150 videos and exercises are available, too.
Further information is available.
Sanvello for Stress & Anxiety (Pacifica)
When anxiety has you tight in its clutches, it can feel like your world is going to end. But Pacifica helps users find a place of peace via psychologist-designed tools. Based on CBT, mood and health tracking, relaxation, and mindfulness meditation, the app targets the on-going cycles of negative thoughts that lead to anxiety, stress, and depression.
Further information is available here.
Headspace
Meditation. If you have never meditated before or find it difficult, Headspace is a great place to start. The popular app 62 million people have downloaded this app, which takes you by the hand and leads you through guided meditations and mindfulness techniques to help establish calm and wellness in your life. The free basics course teaches you meditation fundamentals; the full library is accessible via a subscription fee.
Anxiety Relief Hypnosis
Promises to target the subconscious thoughts that lead to anxiety via the power of hypnosis. It features audio read by a certified hypnotherapist, accompanied by peaceful ambient music. After daily use for one to three weeks, users may experience less stress and more relaxation.
Please find out more here Y
You can find the full listing of wellbeing apps listed on The Independent here.
Apps Recommended by The Evening Standard
Mindscape
It is a mental health app launched by creative agency Cult in 2018, combining voice technology, artificial intelligence, and science-led music therapy in one handy app. Developed in consultation with mental health charity Mind, the app aims to deal with panic attacks or anxiety.
The voice app talks to people through relaxing breathing exercises before asking them questions about their current emotional state. It can offer practical tips for managing work, money, education, and sleep and has bespoke soundscapes tailored to the person using the app. You can use Mindscape through your Amazon Alexa device at home. Download on Amazon Alexa
HealthUnlocked Communities
One difficult part of dealing with any health issue is feeling isolated and alone. HealthUnlocked Communities wants to solve this. It’s like a social network of communities, linked by health. Different communities focus on different areas, from exercise to anxiety. These communities provide a space for people to meet others going through similar issues, enabling them to receive emotional support in return. Charities and patient organisations monitor the different communities to ensure people are sharing the right information.
Tomo
Chatbots are a fun way to interact with tech, and Tomo is a bot that comes with some hidden benefits. The app enables you to ‘find healthy habits’ and record how you’re feeling, so you can keep track of what’s going on. As you talk to Tomo, it learns about your lifestyle and how you handle challenges and then suggests new habits for you to try. Every time you complete a habit, Tomo invites you to share a photo of your achievement with the community so that you can receive virtual congrats from the Tomo cohort. This virtual buddy system is designed to ensure your habits stick. The app is completely anonymous and not a social network, but instead, a tool to help you control your mental health.
Drugstars
If you take medication for a condition, it can be tricky to remember the right time and day to take it. DrugStars is an app that reminds you when to take your meds, as agreed with your doctor, and you collect a star every time you do it. In time, you can donate the stars you earn to health charities, which DrugStars then turns into real money.
Not only are you taking your meds on time, but you’re also helping other people in the process. You can donate your DrugStars to the UK-based charity No Panic, which helps people who suffer from anxiety disorders, or Crohn's & Colitis UK, supporting people with inflammatory bowel disease.
Download on Apple Download on Google Play
Moodrise
is all about "digital nutrition": using positive content to alleviate pain, boost emotional resilience, and improve experiences. The app focuses on six popular mood states, including confidence, focus, happiness, and the related neurotransmitters that lead to that mood state. Content has been specifically created to help deliver the brain's desired chemical reaction, backed by scientific research. The idea is that people can proactively manage their mental health through "digital pills" to help them enhance their own emotional resilience.
Download on Apple Download on Google Play
To look at the full list of recommended apps by the Evening Standard, please click here.
