7 Apps to Use for Better Mental Health

We can all agree that the importance of mental health has changed on campus over the past few years, especially after Covid-19. There has always been a stigma surrounding students’ validity and gravity of mental health. Still, this stigma has made progress into becoming an everyday reality as of late.

“During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, a share that has been largely consistent, up from one in ten adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019″.

According to kff.org.

This statistic is proof that the pandemic worsened mental health and spurred an advanced need for new awareness surrounding mental health.

With the relevance of mental health being more of a concern in recent years, taking advantage of all the resources available to help is crucial. There are plenty of new apps that have been developed to help with the recent upsurge in poor mental health. Taking advantage of all the apps at our disposal is necessary for college students and anyone who might be struggling with mental health. Several useful apps are great to take advantage of to improve our mental health. I have included some of my personal favorites below and some recommended by College Consensus.

Apps for college students to help maintain their mental health

Better Help

  • Matches clients dealing with mental health problems with a licensed therapist who provides the type of therapy you need to alleviate your mental health-related concerns. Signing up is easy, and through desktop or mobile communication, BetterHelp provides numerous options for receiving mental health support. BetterHelp can offer discounted rates depending on the type of services you are seeking.

TalkSpace Counseling

  • An online text and video chat therapy platform offers access to therapists who cover a broad range of mental health services. With TalkSpace, customers can schedule their sessions whenever works best for them and their therapist, but they can also text and send audio/video messages between live sessions. TalkSpace offers an exclusive $100 student discount code once students get verified. Give it a try at try.talkspace.com.

Headspace

  • A mindfulness app with an easy-to-use interface that takes the seriousness and intimidation out of meditation. Headspace provides services that improve four core areas: mental health/wellbeing, work and study support, physical health, and drug services. Headspace features session timers, email reminders, progress tracking, program training, and an app community. For students, Headspace is just $9.99 per year. Try Headspace for a free 14-day trial.

Breathwrk

  • Breathwrk has a robust set of breathing exercises and classes that you can feel the effects in as little as 60 seconds. This app makes it easy to eliminate stress and anxiety, increase energy and focus, and improve endurance and sleep. Considering breathing is a basic human function, it feels only fitting that this app is entirely free. This app might be helpful for students trying to improve their breathing to help them relax, sleep, reduce anxiety, or remain energized. Try Breathwrk for free.

Bloom

  • Combines interactive video classes with journaling and mindfulness exercises to help you work on your mental health, change your mood, and elevate your life. The combination of digital programs, guided journals, and emotional analysis gives users a hyper-personalized digital therapy experience. The Bloom app has a limited free version and a premium version, with subscriptions starting at $14.49 per month. Purchase Bloom on the app store.

Reflectly

  • The world’s first online journal app and mood tracker gives personalized motivation and prompts the more you use it. Reflectly is a digital diary that allows users to write, upload photos, and answer questions about their day. The app then offers inspirational audio messages and reminders. Reflectly has a 7-day free trial option and charges $3.99 a month. If interested, check out the Reflectly app.

META Teletherapy

  • A platform that allows users to get connected to mental health providers. Helps engage, support, and retain users by connecting them to licensed professionals. META provides online therapy via mobile phone, tablet, and desktop platforms. Teletherapy is great because it enables convenience, upholds client privacy, enhances patient satisfaction, and reduces the shortage of mental health services. Give META a try for free today.

If you are interested in using any of these apps, you can download them on the App Store or Google Play Store.

Overall, there’s a variety of resources that can be utilized to help improve your mental health, on and off-campus. We have to be willing to ask for help sometimes and be patient with the journey of getting better, even when it’s hard. Personally, I have found that asking for help and not giving up has been what helped me get out of any mental funks that I might be struggling with. I hope this list of 7 apps is helpful when looking for a resource to help improve your mental health.


Author Bio:

Mira Camunez is a returning Marketing Intern at GradGuard. She’s a Junior studying Business Management at Barrett, The Honors College, at Arizona State University.