A Guide To Apps That Can Ease Anxiety & Depression
Maintaining A Positive Mindset
Whether you are dealing with personal issues at home, challenges in your relationships, or stressed out at work, you may feel bogged down by anxiety and a general sense of unhappiness. During these stressful times, it is very important to keep a positive mindset and effectively channel these emotions. This means finding ways to fight against the tendency to isolate oneself and in turn allow these negative feelings to consume us. As a leading individual and couples therapist in the South Bay, I encourage all of my patients to use a variety of techniques to keep their spirits high and more effectively regulate their emotions when times get tough. Today, with advanced technology, learning how to do so has become even easier!
There’s An App For That
It seems as if every day a new application is released for our mobile devices that simply makes life easier. There’s an app to remember where you parked your car, there’s an app to “find your friends,” and there’s even an app that will count your calories! However, in the past couple of years, there has been a breakthrough in the mental health field in the form of apps! In our new digital era, if you run into any issues, including anxiety and depression, chances are, there’s an app for that.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is an application available for all iPhone and Android devices that focuses on the “blues.” These are negative feelings that are experienced by every individual to some extent and are generally associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. Meditation has been recognized as a very healthy and effective technique to channel these negative feelings. With Smiling Mind, you will be guided through several meditation techniques that are targeted at various age groups. These techniques have been shown to relieve feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression and replace them with optimistic attitudes.
Secret of Happiness
Are you up for a challenge? With Secret of Happiness, that’s just what you’ll get. This is an application that focuses on the positives experienced throughout the day. For example, in the morning, it may ask you to list three things that you are thankful for instead of focusing on the things that you’re not so thankful for. Or at the end of your day, it may ask you about an event that made you happy or put a smile on your face throughout the day. This is a great way to focus on the positives and ignore the negatives! Loved your breakfast? List it! Had a great time with your friends? List it! It’s all about the positives, and when experiencing stressful, anxious, or depressive symptoms, it is important to focus on the uplifting aspects of our lives!
Breathe2Relax
Breathe2Relax is a mobile application that was actually designed by the National Center for Telehealth & Technology. The main focus is using breathing techniques to alleviate stress or negative emotions. Just like meditation, breathing can be a great channel for these emotions and has been known to bring calmness and relaxation to most people. So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try Breathe2Relax and their stress relieving breathing techniques.
Relax Melodies
Sleeping is one of the most important aspects of your daily life. Just like your mobile device needs to charge back up after a long day, so do you. Without a good night’s rest you become vulnerable to increased stress, less productivity during the day, and it can even worsen your depressive symptoms. However, falling asleep can be such a difficult task when you suffer from anxiety. If not treated properly, it can develop into insomnia. With Relax Melodies, experience a stress-free, calm, and relaxing environment with very mellow and soothing music aimed at helping you fall asleep. Never sacrifice your sleep again with Relax Melodies.
Contact Your Local South Bay Therapist
Whether you are an adult, young adult, teen, or couple, times can get tough. I have worked with countless individuals to help them overcome their struggle with anxiety and depression. If you or anyone you know is going through a difficult time in his/her life and needs help moving forward, feel free to contact me by phone or email and I would be happy to answer any of your questions. I look forward to hearing from you soon!