May is Mental Health Awareness Month and it’s safe to say the last 12 months have been a dumpster fire when it comes to mental health. Fear, anxiety, confusion, loneliness, and depression have all reared their unwelcome selves into our lives.
The pandemic acted like a magnifying glass (you know the one with the sun and the ant) for many of us. Maybe your anxiety was under control or maybe you didn’t realize you had anxiety at all – but a year-long global health crisis brought all of those issues to the forefront.
It’s been especially difficult when many in-person resources have been shut down or extremely limited in availability the last year. Traditional talk therapy and group therapy became telehealth visits and Zoom calls. Even groups or events that aren’t broadcast as ‘mental health’ like yoga and new mom support groups were shut down, leaving these communal coping mechanisms unavailable.
Compared to the 1918 pandemic, we have a few advantages. Vaccines being one of the more important ones with the internet running a close second.
I know internet access is not universally available to all people, but those who have access have tons of mental health resources to rely on.
What’s even better, especially for anti-social millennials and Gen-Zers, is many of these apps do not require talking to anyone else.
I mean these people (and I am these people) who get anxious when they have to make a phone call to order their Chinese food because the restaurant doesn’t have DoorDash. So how can we expect these people to find the motivation to call and make an appointment with a stranger to discuss their deeply personal mental health concerns?
Especially if they’re struggling with depression, anxiety, and any number of mental health concerns.
Luckily, the internet and app developers have stepped up to the plate. Many options exist for therapy and guided meditation. Yoga apps and mental health podcasts are available to help boost your mood. Here are some of the more popular mental health apps I’ve come across, along with their Apple store rating and price points.
Therapy and Counseling Apps
BetterHelp (4.7/5 stars). Price: $60-$80/week. BetterHelp is an app connecting you to a licensed and accredited counselor. BetterHelp has several options to communicate with your counselor including video chat, voice chat, or live messaging through their secure platform. You’re initially matched with a counselor after taking a fairly straightforward questionnaire discussing your needs and can change counselors at any time. *your favorite podcast probably has a discount code for BetterHelp, I haven’t listened to a mainstream podcast lately that wasn’t sponsored by them!*
Talkspace (4.2 / 5 stars). Price: $260-$396/month. Similar to BetterHelp, Talkspace provides access to licensed therapists using several avenues. You can text, leave audio messages, send pictures or videos to your therapist. What’s different from BetterHelp is Talkspace claims to be covered by most insurance plans.
ReGain (4.8/5 stars). Price: $60-$80/week. ReGain is a counseling app for couples. You have access to a licensed therapist who can provide counseling services to both you and your partner. There are secure chat rooms where both partners can talk to the therapist from their smartphone as well as the option for private 1:1 sessions.
Pride Counseling (4.6/5 stars). Price: $60-$80/week. Pride counseling provides counseling services to the LGBTQ community. Live chat and video call options are available and all counselors are licensed and accredited. Their site states you can “get help with common and uncommon gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues”.
Apps if you need access to prescriptions for mental health.
AmWell (4.9/5 stars). Price: Varies for services, many covered by insurance. AmWell brings you access to a physician with video telehealth visits. They don’t only specialize in mental health, patients use AmWell for common urgent care needs and their app even states they have breastfeeding resources (hell yeah!). If you’re someone who is taking medications for your mental health or think you may need them, AmWell doctors can evaluate you and send prescriptions to your local pharmacy.
Doctor on Demand (4.9/5 stars). Price: Varies for services, many covered by insurance. Doctor on Demand is similar to AmWell in that you’re connected with a physician and use video chat to have online visits. Prescriptions can be managed and adjusted during your visits, and you can track your progress with routine telehealth visits.
MDLive (4.7/5 stars). Price: Varies for services, many covered by insurance. Like the other two apps, MDLive promotes on-demand video access to a doctor for many common, nonlife-threatening issues. Medications can be prescribed and managed through these visits.
Meditation Apps for Mental Health
Headspace (4.9/5 stars). Price: $12.99/month. Headspace is a mindfulness and meditation app to help users stress less, become happier, and sleep better. Headspace has guided meditations, some as short as 3 minutes, to target whatever ails you. There are meditations to help you wind down before bed, meditations to cope with anger and sadness, and you can track your progress and tally your time spent meditating.
Calm (4.8/5 stars). Price: Free-$69.99/year. Calm’s main focus is sleep health. There are numerous ‘sleep stories’ which are read by authors (including Matthew McConaughey and Tabitha Brown) which can be helpful if your mind is easily distracted during silence.
Insight Timer (4.9/5 stars). Price: Free. Insight Timer has 70,000 free meditation and music tracks to help you meditate whether you are brand new or a seasoned monk. As the name implies, you can set a timer which is helpful if you’re someone always worried about losing track of time while trying to meditate. You can also create your own music tracks with various gongs, bells, singing bowls, etc to choose from which can play during your meditation.
Aura (4.7/5 stars). Free-$12.99/month. Aura claims to bring together coaches, therapists, and storytellers to provide a wide variety of mental health solutions. Aura is more personalized than many other meditation apps, the user fills out a questionnaire and Aura curates content it thinks will best resonate with your needs. This can include medication, hypnosis, life coaching, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The free version includes one, 3-minute meditation daily and the paid version has unlimited access to meditations.
Shine (4.7/5 stars). Price: Free–$11.99/month. Shine is a self-care app focused on inclusion and representation. You have to pay to become a ‘member’, but benefits include access to medications, the ability to log and track your mood, and journaling prompts. There are even options for 1:1 support as well as members-only community care events.
Ten Percent Happier (4.8/5 stars). Price: Free–$99.99/year. 10% Happier uses guided meditations, videos, talks, and sleep content to support your meditation practice. There are over 500 guided meditations on various topics with new content released weekly.
iBreathe (4.9/5 stars). Price: Free. If meditation is too big of an ask right now, iBreathe may be for you. iBreathe is an app solely focused on guided breathing and breathwork. You can customize breathing intervals and create reminders each day. You also learn about the many benefits of deep breathing.
Yoga Apps for Mental Health
Find What Feels Good. (4.9/5 stars). Price: $9.99/month. FWFG is a yoga app featuring Adriene Mishler, the host of the popular YouTube channel ‘Yoga with Adriene’. With your subscription you have access to over 700 yoga videos as well as meditation tips. There are accountability series and ways to connect with other yogis through the app.
Down Dog (4.9/5 stars). Price: $7.99/month. Down Dog offers yoga classes for beginners to advanced yogis and has a wide selection of practice types to choose from. You can also access the app offline. You have access to over 60,000 yoga class configurations to choose from to create a personalized yoga routine. Down Dog also offers other subscriptions for HIIT, Prenatal Yoga, and Barre.
Yoga For Beginners (4.8/5 stars). Price: $2.99/month As a more cost-effective subscription, Yoga For Beginners is great for people testing the yoga waters. With voice-guided workouts that are beginner-friendly, you can customize workouts to see if yoga is right for you.
Glo. (4.9/5 stars). Price: $18.00/month. With Glo you have access to meditation, Pilates, and other fitness classes in addition to yoga. There are 16 styles available and over 4,000 classes to choose from.
Podcasts for Mental Health (all free)
Positive Psychology Podcast (4.3/5 stars). The hosts of the PPP claim to take complex and boring scientific insights and make them entertaining. Topics covered include emotional first aid, psychology tools, and parenting.
The Anxiety Podcast (4.7/5 stars). Host Tim JP Collins shares real experiences about his issues with anxiety and panic attacks. He also interviews others to hear their stories and how they've overcome or are currently dealing with anxiety. (The podcast isn’t currently recording new episodes, but there 426 episodes recorded over five years to listen to.)
Therapy for Black Girls. (5/5 stars). TFBG talks about mental health, personal development, and small decisions we can make to improve ourselves. The show is hosted by licensed psychologist Dr. Joy Harden Bradford and her goal is to make mental health topics relevant and accessible for Black women. Topics include menstrual health, transracial adoption, and maintaining digital boundaries to name a few.
Meditation Minis (4.8/5 stars). Hypnotherapist Chel Hamilton provides short (10 minutes or less) guided meditations to calm anxiety, increase confidence, and more.
The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast. (4.5/5 stars). Psychologist and self-proclaimed ‘regular dude’ Dr. Robert Duff answers questions about mental health, relationships, sex, and life. Recent topics include work burnout, suicide jealousy, and dealing with complicated break-ups.
Not Another Anxiety Show (5/5 stars). NAAS is hosted by Kelli Walker, a registered nurse and certified Health and Wellness Coach. She discusses anxiety and ways to recover including practical tips and resources during down-to-earth episodes.
Mental health is hard.
If you’re struggling with the health of your mind, emotions, and feelings – I’m holding space for you. If you think you may need help but don’t know where to start, hopefully, this list provides some ideas or prospects to check out.
If you don’t download any of them today, that’s ok. Maybe tomorrow you’ll feel up to, maybe not. These aren’t miracle apps and none of them should be used if you’re experiencing a crisis. There’s no one path to restore mental balance and clarity, and that’s why mental health is so messy and muddy.
I’ve personally tried Calm, Insight Timer, and BetterHelp. Insight Timer and BetterHelp are the only ones I currently use (although it’s been a minute since I’ve opened Insight Timer).
Have you tried any of them? I have some fitness friends who swear by Down Dog and others who dig Ten Percent Happier. I’d love to know if you’ve tried any and what you thought of them!
Here for you – Stephanie
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 available 24/7, free, and confidential
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