“What we Achieve Inwardly will Change Outer Reality” – Plutarch

How do you manage your anxiety? What calms you down when you’re thrown into a panic attack? What is it that you need? Downloading helpful apps is the new trend sweeping across all age ranges, from gen X, millennials, to gen Z!  A simple search in your App Store or Google Play Store and you’ll find pages of different apps that focus on anything from mental health and wellbeing to meditation and mindfulness. You might be thinking, “How do I know this is the right one for me?” or “I don’t want to download and try all of them just to find one that works.” You’re right, it can be overwhelming! Let me break it down for you.

ANXIETY APPS

  Mind Shift

Mind Shift is one of the best mental health apps designed specifically for teens and young adults with anxiety. Rather than trying to avoid anxious thoughts and feelings, Mind Shift helps you change how you think about anxiety. Think of this app as the cheerleader in your pocket, encouraging your to take charge of your life, face challenging situations, and ride out the intense emotions.

(Free; iOS and Android)

  Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM)

SAM might be for you if meditation isn’t your thing but you’re still looking for help with anxiety. You’ll be prompted to build your own 24-hour anxiety toolkit that allows you to track anxious thoughts and behaviors. You can learn 25 different self-help techniques while connecting with other users in a confidential online community.

(Free; iOS and Android)

CBT Thought Record Diary

The premise of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is changing your emotions by identifying negative and distorted thinking patterns. You can use CBT Thought Record Diary to document your negative emotions, analyze flaws in your thinking, and reevaluation your thoughts. You can gradually change your approach to anxiety-inducing situations and your thinking patterns for the future.

(Free; iOS and Android)

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER APPS

PTSD Coach

This app is created by the VA’s National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD Coach offers everything from a self-assessment for PTSD to finding supports, positive self-talk, and anger management. You can customize tools based on your own individual needs and preferences, and integrate your own contracts, photos, and music.

(Free; iOS and Android)

Breathe2Relax

Sometimes you just need to breathe and remind yourself you are okay. Breathe2Relax is made for just that! Created by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, this app is a portable stress management tool that teaches users a skill called diaphragmatic breathing. Breath2Relax works by decreasing the body’s ‘fight-or-flight’ stress response, making it a great options for people suffering from PTSD.

(Free; iOS and Android)

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER APPS

nOCD

nOCD was designed with the help of OCD specialists and patients to incorporate two treatments: mindfulness and Exposure Response Prevention Treatment. You can receive immediate, clinically-supported guidance when an OCD episode strikes, take weekly test to assess the severity of your OCD, and have motivational support along the way.

(Free; iOS)

Worry Watch

One of the most frustrating parts of living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be dealing with intense anxiety despite the fact that you know your worries are irrational. Worry Watch aims to help users identify their trigger points for anxiety, note trends in their feelings, reflect on when the outcomes were harmless, and change their thinking patterns for the future.

($1.99; iOS)

Live OCD Free

This interactive app is designed to guide you through the evidence-based treatment, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), for OCD. The app helps users set up exposure hierarchy, set practice goals and rewards, and provides you with tools to help you fight your OCD symptoms at any moment. Live OCD Free is available for both adults and children.

($29.99; iOS)

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These apps are great resources! It can help you get through and manage symptoms. Just like medication management, it is best used in combination with therapy. ❤️