TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Anxiety apps offer both supplemental support for individuals undergoing professional therapy as well as aid for anyone desiring to lessen anxious thoughts, actions and habits
While a doctor, psychologist or mental health practitioner is the best resource for major issues, anxiety apps offer both supplemental support for individuals undergoing professional therapy as well as aid for anyone desiring to lessen anxious thoughts, actions and habits.
Mental Health America stressed that there are several apps available, and recommends these:
• ReachOut Breathe
(free; iOS only): Manages anxiety via controlled breathing exercises.
• Self-Help for Anxiety Management (free for iOS and Android): Provides users with a symptom tracker, educational articles, relaxation techniques, coping skills and advice for managing anxiety. Plus, Social Cloud is a closed social network that allows SAM users to share experiences, suggestions and support.
• Sanvello (free for iOS and Android; in-app purchases): Five modules teach skills that help lessen the intensity and frequency of anxiety. Modules allow users to rate mood multiple times per day, learn and
practice relaxation techniques, record and analyze thoughts during incidents of anxiety, and more.
• MoodMission (free for iOS and Android; inapp purchases): Offers different activities, or “missions,” based on how user is feeling.
Verywellmind.com's “23 Mental Health Apps for Stress, Anxiety and More” suggests:
• Aura (free for iOS and Android; in-app purchases): Pairs current mental state with the best mindfulness meditation or relaxation strategies as well as life coaching, stories and music.
• PTSD Coach (free for iOS and Android): Created by the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD and the U.S. Department of Defense National Center for Telehealth and Technology to assist people who suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. It offers tools to help manage daily stressors, and there are relaxation exercises and activities to help with anger management.
• What's Up? (free for iOS and Android; in-app purchases): Features relaxing breathing techniques, a journal to keep track of thoughts and moods, inspirational materials and more.
• Breathe2Relax (free for iOS and Android): Teaches through videos and reading materials diaphragmatic breathing, or “belly breathing,” a technique that achieves full oxygen exchange and has been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, which in turn helps relieve stress.