Could spending time on your phone help you with your mental health and wellbeing?
Out with the old and in with the new!
We are often told that our phones are one of the most prominent problems for young people’s mental health struggles, mainly due to social media. With Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook being used to document the highlights of everyone’s lives, it’s really easy to feel left out and that your life is boring – even though it actually isn’t!
The best bet is to ditch scrolling endlessly on your timeline and spend your time on other apps which encourage you to take time out, relax and express yourself – all things which can help you to improve your mental well-being.
There are a bunch of apps out there, most of which are completely free or have free features. Here’s a list of apps that you should download and have a look at (in no particular order):
1 – Mindshift CBT
This app allows people to manage their anxiety and offers ways in which you can think about anxiety rather than just trying to avoid it. You can keep a thought and mood journal as well as completing tasks to tackle your goals, relax and challenge your thinking.
2 – Rise Up + Recover
An app focussed on those struggling with food, dieting, exercise and body image. It’s a great way to log your meals and keep track of your emotions and actions. It also contains coping strategies and links to external music, podcasts and magazines from recoverywarriors.com
3 – SuperBetter
Developed by game designers, this app includes a series of tasks to do in real life to level up in the game. It aims to build personal resilience and boost physical and emotional well-being.
4 – Calm
A mindfulness app made to help you sleep better, increase happiness, improve focus and reduce anxiety. It contains guided mindfulness sessions as well as relaxing music and sleep stories.
5 – Mindful Gnats
An app to help young people develop mindfulness and relaxation skills.
6 – Tyneside Mind Mood Tracker
Designed by Tyneside Mind, this app is an interactive mood rating system and personal. You can use it to journal your thoughts and feeling daily which can be useful to spot patterns in your mood and behaviour.
7 – Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is a meditation app for young people. It is a free web and app-based program designed in Australia to help young people de-stress and stay calm. There are tailored programmes for different age groups.
Final Thoughts
Remember, you wouldn’t expect to stay physically fit if you didn’t do any exercise, so why would your mind stay fit without giving it a workout? It may feel a little strange to practise exercising your mind, but once you start doing it regularly, you will reap the benefits that mindfulness has to offer.
Related Information
If you want to find out more about looking after your mental health, click here to pop over to our good friends at Meic. They offer lots of information and support around mental health and emotional wellbeing. They also have a helpline service available daily from 8am-midnight.
If you’d like to read more articles on TheSprout about mental health, click here.
Want to be taken to TheSprout Info page for Mental Health, click here.
