Mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, are on the rise across the globe. Since many of us check our phones multiple times a day, it’s natural they have become an integral part of modern self-care. With the rise in mental illnesses, wellness apps have surfaced to make healthcare more accessible to the broader population. In fact, approximately 86.29% [1] of people use a smartphone and, thus, have the potential to access healthcare at their fingertips.
Although mental health apps cannot fully replace in-person therapy or medication for some people, they are bridging the gap for those who cannot afford traditional treatment. For instance, therapy was once an inaccessible dream for the majority. However, in the age of mental wellness apps, smartphone users can connect with affordable professionals or access online therapy from their phones. This revolutionary development is helping more people get the help they deserve.
That said, self-help apps aren’t exclusive to counseling. Many self-care apps promptusers to take daily breaks, practice mindfulness, and learn about triggers. These educational resources encourageusers to take control of their mental well-being and establish preventative measures to stop anxiety and depression from developing.
Before we dive into this essential guide to mental health apps, let us introduce Pzizz. We are a sleep app trusted by 1,000,000+people to improve their slumber. The science behind Pzizz helps you to fall asleep faster and wake up feeling restored and energized. We all know how important sleep is for mental wellness. That’s why we made it our mission to help people worldwide get better rest, increase energy throughout the day, and feel less stressed. However, alongside Pzizz, we think numerous self-care apps deserve the limelight. So, let’s get into it.
What kind of self-help apps are available? You’ll find everything from therapy apps to connect you with licensed therapists and counselors, uplifting apps to boost your mood, or digital journals to work through tough emotions. These apps can encourage positive daily habits that help you live a happier life and prevent your mental health from declining. Here is a breakdown of the apps we’ve reviewed for this article. They cover various topics to help you find the right one for your lifestyle.
App | Best for | Platforms |
Pzizz | Sleep and relaxation | iOS and Android |
Mesmerize | Guided meditation | iOS and Android |
Bliss | Visual breathwork | iOS and Android |
Sanvello | Mental health toolkit | iOS and Android |
Happify | Mood booster | iOS and Android |
Bearable | Mental health tracker | iOS and Android |
BetterHelp | Affordable online therapy | iOS and Android |
MoodKit | CBT tools | iOS |
Shine | Inclusive self-care | iOS and Android |
Worry Watch | Anxiety tracker | iOS |
Talkspace | Therapy | iOS and Android |
VODA | LGBTQIA+community | iOS and Android |
Headspace | Mindfulness | iOS and Android |
MindShift CBT | Anxiety and CBT tools | iOS and Android |
Quit That! | Addiction | iOS |
It’s long been known that sleep quality significantly impacts one’s mentality. While everyone occasionally struggles with a bad night, consistent sleep struggles can have a serious impact. For example, studies show 24-36% [2] of insomnia patients also have an anxiety disorder, further highlighting the link between sleep and mental health.
If poor sleep impacts your well-being, it’s time to do something about it. Whether you spend hours staring at the ceiling or wake up feeling groggy and fatigued, we have the best self-care app for you. Meet Pzizz. A clinically-validated sleep app that lulls you into sleep with soothing audio designed by psychoacoustic experts. We call them ‘dreamscapes.’ Our patented system creates a unique mix of sound and narration every night. So, you get a new experience each time you listen, maximizing effectiveness long-term.
There’s a reason Pzizz has been endorsed by journalists, athletes, and authors alike. It offers highly-customizable controls with a beautiful and simplistic user interface. Make Pzizz work for you with volume control, voiceover options, 3D effects, and more. With our Sleep, Nap, and Focus modules, you can use the app anytime to meet your relaxation needs.
With Pzizz, you don’t need to change anything. Simply press play and let our soothing mixes do the work. For a clinically-proven way to sleep easily, download Pzizz on Google Play or the App Store to start your free trial.
This next self-help app combines the power of guided meditation with calming visuals to promote better mental wellness. Mesmerize can facilitate a relaxing meditation practice to help you build greater self-awareness of your life. As you become more aware of your surroundings and the bigger picture, you may find it easier to calm your mind and focus on a positive perspective. Regular meditation practice has many proven benefits [3], including the following:
Using scientifically proven techniques, Mesmerize calms the nervous system, reduces intrusive thoughts, and provides a greater sense of peace. With a soothing visual focus and relaxing music, people experiencing anxiety can quickly calm their minds when in a heightened state of stress.
Download Mesmerize on an iOS or Android device to start your free three-day trial and prepare to enter deep relaxation.
If you want to implement breathwork as part of your daily wellness routine, Bliss is the ideal mental health app for you. Bliss is a visual breathing aid based on extensive research on resonant frequency breathing. This style of breathwork trains you to breathe slowly with intention. Similarly to meditation, you focus on the serene imagery as it guides your inhales and exhales. By syncing your breathing with the visual, you’ll find it easier to practice this breath pattern regularly as part of your mental health self-care.
Using resonant frequency breathing apps for anxiety and depression is an excellent way to soothe symptoms [4] and restore calm. Download Bliss on the App Store or Google Play for your free trial.
Learning about mental health and illnesses is crucial to improving your wellness. Although, knowing where to find reliable and helpful information takes time and effort. Thankfully, with Sanvello in your back pocket, education is easy. This is one of the best educational apps for mental health as it teaches proven methods from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The app offers mood tracking, guided audio sessions, coping tactics, and progress reports. Furthermore, you can also access community boards and chats. Sanvello monitors these groups, giving users a safe space to get peer support.
Not all self-care apps are for education and talking about your health. Some apps, like Happify, aim to boost your mood through light-hearted games and activities. Based on key positive psychology principles, Happify gives you weekly challenges to complete and record your mood. It’s a simple and fun way to track your progress over time and take a short break throughout your day.
Mental health battles look different for everyone. Having a comfortable space to talk about your struggles with someone who understands is crucial. Unfortunately, it’s even harder for marginalized communities to access proper health care. That’s why VODA is a standout mental wellness app for the LGBTQIA+community. It is a safe space to help people cope with living in a heteronormative and cisnormative society. They have created a one-stop for cognitive journaling exercises, digital therapy programs based on CBT, daily affirmations, and mindfulness resources. There is a whole host of content on VODA created by leading LGBTQIA+psychotherapists, making it an excellent app for inclusivity in the wellness space.
Recognizing your progress is hard until you intentionally look back and see how far you’ve come. Fortunately, Bearable can help. As a mental health tracker app, it encourages you to celebrate your progress along the way. Bearable lets you do the following:
Using this self-care app can help you understand your triggers better and manage your emotions. Moreover, Bearable offers personalized insights to see how your medication and behavior impact your well-being.
BetterHelp is one of the best therapy apps to emerge in the past decade. It gained significant popularity on social media when it partnered with influencers to break the stigma of talking treatments. The app aims to make therapy accessible by engaging with patients through messages, voice calls, and video sessions. Although their lower prices (compared to traditional therapy) are more accessible, digital treatment has also made it easier for people who struggle to travel to in-person appointments. The app itself is straightforward, as users can schedule appointments and match with a suitable therapist within a few clicks.
Do you want a mental health toolkit in your back pocket? Meet MoodKit, one of the best CBT apps to download today. You can access over 200 activities rooted in CBT techniques. It’s an excellent educational resource to help users identify negative thought patterns and establish better habits. MoodKit also features a journal and mood tracker, which you can export from the app.
Shine was born from a need for inclusive mental health resources. The app prioritizes representation across the board to ensure all self-care aids are inclusive. Users can access courses and meditations on setting boundaries, managing stress, and more. Headspace Health acquired Shine, so we may see the app integrating into a different platform in the future. However, it’s still a notable app for mental wellness and the healing space they have created for marginalized communities.
Worry Watch is the best CBT app to track anxiety symptoms. The app provides resources to boost your mood and witness your progress over time. For example, you’ll get positive affirmations and charts to visualize your worries realistically. Moreover, Worry Watch stands out for its password-protected journal, which guides you through your anxiety in a safe way.
If you are seeking an alternative therapy option, Talkspace is one of the best counseling apps for accessing mental health professionals. Compared to in-person therapy, Talkspace is an affordable online alternative. You’ll get 24/7 support as you can send your therapist a message anytime in the secure chat room or quickly schedule a live video session from your device. Moreover, Talkspace stands out from its competitors as it offers therapy for couples, individuals, and teens.
A list of the top mental health apps wouldn’t be complete without Headspace. In short, this app helps people learn about and practice mindfulness from their phones. It’s an excellent option for beginners who want to attend courses and make meditation a habit. Headspace offers lots of educational content, including teaching users about mindfulness principles, managing stress, and improving focus.
MindShift CBT is another top CBT app to download. It is an excellent option for people with anxiety symptoms and looking for relief throughout the day. Whether you are experiencing high levels of stress, struggling with perfectionism, or shying away from social situations, MindShift can help. The mental health app combines mini-meditations, a journal feature, and various activities to encourage you to work through your fears.
Addiction is a significant part of mental health that people don’t discuss as much as other challenges. Quit That! supports individuals as they try to kick various addictions from smoking, alcohol consumption, and even caffeine. It is essential to seek medical assistance to help you address severe conditions and access specialist treatment such as medication, therapy, residential stays, and peer support groups.
For many people, it can also be helpful to have a visual aid to see how long it has been since quit day and how much money they save in the process. These are two great motivators to have at your fingertips.
Establishing positive habits across your lifestyle is essential to improving your mental health. While meditation and journals are great tools, it is also important to get enough sleep, be mindful of your nutrition, and move your body in a way that feels good to you. Taking small steps to address these areas can significantly impact your life.
Moreover, when you integrate tools such as mindfulness and therapy, you will gain a deeper insight into how to care for your mental wellness in the long term.
Mental health apps are changing the landscape of mental health treatment. Since they give you access to resources, professionals, and relaxation exercises, it’s worth having them in your arsenal. Consider Pzizz to improve sleep at a touch of a button, or download Mesmerize to practice self-acceptance and positive thinking with soothing sounds and visuals. There are a whole host of self-care apps to explore — download some from this list to start your journey to a happier, healthier you.
Mental wellness apps make it easy to care for your mind from anywhere. Consider Pzizz to improve your sleep, Mesmerize for a visual meditation aid, Bliss to calm feelings of anxiety, or BetterHelp if you need to talk to a trained therapist.
Some apps may indeed impact one’s mental health; for example, many people compare themselves and their lives to individuals on social media. You should identify which apps cause you to feel low and limit your time on them. In addition, on apps like TikTok and Instagram, you can follow accounts that uplift you and unfollow those that do not.
The best therapy apps help you connect with a therapist that is right for you. Therapy apps like Talkspace and BetterHelp are two excellent options, as they are easy to use and offer accessible online therapy.
[1] https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world#1579705085743-b3697bdb-9a8f
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181635/
[3] https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/benefits-of-meditation/
[4] https://getbliss.app/science.html