In this digital age, mobile apps are a part of our daily lives. Whether it’s managing stress, improving sleep, boosting productivity or finding moments of calm, apps can offer many benefits for our mental and physical health. This post will walk you through how to choose an app, and then which apps to choose! In your sessions with a clinical psychologist you can also discuss the best digital tools for you.
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Choosing the App
There are so many apps on the market so first we need to discuss how to choose the right one, not all apps are created equal. A professional with experience in private practice can often bring valuable insights into the effectiveness of certain apps but here are three things I suggest you consider:
1. Credibility
When choosing an app the credibility of the app’s creators and the science behind the content is important. Look for apps developed by or in collaboration with mental health professionals, universities or reputable organisations. Credible apps will have features based on evidence based practices.
You can also check for reviews or endorsements from trusted sources such as professional organisations, healthcare providers or academic institutions. A credible app will often cite the research or clinical guidelines it follows and will provide transparency around its methods and effectiveness.
2. Usability
Consider the user experience of the app as this will play a big part in how well it can support your goals. A good app should be intuitive, easy to use and free from distractions like ads or unnecessary notifications. The user interface (UI) should be clean and simple so you can focus on the task or therapy without getting bogged down by complicated controls or confusing menus.
The user experience also includes the app’s responsiveness and reliability. An app that crashes or has slow load times can be frustrating and may mean you don’t use it as much! Before committing to an app it’s worth reading the user reviews to see what others are saying about the app’s performance and ease of use.
3. Transparency
Transparency is key when it comes to privacy and data security. Many apps, especially those related to health and wellness, require you to input personal information. It’s important to know what data the app collects, how it’s stored and who has access to it. A good app will have a clear privacy policy that explains this in plain language so you know exactly how your data is being handled.
Transparency also applies to the app’s business model. Be wary of apps that are free to download but offer little functionality unless you pay for in-app purchases. Apps that push ads or use manipulative tactics to get you to spend can detract from the overall experience. Go for apps that are upfront about their costs and provide value for money.
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How Apps Can Be Used for Mental Health
Now that we have these points in mind let’s think about how apps can be useful for you to improve or maintain your mental health. Individual therapy can be complemented by using specific apps for personal therapeutic goals.
1. Self-Monitoring and Awareness
Self-monitoring is a powerful tool for gaining insight into your thoughts, behaviours and emotions and to track patterns over time. The evidence shows that even just tracking something can make it change in a positive direction. The other benefit is that by increasing your awareness you build a true understanding of what’s happening and can use this to start to make some changes. Self-monitoring can also be useful for tracking sexual health, to help individuals understand and manage their sexual well-being.
Mood Tracking: Some apps allow you to log your mood throughout the day, so you can see what triggers or patterns in your emotional responses. By tracking your mood regularly you can gain a better understanding of what affects your emotional state which can be useful to bring into therapy or to reflect on in your self-care routines. eMoods, Daylio, and How We Feel are all examples of these types of apps.
Behaviour Tracking: Whether you’re trying to break a bad habit or create a new one, tracking your behaviour can give you a clear picture of your progress. Apps that support behaviour tracking can help you set goals, monitor your actions and celebrate small wins along the way, reinforce positive behaviour change.
Journaling and Reflection: Journaling apps like Day One offer a digital space to reflect on your day, your thoughts and your feelings. Regular journaling can help you process emotions, reduce stress and identify areas of your life that need attention. Some apps also offer prompts to guide your reflection making it easier to explore your inner world.
2. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Tools and Strategies
While apps can’t replace the personal support of a therapist, they can be useful adjuncts to therapy, offering tools and strategies that complement psychological treatment including commitment therapy. Apps can also support dialectical behaviour therapy by providing structured exercises and guidance. Examples of this type of apps are: Happify, Sanvello, Iona Mind, and Moodfit.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Apps that offer CBT exercises can help you identify and change negative thought patterns. Some apps (like the ones above) provide structured CBT exercises to guide you through the process of recognising unhelpful thoughts and replacing them with more helpful ones.
Mindfulness Techniques: Mindfulness-based approaches are becoming more widely recognised for their benefits in reducing stress and improving emotional regulation. Apps that teach mindfulness techniques, such as breathing exercises, guided meditations and body scans, can help you establish a mindfulness practice that fits into your daily routine. These practices can help you stay present, reduce reactivity to stress and increase feelings of calm. Smiling Mind is a very popular and useful mindfulness app developed here in Australia.
Exposure Therapy Support: For those dealing with phobias or anxiety disorders, exposure therapy is a common treatment method. Some apps can support exposure therapy by helping you gradually confront and desensitise yourself to feared situations or objects in a controlled and systematic way.
Support Networks and Peer Communities: Some apps offer a platform to connect with others who are going through similar experiences. These peer communities can provide support, encouragement and a sense of belonging.
3. Relaxation and Meditation for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Relaxation and meditation apps are designed to help you unwind, reduce stress and try to build a sense of calm. These tools can be particularly useful when you are feeling emotionally dysregulated and overwhelmed.
Guided Meditation: Guided meditation apps offer a range of meditation practices from basic breath awareness to more advanced techniques like loving-kindness or body scan meditations. These apps often have sessions of varying lengths so you can fit meditation into even the busiest of schedules. The Insight Timer app has one of the largest free libraries of guided meditations. It has sessions from Australian meditation teachers and content for beginners and experienced meditators. The app also has options for sleep, stress management and relaxation making it a very comprehensive tool.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): PMR is a relaxation technique that involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups to reduce physical tension and stress. Some apps guide you through PMR exercises to help you release tension and relax your body. The Calm app is widely used in Australia and has PMR exercises as part of its broader range of relaxation tools.
Visualisations and Imagery: Visualisation techniques involve imagining a peaceful scene or positive outcome to reduce stress and improve mental focus.
Relaxation: Relaxation apps often have tools for sleep such as calming sounds, bedtime stories or guided sleep meditations. These features can be very useful for people who struggle with insomnia or have trouble winding down at the end of the day.
4. Self-Care and Lifestyle Changes
Apps can be a great tool for self-care and making and maintaining lifestyle changes. For example, Bearable which is a health tracking app that lets you monitor your mental and physical health and Finch which is a self-care pet app where you care for a virtual bird by completing daily wellness tasks and goals to build positive habits and emotional well-being in a fun way.
Sleep Monitoring and Improvement: Poor sleep can have a big impact on mental and physical health. Sleep tracking apps monitor your sleep patterns and give you insights into how long and how well you’re sleeping. Some apps also offer tips or exercises to improve sleep hygiene to help you establish a sleep routine and improve the quality of your rest. Sleep Cycle is an example of an app that monitors and advises the user about their sleep.
Exercise Motivation and Tracking: Regular physical activity is key to mental health as it reduces stress, improves mood and increases energy. Exercise apps can provide workout routines, track your physical activity and offer motivation to keep you moving. Whether you’re training for an event or just trying to get more movement into your day, these apps can help you stay on track.
Habit Formation: Building and then maintaining positive habits is often a big part of long term lifestyle changes and self-care. Apps (like Habitify) that focus on forming and sticking to new habits can be helpful when trying to adopt healthy behaviours like drinking more water or eating more vegetables. By tracking your progress and providing positive reinforcement these apps make it easier to reach your goals.
Quitting a Habit: At the other end of the spectrum there are apps designed to stop unhelpful behaviours. These apps like QuiteGuide or QuitStart for smoking cessation can be powerful tools by providing structure, support and real-time feedback to encourage positive change. They often have features like habit tracking, motivational reminders and access to supportive communities to help with accountability and progress.
5. Organisation and Productivity for ADHD Assessments
Being organised and managing your time is key to a balanced life. Productivity apps can help you streamline your tasks, manage your schedule and reduce the emotional stress that comes with life feeling a bit chaotic.
Task Management: Task management apps let you create to-do lists, set deadlines and prioritise your tasks. By breaking down big projects into smaller, manageable steps these apps can help you stay focused and reduce the stress of looming deadlines.
Calendar and Scheduling: Keeping track of appointments, meetings and deadlines can be tricky, especially when juggling multiple responsibilities. Calendar apps help you organise your schedule, set reminders and sync your appointments across devices so you can keep on top of everything from someone’s birthday to when to take your medication.
Note-Taking and Idea Organisation: Note-taking apps let you organise your thoughts, save important information and keep everything in one easily accessible place. The added psychological benefit is rather than these ideas whirling around your mind they are parked in your phone. Some people will even create a list of worries that they can worry about at a pre-assigned later time! ReachOut WorryTime is an app that lets you do just this. Developed by ReachOut Australia, it encourages you to postpone your worries until your designated “Worry Time,” so you can regain control over your thoughts and reduce anxiety.
Focus Enhancement: Some productivity apps are designed to help you stay focused and on task. These apps might have features like time blocking where you allocate specific periods for focused work or “do not disturb” modes that silence notifications during work sessions. Forest is an app in this category that encourages focus by growing a virtual tree that flourishes when you stay on task and withers if you get distracted.
6. Helpful Distraction
Sometimes what we need most is a healthy distraction—a break from stress, anxiety or routine tasks that lets our minds reset. Apps that offer engaging activities or games can serve this purpose, offering a mental escape that can be fun and beneficial. The caveat to this is that the use of these apps needs to be time limited.
Mindful Distraction: Mindful games and activities, like The Sims, can shift your focus away from stressors while also engaging your mind in a positive way. These apps often require concentration and problem-solving which can distract you from negative thoughts or anxiety. Peak is another app that offers a variety of brain-training games that improve cognitive function as well as provide a break from stressors.
Creative Expression: Apps that allow creative expression, like drawing, music-making or writing can be a therapeutic outlet. Engaging in creative activities reduces stress, improves mood and gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Relaxing Games: Not all games are about competition or high stakes. Some apps offer relaxing games that are designed to soothe rather than excite. These games often have calming visuals, simple gameplay and a pace that encourages relaxation rather than stimulation.
Integrating Apps into Your Life Mindfully
Whilst apps can undoubtedly be helpful, it’s important to approach their use with intention and a plan. When you choose your app, recognise what you want to use it for, and be clear about how you can achieve that.
Dr. Sarah Valentine
Sarah is a Clinical Psychologist and co-director of Cova Psychology. She has worked in a range of settings in both the public and private sectors of mental health system in Melbourne over the past 20 years. Sarah is passionate about helping her clients heal trauma, is an experienced EMDR therapist and also incorporates Schema Therapy and Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) into her work. She is a board approved supervisor and mentor and enjoys supporting psychologists at all stages of their career.
