YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Just thought a thread could be useful to share different mental health apps people have tried and liked. I'm on my phone a lot (probably too much) and since I'm not really a games person I tend to go into social media self-loathing hell a lot to pass the time. I'e been trying to at least get more positive 'distractions' in my regular life that don't feel overwhelming. So far these are some apps I've used:

"Life" Period Tracker App - my period is wickedly irregular and I sometimes skip months at a time and get really weird moodswings and psychical symptoms. This app just helps me keep better track so I can see that it could be hormones that are causing my mental stress.

CBT Referee - with this app you type in your feelings and get prompts to identify things like black and white thinking, jumping to conculsions, "shoulding" on yourself etc. and then you rewrite your feelings and act as your own "referee." I think this app was $4 and I probably should use it more, it helps a lot with my anxiety.

Lume Mood Tracker - this app helps track your mood and energy levels and gives space for short journal entries. I find this a little less daunting than the CBT app sometimes because it just lets me write down what I'm feeling but the mood choices help me put a finger on what I'm really feeling. It also has a really cool design so if people are snooping at you on your phone it will look like you're a game.

Take a Break Meditation Oasis - this app has a short guided meditation that I've found is just the right amount of time to do at the end of my lunch break. The same app makers also have versions for sleep and anxiety for $4 or so. I just like it when I need a break from music or podcasts and can't trust my mind to wander into the land of doom.

So that's my list! If anyone has ones they use regularly I'd love to hear!

Thanks. I entertain myself with the idea that I'll get on one of these apps and use it but punching in my pass code every time is so annoying. Maybe when I go to iPhone 6 and get the fingerprint logon I'll be more apt to use it. Also I like the idea of having a log of info over time but less needing to input it . Having said that here are a couple I've used in the past.

1thingapp - It was good. You enter your own things to be grateful for and you can see others as well as your own history. I don't think nearly as many public gratitudes are showing as were in the past (as I log in just now) that sort of decreases the community feel.

Moodscope - rate yourself on 20 emotions each day. See back on your history what you are doing. Share with friends. Good but no app which is a huge downfall.

Pass codes are annoying, I think that's why I rarely use the CBT app because it has one. Struggle is real for the thumbs! Moodscope sounds good, is there a big list of different emotions to choose? I think sometimes I need to see more options to pinpoint my own.

It's the same 20 each day but order is different each time.

I have a ton of smartphone apps for this.

Meditation & Breathing:

Stop, Breathe & Think. This is one of my favorites. It teaches you to meditate, and there's a bunch of different tracks you can listen to, depending on what you need, like mindful breathing, engaging your senses, gratitude, kindness, compassion, relax ground & clear, etc. It also keeps track of your meditations. There are a few mediations that you have to pay for but they are cheap and there are still a lot of free ones as well. http://stopbreathethink.org/ IOS and Android

GPS For The Soul by HuffPo. This has guides with photos, text and music and an on-screen prompt to help you control your breathing. You can also make your own guides. For IOS & Android. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gps-for ... d586099254 For some reason on their website they don't link to the Android version: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... soul&hl=en

Calm. This app offers a 7 day mindfulness course, a couple of free guided meditations (with more you can pay for) and a timed mediation, from 1 minute to 4 hours. You can also change the background noise to things like lakeside, falling rain, etc. This is my favorite meditation app. http://www.calm.com for IOS & Android, and a desktop mini version of the timed mediation as well.

Meditations by Barbara Clark. This only has one free meditation track, so you can try it out and buy the others if you want them. These are supposed to promote positive self talk. http://www.healing-affirmations.com/store/ IOS & Android

Anxiety & Panic:

Beat Panic - This is for when you are having a panic attack, it goes through a series of flashcards and reminds you to breathe. I use it when I feel one coming on, it works for me sometimes anyway. Only for IOS. http://mindapps.org/app-details/Beat_Panic-40.html They have a lot more apps on their site, this is the only one I tried so far though.

Beat Panic Attacks - similar to the above, but it also has more information about panic attacks as well. This one is only on Android, and it seems to have been removed from the store right now, but the site is beatpanicattacks.info

Misc

Excel At Life has a ton of apps, Android only. http://www.excelatlife.com/apps.htm
Happy Habits: Choose Happiness!
Depression CBT Self-Help Guide
Stop Panic and Anxiety Self-Help
Cognitive Styles CBT Test
Cognitive Diary CBT Help
Worry Box--Anxiety Self-Help
Self-Esteem Blackboard
Jealousy Test & CBT Self-Help
Qi Gong Meditation Relaxation
SportPsych Performance Coach
Know Yourself Personality Test
Know Your Relationships Tests

I play a game when I feel the panic starting to rise. It's called Mahjong Cubes. It's a 3-D mahjong game and it lasts 4 minutes. It completely distracts me from whatever thoughts are racing through my head most of the time. Sometimes I play it for an hour straight. For some reason, it really works. Better than Ativan!

Thanks for the list SpookyGhost! The stop, breathe & think one looks like something I would use for sure.

I recently started using Pacifica and have found it to be the best combo of a few of the apps I was using. It has a paid option but I've been using it for free and liking it a lot. It combines mood tracking, health/self care tracking, and allows you to set goals. It also has its own meditation and diary feature as well as a community you can share and ask questions etc.

http://www.thinkpacifica.com/

I have been using the Headspace app for meditation and really like it. It has 10 days free and then if you like it, you have to pay a monthly subscription price. I have found it to be well worth it. Insight Timer is another good mediation app with many free guided meditations from a variety of folks, including Tara Brach, who is so wonderful.

Anyone know of an app or other resource that they recommend for adult ADD?

Betty - My partner has ADHD and I found this super simple loop timer very helpful for both myself with anxiety and procrastination and her ADHD brain.

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/loop-countdown/

If you're looking to complete a task like writing a paper or completing something online or anything generally boring and tedious set the timer in a manageable chunk of time (I usually have to help my partner figure out what's manageable since she's not good with time) say 10 minutes, then work on your paper for 10 minutes straight, then break and mess around for 10, then back for 10...you get the idea. It seems kind of counterproductive to schedule in drifting off time but it's definitely helped her get through grad school assignments that seemed way too big to tackle all at once.

I'm sure there has to be a way to set a timer like this on your phone or have some kind of app for it but I like the online version for writing or long assignments so I don't have to check my phone.

bumping up....

Was using Pocket Coach but put it aside for awhile. They've added a couple new sessions, time to pick it up again...