Smartphones just got a lot smarter. Some people believe that intelligence is all about intellectual brain power. However, modern views of intelligence also track emotional intelligence and with the recent influx of mental health apps into the Android store, your phone is so smart it can be your therapist.
So if you’re in the market for an emotional lift or mental tune up here are the four top mental health apps in the Android marketplace.
Brainwave Tuner – If you’re finding yourself stressed out and it’s causing you the blues this app is made for you. Brainwave Tuner is a brain wave stimulation application that generates tones with binaural beats, which can change your brain frequency towards the desired state, be it relaxation or enhanced attention. The program has over twenty settings such as Earth Peace Night: An Earth Meditation track that helps relax and mediate to Relaxation which retunes the brains frequencies with a basic sweep from a regular beta wave (15Hz) down to a low alpha wave (7Hz), in order to save you brain from strain.
If retuning the frequencies via science isn’t your thing and you prefer plain old fashioned talk therapy then DBT Self-help might just be your ticket to a happier place.
DBT Self-help is a emotional management tool designed to help you stop negative impulse behaviors, build better relationships and to take it up one more notch to bring about a more self aware life.
The app has skill descriptions and practice tips that will help you develop and practice the skills to just feel better. Dialectical Behavior Therapy belongs to the third wave of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy combining learning along with cognitive theory and the ancient practices of mindfulness to rebalance your life in a way that brings change and acceptance. The company claims that DBT has been effectively employed in the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder, Binge eating and Substance Abuse Disorder.
According to the creators the app will help you get deeper insight into how thoughts, emotions, physiology and behaviors all coexist and influence each other. You can also use the app for tips on building healthy relationships, refining your communication tools and dealing with powerful emotions.
Another app that is build along the more traditional lines of therapy is Self Esteem Building by Guidem ZaleBox. The app is focused on helping you develop your self-image. By giving you information about how to build self esteem, and practicing the positive image exercises, Self-Esteem Building aims to positively impact your behavior and performance. Exercises include, reshaping your self image, journaling for success, developing your intuition, and boosting your self worth and getting to your full potential.
Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help by Excel at Life. Are you finding yourself standing in the middle of the road of life looking like a deer staring into oncoming headlights? Well if fear, panic and anxiety are getting in your way this app is designed to help you learn to control those happiness blockers.
The app assumes that the user is suffering from panic attacks due to Panic Disorder. So the app focuses on helping to alleviate panic attack triggers such as the fear of having a panic attack and fear of the panic attack feelings in the body. The app also has articles about panic attacks, anxiety in general as well as cognitive-behavioral therapies that you can use when you feel an attack coming on.
Other handy features include a daily dairy that encourages a person to challenge anxious thinking, as well as audio to help the user get to a calmer place. You’ll also get an audio that’s designed to be a personal coach to help you get through panic attacks.
Aaron Mills is a tech writer and blogger. He writes on behalf of leading brands such as protectyourbubble.com, a cell phone insurance provider.