Okay, everyone knows that smartphones and social media can be bad for mental health. But phones are a tool, and if we use them well, they can also be really beneficial for mental health. So let me share with you how I use mostly free apps on my phone to build healthy, tiny little habits to help maintain and improve my mental health. Okay, so most of the apps I’ll recommend are free. And in case you’re wondering, none of the apps in this video sponsor me. I want to share what’s working for me. Okay, so first one, Habit Tracker. Whenever I want to improve something in my life, whether it’s my marriage or my stress levels, I choose a small, practical goal to move in that direction.
The key to making progress towards that goal is to have a system that supports that goal. So, for example, I want to improve my marriage, and my goal is to work through the Love Dare book. My system is to read one chapter of the book every morning before I start work. I’ll set a reminder on my phone, and then I’ll check it off in the Habit app when I’m done. Now you could use a habit tracker app to build any positive habit, like a gratitude practice, scheduled worry time, exercise, or checking in with your AA sponsor. And I put the widget for this app on my home screen. And I have a personal rule that I don’t get to watch my shows until I’ve done it. So that’s my system for doing tiny little new habits.
Okay, and speaking of systems. I use the Reminders app all the time. Now, these apps are great because they free you from the mental load of remembering all the good things and touch points you want to do. So not only do I use it to support my fragmented working memory, but I also set reminders to do things like text a friend every couple of days or snuggle with my daughter. And these reminders help me do many of the maintenance tasks that don’t come easily to me, mostly in relationships. But you can also use it for things like setting goals and remembering to take your medications. My friend has a reminder to eat her lunch because she often forgets, but then she gets really cranky.
So when you have a recurring reminder, you’ll take care of the little habits that add up to better mental health. And again, systems are better than resolutions. Okay, the next one I use all the time is notes. This can help you relieve your mental load. I use the notes app frequently, not just to jot down things so that I don’t forget them, but I also frequently use it for brain dumps. So when I’m really upset, anxious, or overwhelmed, Notes is great because I can just put it all in there. And if I’m really upset, I’ll go for a walk, and use voice-to-text to capture all my rush of thoughts and put them into my phone. These apps can also work like a small journal.
If one of my practices is scheduled to be worry or checking in with my feelings, but it’s something I don’t really want to save in my journal, I’ll pop it into Notes. It’s just convenient. Okay, now speaking of journaling, there’s another app I use for everything I do. Want to save, and this is Day One, so um, what we focus on, we get more of, and what we pay attention to, and review, we remember. So it’s really easy to get wrapped up in the difficulties of each day and forget about all the beautiful moments you had last week or last year. To be truly happy, you have to build an intentional practice to remember the good, and I use the Day One app for this. Again, not a sponsor.
This one is paid to have all the storage you want. It’s like $35 a year, but I just tried to pop in a picture. Each day, and keep my streak that’s my goal, and when I remember, I write a little bit about my day, and you know, you can journal in any way you like. You can set up a guided journal to prompt you to practice gratitude, journal through your feelings, or track your mood. But I just prefer doing pictures and funny stuff. And then my favorite part is that, at the end of the year, I can print it and have it mailed to me. So I print one for the kids to read, look through, and handle.
And then I put another one like it on my shelf, so that I can save it. Or a posterity, or something. The next app I really like is Lotusbud on iOS, or if you’re on Android, Mindfulness Bell works. These are awesome apps if you want to change your subconscious habits. These apps have just a really simple mindfulness bell, and you can set custom reminders to go off. Somewhat randomly at the interval you choose. When the bell chimes, check in with your body, and be mindful for a moment. So if you’re trying to train your nervous system to be calmer, you could use it to remind you to soften your shoulders or to take a slow breath.
And if you’re trying to be more aware of what’s going on with your body, you could pause it and do a quick body scan to see what sensations are showing up. Or if you’re trying to catch yourself in a cognitive distortion, like catastrophizing. So basically, anytime I’m setting a goal around something that’s a little bit hard to be mindful of. I use Lotus Bud to remind me to be more aware gently—number six, Cycle Tracker. So let’s face it, ladies, hormones mess with our thoughts and emotions. So, for example, about once a month, I start to believe that I’m a terrible human being and no one loves me. And if in that moment I check my Cycle Tracker, it will inform me that my period is going to start in like 12 hours, and PMS is just a liar, and to eat more chocolate and take a hot bath.
Okay. Number seven. This is my Dr. Leo Marvin moment, where I’m going to recommend my own stuff. But one of the things I’m really excited about is that Therapy in a Nutshell now has an app, and I’m really proud of it. It’s free and includes two courses. The first one is grounding skills for stress, anxiety, and PTSD. And this is a great course. Tens of thousands of people have taken it, and they’ve learned how to regulate their nervous system and tell when they’re stuck in fight-or-flight or freeze. and how to retrain your nervous system to feel safe again. The other free course is new. It’s How to Stop Panic and Anxiety Attacks.
And then, for those of you who are Therapy in a Nutshell members, you can take all eight of my other mental health courses right within the app. Check that out— like watch one 15-minute video a day and do the exercise. You really can learn how to improve your mental health, how to get out of survival mode, process your emotions, and break the cycle of anxiety. Before I mention a few honorable mentions, take a look at my phone. Do you see what I don’t have on my phone? No TikTok, no Instagram, no LinkedIn, no X. You guys, I make my living on social media, but I’m not going to let it control me. Any app that I find to be really distracting, as soon as I find that, that app is sucking away my brain.
I deleted it from my phone. And I know phone games can be addictive, so I don’t have any Candy Crush, Puzzle Games, or Solitaire. And you can’t see it, but I went into settings, and I turned off notifications for almost everything. Like, no news notifications. Every single garbage notification I turn off. Even calls and messages are almost always on vibe. So when I said earlier that our phones are tools, that is what I meant. I use my phone to support the life I want, not let it control me. Okay, let me take the last minute of this video for some honorable mentions. I like the Seven Minute Workout. It used to be free, but it’s now charged. You have to pay.
But Nike Workouts is free, and both offer quick workouts you can do at home or in the office. Because exercise also supports mental health. Libby. Also, Audible and Blinkist are paid apps. But Libby, you can read lots of books, and that’s a great way to improve your mental health. Okay, podcasts. I only listen to funny podcasts. So for me, nothing is better than mowing the lawn while listening to Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. Calendar out. Great way to keep your life from feeling hectic and overwhelming. And then I have a bunch of other apps that I consider pretty positive. AllTrails shows you where to go hiking because nature is super good for your mood and energy. Merlin Bird ID can help you identify a bird with just a tap of the microphone.
JustServe helps you connect to service opportunities in your area. And you know, there’s more, but I’ll stop there. So that’s how I use my phone to improve mental health. It’s really important to set up systems to build these tiny mental health habits in your life. Because our environment is the number one predictor of our mood and health. And if you spend a lot of time on your phone, that’s your environment. So let’s make it a positive space. I love reading your comments, and I’d love to hear which apps you found helpful for your mental health and for building systems. So please take a moment to share. Thanks for watching, and take care.
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