Having healthy practices in place to support your mental health and mental wellness are important, because YOU are important.
Over the past 18 months, there has been a significant shift in our day-to-day life in Australia, which may have affected your mental health and wellness vitality. For some, this may have caused unexpected stress, a shift in your mental health and wellness outlook, and having to adapt to circumstances that are simply out of your control. There are plenty of incredible apps available that promote and encourage positive mental health and wellness practices, motivation, and meditation. Check out some of our favourites below!
Always remember that you can speak with your General Practitioner (GP) or mental health specialist about these apps and any others that you may wish to consider. They may be able to provide professional insight into which apps might be better suited to your needs.
Headspace
Headspace is probably one of the most well-known meditation apps out there. The app is designed to take you through the basics of meditation, has progress pages so that you can track your stats, and reminders to help you with your practice. This app is run as a paid subscription but typically has a free trial time.
You can also access some curated Headspace meditation playlists in Spotify, here.
ReachOut WorryTime // ReachOut Breathe
ReachOut Worry Time (developed by ReachOut Australia) helps you set aside a period where you can focus on the things that are causing you to worry. Essentially, it aims to give you “worry time” where you can focus on everything that has caused you to worry throughout your day. The app works by you recording your worrying thought when you think of it, allowing you to put it out of your mind continue your day and address the worry at a set time.
ReachOut Breathe (also developed by ReachOut Australia) is an app that allows you to take a few moments to focus on your breath to help calm down your mind and body when you are feeling anxious or stressed. The app is interactive and uses simple visuals to guide you through some slow, deep breaths, lets you measure your heart rate so you can check you baseline and how you’re going throughout the day.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind guides you through simple meditation exercises to get you started on your mindfulness journey. The app uses illustrations and short meditation sessions to train you to become more aware of your breath and your senses, so you can bring mindfulness into your everyday routine.
The Check-in
This app (developed by BeyondBlue) is for anyone who wants to check in with a friend but is worried about saying the wrong thing or making the situation worse. You go through four steps, getting you to think about where you might check in, what you might say and how might you support your friend. There is also a section that shows you things and situations to consider. Once you’ve had the conversation, you can go back into the app and rate how it went. The app will then give you advice on the next steps. There are also links to where you can get support and tips from young people.
Read more about the benefits of working with an independent, professional Plan Manager. Alternatively, contact our friendly team on 1300 322 273 or support@first2care.com.au.