Transform your smartphone from a time waster to a mood enhancer
Five Ways to Wellbeing
This app offers practical methods for improving your mood and your ability to cope with life’s trickier times. In addition to asking for regular reflection about your wellbeing in the same way an online diary would, the app helps you identify patterns and sets activities that correspondingly enhance your mood. The ‘five ways’ (to connect, take notice, be active, keep learning and give) work together holistically. There are no time or commitment requirements, just use the app at your own pace.
What’s Up?
Not to be confused with the popular time wasting Whatsapp, What’s Up? is an app that utilises some of the best CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) methods to help you cope with depression, anxiety, anger, stress or difficult times. Easy to use, with a fresh and modern design, What’s Up? offers a variety of tolls, from 12 common negative thinking patterns and simple methods to overcome them to a positive and negative habit tracker designed to promote good habits and conquer bad ones. A favourite is the ‘catastrophe scale,’ which helps you gain a better perspective of your problems and makes them easier to manage.
Happy Healthy
Happy Healthy is both a personal trainer and health advisor that fits into your pocket. The app combines self-tracking with expert advice, and promises to make you feel happier in just seven days. The app is brilliantly thought out and recommended for longer term use. It encourages you to rate yourself on happiness and LENS (Lifestyle, Exercise, Nutrition and Sleep), and over the course of a week shows you what may affect your mood, i.e. what time of day you tend to feel less energetic. Happy Healthy offers helpful downloadable guides and provides an option to share your progress with a health professional.
Happier
One of the world’s most popular wellbeing apps, Happier has received praise from renowned publications, including The New York Times, Time Magazine and The Guardian. It aims to help you stay more present and positive throughout the day (think Mindfulness), but with a personal coach giving you reminders. Happier’s Apple Watch facility can help lift your mood with inspiring quotes, clear your mind with a positive meditation break, or capture and share something positive. The app also features a gratitude journal, expert-led mini courses and a platform to connect with other Happier users in a supportive community.
Look out for the Happy Not Perfect app, coming soon. For more info visit www.happynotperfect.com
