Mental health is obviously something we all have to deal with in one way or another. The good news with it is that we as a society are no longer ignoring it. We realize and understand the ramifications and impact it has on our everyday world.
While you may currently have it figured out or altogether, or maybe you don’t the apps mentioned below can help guide you on your way to building a better mental state.
- Apple Journal: Last year, Apple released a new free journaling app on the iPhone simply called “Journal.” It works as a digital journal throughout your everyday life. You have to manually go into the app and add your own writing and content. It has been said that journaling is good for your mental health and can help calm you down when you need to be relaxed. However, at this time, it is only available on the iPhone and not other devices like the iPad or Mac. Let’s hope Apple expands on that this year.
- Day One Journal: For those looking to use a journaling service that is a bit more established, this is the right route. It is a free app in the App Store but does have premium features and subscriptions users can purchase. I have been using this app for several years and much more in the past couple of years with my iPad Air and Magic Keyboard, and I do think that it is a great app to use for journaling purposes.
- Headspace: Those that are looking to do meditation in the new year to help improve their mental health have some choices out there, but Headspace has been an app that has been recommended by many professionals and is one of the better apps out there for meditation. Another app for some could be the Calm app that is also available in the App Store. Both apps do have premium tiers to them and have plenty of methods of meditation to choose from.
- Apple Fitness+: Whether you’re trying to get mentally or physically in shape, Apple Fitness+ does offer videos and courses on meditation and assisting with keeping good mental health. Other ways to improve mental health through Apple Fitness+ outside of meditation are yoga, Pilates, and its “Mindful Cooldown.”
- Apple Music Classical: Listening to classical music has been said to be another way to improve your mental health. Once again, I listen to classical music close to just about every day not only because it is my favorite genre of music, but also because it does provide a relaxation stasis of the mind. On top of that, I have found it to be more so life’s soundtrack, and it is available on the iPad now as of late-2023. Apple Music Classical can be used by Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost.
- Reading: Reading has been said to be good for your mental health because it can take you into different worlds through literature, as well as simply clearing your head. Thankfully in 2024, there are plenty of ways to read such as buying ebooks through Apple Books or the Kindle app. If you are like me and prefer to physical books over digital ones, you still have bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, as well as online bookstores for ordering books for cheaper prices like ThriftBooks and PangoBooks. You can read our list here of stores that have books and accept Apple Pay too.
