Overview
While articles may be helpful in providing information on what to do to support our mental health and well-being, apps can help us integrate self-care practices into our daily lives and routines, provide reminders to support habit-building, and give us practical guidance to practice self-care. A list of highly recommended apps is below.
About
Develop your mental health and self-care skills with the free apps and online courses available.
Meditation and relaxation
The Stress Free UC Study found that Headspace, used daily for just 10 minutes, reduced stress in a meaningful way and the benefits lasted for two months after stopping use. Headspace can be done in the morning or evening, alone or with family, or anytime you need to take a break. Two-week free trial for the general public.
Always free. Meditation and mindfulness skills.
Seven-day free trial. A meditation, sleep, and relaxation app.
Free and paid options available. (Seven days free, then $99 per year).
Free. Meditation by Diana Winston.
A free set of practices from the Greater Good Science Center that focus on mind and body well-being, including meditations, affirmations, self-compassion practices, and more!
Download Greater Good Science Center – Mind and Body Practices
Developed to help veterans, service members, and others learn how to practice mindfulness. The app provides a gradual, self-guided training program designed to help you understand and adopt a simple mindfulness practice.
A free app supporting mindfulness through meditation and relaxation.
Coping with anxiety and depression
A program for clinical anxiety or depression that uses an app and therapist, and biofeedback monitor is optional. Referral from a health care provider is necessary.
A free self-help app designed to help users manage and cope with depression.
A free self-guided app designed to help users manage and cope with anxiety.
Some free content, including stress reduction and cognitive techniques to address anxiety.
A web-based intervention for depression prevention (available in both English and Spanish) for pregnant individuals and new mothers. The online study course is based on the evidence-based prevention of postpartum depression group intervention developed at UCSF/Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
Download Mothers and Babies Online Course.
Promotes awareness, prevention and treatment of mental health issues related to childbearing. Support available in English and Spanish.
Download Postpartum Support International
Created to support self-care and overall mental health.
Emotional brain training (EBT) turns toxic negative emotions into positive feelings in 1–2 minutes based on a new technology of emotion science. The method’s free app is available at spiralup.org or at your app store as Spiral Up!
Download Spiral Up! Stress Overload App by EBT.
Insomnia
Free app offering guided meditations, music tracks, talks, and courses to support stress reduction, sleep, and mental well-being.
Additional apps
If you are interested in finding mental health information, please consider using PsyberGuide — a helpful non-profit site developed by UCSF alum and UC Irvine professor Stephen Schueller, PhD, that provides expert reviews on mental health (both credibility and user experience) and offers solid recommendations.