Apps take on a whole new demographic with their niche of self-help. Anxiety, depression, stress and anything prone to making life that much harder are now topics on discussion boards, giving adolescents a vehicle for openness and advice. While the intention of the apps is to make life easier, some of them are also incredibly pretty to look at.
Do you have a favorite app that makes your life easier to manage? Tell us about it!
Tweet it to us or like us on Facebook and share your story.
Do you have a favorite app that makes your life easier to manage? Tell us about it!
Tweet it to us or like us on Facebook and share your story.
The applications we use on our smart phones and tablets tend to be pretty useful to us in our daily lives. Social media lets us see what our friends are up to. Mobile banking lends us extra control over our finances. Games entertain us (or distract us from what we should really be doing – but hey, who’s judging?). Now our apps can perhaps do something else for us. Supposedly, they can help with depression and anxiety.
An app called TalkLife has gradually gained a following with adolescents. Its entire purpose is to give these young adults a space to vent and receive advice. If you’re not in the adolescent age bracket, there do seem to be some in their 20’s and 30’s present on the app as well.
I downloaded the app to see what it was all about. I created a small profile and proceeded to check the “feed.” A collection of young people appeared on the feed with small tweet-like posts. There was a broad range of topics being posted about including but not limited to: self-harm, depression, eating disorders, feelings of loneliness, romance troubles, friendship problems and drug and sex addictions.
some of the comments to these posts that I saw were so encouraging. People would comment on other’s posts with uplifting messages and offerings of advice.
One girl posted, “The one friend I thought I had doesn’t even care…I hate my life.” A young man responded with, “I’ll be your friend – who cares,” with a smiley face emoticon.
An app called TalkLife has gradually gained a following with adolescents. Its entire purpose is to give these young adults a space to vent and receive advice. If you’re not in the adolescent age bracket, there do seem to be some in their 20’s and 30’s present on the app as well.
I downloaded the app to see what it was all about. I created a small profile and proceeded to check the “feed.” A collection of young people appeared on the feed with small tweet-like posts. There was a broad range of topics being posted about including but not limited to: self-harm, depression, eating disorders, feelings of loneliness, romance troubles, friendship problems and drug and sex addictions.
some of the comments to these posts that I saw were so encouraging. People would comment on other’s posts with uplifting messages and offerings of advice.
One girl posted, “The one friend I thought I had doesn’t even care…I hate my life.” A young man responded with, “I’ll be your friend – who cares,” with a smiley face emoticon.
The posts within this app can be startling but the positive responses received from peers really say something. Adolescents are often known for their instability and strong emotions – sometimes even bullying. It’s a pleasant surprise to see these people finding ways to help and lift each other up rather than trying to tear them down.
Another app geared toward anxiety, Flowy, has also gained popularity. It features a nautical theme. Users are instructed to slowly breathe in and out while then being prompted to do various small activities that are meant to be relaxing. The graphics are fun while the message is positive. Several reviews indicate that it works well, though I’m skeptical of its effectiveness.
Certain breathing methods have been found to slow the heart rate and reduce stress. Flowy does have something there. Perhaps regular use of this app can effectively help people reduce their anxiety levels.
Epic Zen Garden is another app meant to soothe. It features a modern home setting presumably somewhere in Asia, with things like cherry blossom trees and koi ponds. The graphics are phenomenal for an app of this kind. Everything is very realistic. With the touch of a finger I can make the tree blossom, play with koi fish, release a group of butterflies into the air, rake sand and more. Melodic music plays in the background the entire time.
I personally enjoyed this app a lot. Something about it put me in good spirits. Between the graphics, the calming music and all of the quirky little activities, it really was like having my own zen garden in the palm of my hands.
I think these three apps have something going for them. They open up spaces for people to vent and remind them that it’s okay to need help sometimes. Life is stressful – we’ve all been there. Having a safe space can be important. However, if you ever have an unsafe urge, please contact a friend or a help line.
-Katherine Sinner, Contributing Writer
Another app geared toward anxiety, Flowy, has also gained popularity. It features a nautical theme. Users are instructed to slowly breathe in and out while then being prompted to do various small activities that are meant to be relaxing. The graphics are fun while the message is positive. Several reviews indicate that it works well, though I’m skeptical of its effectiveness.
Certain breathing methods have been found to slow the heart rate and reduce stress. Flowy does have something there. Perhaps regular use of this app can effectively help people reduce their anxiety levels.
Epic Zen Garden is another app meant to soothe. It features a modern home setting presumably somewhere in Asia, with things like cherry blossom trees and koi ponds. The graphics are phenomenal for an app of this kind. Everything is very realistic. With the touch of a finger I can make the tree blossom, play with koi fish, release a group of butterflies into the air, rake sand and more. Melodic music plays in the background the entire time.
I personally enjoyed this app a lot. Something about it put me in good spirits. Between the graphics, the calming music and all of the quirky little activities, it really was like having my own zen garden in the palm of my hands.
I think these three apps have something going for them. They open up spaces for people to vent and remind them that it’s okay to need help sometimes. Life is stressful – we’ve all been there. Having a safe space can be important. However, if you ever have an unsafe urge, please contact a friend or a help line.
-Katherine Sinner, Contributing Writer