Yoga Is For Everybody? Not Quite...

This 2-minute quiz shows you if yoga is for you. Or what you should do instead.

Convenient Mental Health Resources to Help Calm Your Mind

Happiness | Lifestyle

Just because you practice yoga does not mean you have it all together. Sure, you can always get on your mat, and that goes a long way to help clear the emotional and mental clutter, but sometimes you need a bit more help.

There’s no shame in needing assistance for any mental health issues you’re facing. Before you can receive help, you’ll need to come to terms with your problems, and offer yourself the compassion and self-acceptance you would extend to another human being. When you’re ready to reach out for assistance, here are some great places to go without going anywhere at all.

Apps For Everything From Anxiety to Insomnia…

In the past, acquiring mental health help from your phone consisted of dialing some hotline. But in today’s modern times, we can access help from software applications. Using such apps is a great way to get help and maintain your anonymity, if that’s important to you.

Happify

Wouldn't it be great to be able to play games to increase your happiness and decrease stress? Then bring on Happify, a platform that does just that.

After 15 years of research, the creators of Happify discovered that our emotional well-being can be within our own control, and is a skill that we can improve and get better at just like any other skill.

The creators of Happify said that they have a pretty awesome motivating factor: "Over 2 million people have used Happify as a tool to help them conquer negative thoughts, manage stress, build optimism and resilience, and improve their relationships. It's been so humbling to receive emails from users who tell us that they've never felt better about their lives; that they're facing their fears and striving for new goals; or finding gratitude and peace during difficult periods of their lives as a result of Happify. It motivates us every day to build the best experience we can for our users."

Sounds great to us!

MindShift

Feeling anxious? Try out MindShift.

Originally developed for young people to help combat their anxiety, MindShift helps you learn how to relax, find new, healthier ways of thinking, and identify steps to help you take charge of your anxiety. Even though it was developed with youths in mind, MindShift is now being recommended by professionals to their adult clients, so it's helpful for everyone!

Here's what one user has to say about using MindShift: "This is a great app that helps me a lot during panic attacks and times of anxiety. Learning the facts about what anxiety is is very comforting and helpful in changing the way I understand it, and therefore reduces my anxiety. I especially like the "thinking right" sections which help me shift my negative thoughts and be more in control of anxiety.”

T2 Mood Tracker

Want to keep track of your moods, but always forget to bring a diary or something to help you out? Well, the National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2) developed an app for U.S. service members and veterans that can help you do just that.

The T2 Mood Tracker aims to help people gain greater awareness of their emotions in as easy a way as possible.

Dr. David Cooper, a psychologist and the Mobile Applications Lead at T2, describes the usefulness of the app:

"A common goal of therapy — just like yoga — is to bring increased awareness and mindfulness to our emotions and behaviors. One way to do that is to have people keep track of how they are thinking and feeling. Typically, therapists have people keep a diary, on paper. However, people frequently lose them or forget to take them along to fill out during the day. With the T2 Mood Tracker mobile app, we wanted to fix these problems and give people a tool to use with something we know they'll have access to — as well as give people the option to track whatever they want to."

So forget those bulky notebooks, and never being able to find a pen, and just download this awesome app instead!

Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson

When insomnia strikes, you could find yourself tossing between the sheets, fretting and fatigued — yet without the ability to fall or stay asleep. That’s not the worst part, however. The next day things really fall apart when people start expecting things, and your work suffers for lack of sleep. Your brain is foggy, your body feels heavy.

The Deep Sleep with Andrew Johnson app offers a soothing voice to guide your through progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) session and into a place of rest. You’ll have several options for long or short sessions, and an alarm to wake you when you’re ready to rise.

When we asked Andrew about how he thinks the app impacts lives, he said, "Disturbed sleep, for whatever reason, can quickly become an increasingly disruptive habit and can have deep impact emotionally, physically and energetically.When I hear that people have rebuilt positive, healthy sleeping patterns and in many cases, overcome years of insomnia, it makes me feel incredibly proud of playing a part in recovery."

Worry Watch

Need a way to track your expectations and results? Manage your anxiety with Worry Watch, a cool app that tracks the things in life that are worrying you, whether the outcome was as bad as you were thinking, and analyzes the results.

We asked the creator, Alan, how he thinks it impacts lives, and he said, "We tend to worry almost everyday for something or the other only to realize later that it wasn't as bad as we first thought. Yet this self realization doesn't last long and we worry again for something else. It is my sincere hope that Worry Watch app could be used to record, remind and reflect upon just this: self-realization, which I think, is the key to transform our lives."

Self-help for Anxiety Management (SAM)

To further your anxiety management, the University of the West of England developed the Self-help for Anxiety Management App (or SAM). Super easy to use, and with upcoming scientific tests by the University to discover how the app works in comparison to no treatment at all, you're in good hands with SAM.

Here's what they have to say about why they developed the app: "A strong motivation was we knew that lots of people (including our students) were suffering with anxiety but perhaps not seeking help for it. We thought that a mobile app would be a great way of providing some help as it would always be with the person and they could use it to monitor their anxiety while learning how to manage it. We knew that cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) was often useful as a means of self-help, so we put in some CBT-like exercises together with more general relaxation techniques and further information about causes and symptoms."

So if you're in need of an extra boost, try it out for yourself!

Pacifica

If you want to learn the tools to manage your anxiety using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, then Pacifica is here for you. Each day, you'll learn to manage your feelings and emotions in a healthy productive way.

Chris, the designer and co-founder of Pacifica says about the motivation behind it, that, "As the designer, I’ve dealt with anxiety most of my life, so it is a very personal issue for me. I wanted to bring the tools that helped me to a wider audience. While there will always be a place for traditional therapy, barriers such as stigma, cost, and availability get in the way of people getting the treatment they need. My hope was that Pacifica could bridge this gap."

Keep up the good work, guys!

Websites

Do you or someone you love struggle with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)? Then the International OCD Foundation is here for you. The IOCDF provides information to those struggling with OCD and their family members, making it an invaluable resource.

What makes it even better is that, "In addition to connecting with resources and information provided by our office, visitors to the site can also benefit by finding contact information and ways to connect with IOCDF affiliates or Global Partners that may prove to be excellent resources in their local communities as well."

The American Psychiatric Association, an online resource for individuals suffering with a range of mental health conditions, including eating disorders, depression, Bipolar disorder, and substance abuse disorders. The organization is comprised of psychiatrists who work together to offer assistance in the form of online content, personal consultation and more.

Contact the APA by phone:

  • (888) 35-PSYCH or (888) 357-7924
  • (703) 907-7300 for callers from outside the U.S. and Canada

The National Institute of Mental Health  (NIMH) is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders. They are among the 27 Institutes and Centers that make up the National Institutes of Health. They’re also a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Search thier site for info, contact them by phone, or use their Live Chat feature to speak with someone directly.

  • 1-866-615-6464 (toll-free)
  • 1-301-443-8431 (TTY)
  • 1-866-415-8051 (TTY toll-free)

Psychology Today is a great website full of articles written by doctors, mental health experts, and professionals in the field of psychology. You'll find posts to inspire you, help you sustain focus for ADHD, enhance your sex life, even learn how to detect a narcissist. There's a lot to read, but the content is light-hearted and conversational, so you won't feel as though you're studying a text book.

For more from Psychology Today, click on their Find a Therapist tab at the top of their site, and start locating a professional in your area.

We all have issues that arise from time to time, for which we could use some assistance. Don't be afraid to seek help. Sometimes asking for help is a testament of courage.

What mental health resources have you found that have helped you out? Comment  below and share with our community.

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