Here are a few digital resources that I have found helpful. This is not an exhaustive list, but I have checked these out and found them to be good.
Wherever possible I looked for free apps. In no case do I have any commercial connection with these recommended sites.
This tool was developed for suffers of bipolar disorder. With this tool you can track your mood, find patterns, and track how your mood is influenced by medications, events in your life, exercise, and more. This could give you an early warning that you are starting a manic or depressive episode, so you can take measures to prevent it.
For people that suffer from ADD/ADHD , but also for all of us who want our life more organized and efficient.
This website and app helps you organize and prioritize your tasks. The free version is very good. You can pay and get some additional features.
There are many other similar tools. I found this to be the most friendly and useful for the lay person..
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is a collection of practical skills to help you better manage your emotions, stress and hence your life. This is an app that lists all the DBT skills by modules. You can create an “emergency list” tailored to your personal preferences. This app will probably be most useful for people already familiar with this approach.
A surprising resource – a small book that describes how to set goals for yourself and how to get things done. This appears to have been written by a geek, not a therapist. The book is based on solid understanding and research, and is better than many others written by mental health professionals.
OK, it is a book and not an app. But it is available only as kindle book. So it is included.
For people who suffer from trauma.
Biofeedback is a promising field. It is based on giving you immediate auditory or visual feedback on a measured response that you cannot normally sense, such as skin conductivity (GSR) or an electrical measurement corresponding to of the tension in your muscles, (EMG). These types of response are related to factors that we would like to learn to control such as stress and hypertension. Research and clinical practice show that with a feedback, you can learn to control these functions. Most are related to the autonomic system – it is a way to reduce the activity of the sympathetic branch (fight or flight) and increase the parasympathetic branch, which induces relaxation.
Many apps carry the key word biofeedback, nearly all of them have nothing to do with it. Sometimes it is a general relaxation app with nice music. Sometimes it is an app designed to train you to breathe slower and deeper, which will induce relaxation. But you do not need the app for that- you can do it on your own. Breathing is partly voluntary, and certainly you know how to control your breathing if you pay attention to it.
Esense skin response is an actual biofeedback app that uses the GSR(electrical conductivity of the skin). It does require a pretty large investment for a skin conductivity measurement attachment.
An app for Cognitive therapy for depression, including a cognitive diary
A pretty wild app designed for people who suffer from social anxiety. It consists in asking you to put yourself in absurd and embarrassing situations voluntarily. After you do it a few times, and discover that you stayed alive, you will not be so anxious in regular social circumstances. I did not dare to use it, but I believe it to be useful. Comes from the geek community in San Francisco. Essentially, it is a form of exposure therapy.
A website full of articles, to help the “socially awkward” people function better socially. A bit repetitive, but informative. You can read it on the web for free, or pay and get it on kindle.
This app was developed by the military, as a measure to prevent suicide among soldiers and veterans. It is useful for anyone with a severe and persistent mental health disorder, who may be in a situation where they may harm themselves.
The app lets you list people’s phone numbers whom you can reach out to when you are in severe distress. It encourages you to reach out for help, points out the distorted thought process when there is only tunnel vision and you cannot see other options for relieving the pain you are in.
A website that contains neuropsychological tests. It lets you take them under different conditions and find out under what conditions your brain functions best. (Morning vs evening, before or after coffee/ medication/exercise/meditation, ext.) The tests are based on solid neuropsychological understanding, and test executive functions.
A serene female voice helps you detach from your day and take the time to relax and sleep, in an array of visualizations and guided meditations. You can control both voice and music tracks. Includes tips for falling asleep. There are many similar apps. I liked this one the best.
A free relaxation and music app. I liked the option of mix and match nature sounds with music.
An interesting site for tracking your dreams. Your dreams can give you valuable knowledge about yourself and your life when you listen to them carefully and are able to decipher their code.
A website that will keep your brain alive.
If you know about any other digital resource that you found helpful, please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to include these.
