Personal trainers and motivators can now take a backseat. Individuals no longer need to step out and attend seminars and lectures to get inspiration. An all new, and much more convenient, set of tools have emerged – which allows people to get the precise form of self-help and motivation that they need, right from the comforts of their home. That’s right, we are talking about the many mobile self-help applications available for download at the app stores. We here highlight some of the best self-help applications in 2016:
- Operation Reach Out – A brilliantly conceived app that effectively counters all forms of suicidal thoughts and such depressions. As the name of the app suggests, it allows people having such thoughts to reach out and connect with others, gather happier, counteractive thoughts, and gradually grow out of the problem. Created by Guidance Group Inc, Operation Reach Out is a free iPhone self-help app, compatible for all devices running on iOS 4.2 and later versions. A really handy app to have.
- Happier – Bringing a smile to the users’ faces – that’s what the Happier app (for iOS 7 and above) is great at doing. The application is all about sharing and viewing old pictures and even notes – anything with a hint of nostalgia, that usher in positive thoughts and vibes to the mind. Whenever someone is feeling a bit down, (s)he can use the app – and feel an improvement in his/her mood within a matter of minutes. Happier Inc. has also made a version of this app for Apple Watch. More ‘yay’ for tech-savvy users!
- Steps AA Companion – For those with alcohol addiction issues, this paid iPhone app works like a true companion. Available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch (upgraded to iOS 7.0 or later versions), this app is targeted towards all Alcoholics Anonymous members. Right from motivational prayers and promises (particularly useful for getting new hopes and mental fortitude), to the multi-featured ‘Big Book’ (contains 164 pages) and a cool ‘Sobriety Calculator’ – the Steps AA Companion app by Dean Huff has it all to help users gradually move away from their harmful addictions.
- I Can Be Anything – One of the most comprehensive, and certainly the most unique self-help app on this list. I Can Be Anything, or ICBA, is a suite of 12 applications – each available for download via in-app purchase, and customized to address different self-help needs of individual users. The sessions are prepared in the form of audio narrations, voiced over by developer Jacob Strachotta himself. ‘I Can Be A Sound Sleeper’, ‘I Can Be Free’ and ‘I Can Be Confident’ are some of the sessions in the ICBA application (by Human Progress). Apart from iPhone, iPad and iPod, this app can also be used on Apple Watch. What’s more, users can send requests for additional sessions directly to the ICBA team. Several prestigious app awards bear testimony to the benefits and effectiveness of the I Can Be Anything application.
- Emotionary – Optimized for the iOS 6.1 and later versions of the Apple mobile platform, Emotionary is a breakthrough iPhone self-help app to build emotional intelligence and related vocabulary. The 5 basic emotions are used in the app to find and display a myriad of feelings – neatly sorted in different categories. Users can choose from a well-stacked gallery of emoticons (100+), and have the option of creating their very own emoticons as well. Creating and sharing ‘emotional selfies’ with friends adds that elusive touch of humour that many other personal improvement apps lack. Emotionary is created and released by Funny Feelings – and it makes the task of expressing oneself on the digital domain easier than ever before.
- Lifetick – For youngsters (or even older people, for that matter), this self-discovery and motivational app is an absolute delight. The advantages of using the Lifetick application are two-fold: firstly, through the app, users can actually realize their true identities and values, thereby bolstering their self-esteem. Secondly, small tasks and targets can be set on the app, and completion of each brings with it a sense of fulfillment. Many people are unsure of what their life goals are and seemingly lose control of how their lives are panning out. The Lifetick personal companion app has been developed to help them…bring their lives back on track.
- ConversationBuilder – This mobile app for kids by Mobile Education Store LLC has a price tag of $24.99 – but its excellent features and advantages make the app worth every bit of its download price. ConversationBuilder is of great help in removing the initial shyness and uncertainty in young children, by presenting conversations visually on the app screens. Learners gradually get an idea of how they should interact with peers, and what the general flow of social conversations should be. There are as many as 160 conversations built-in inside the app, which works on iPhones and iPads upgraded to iOS 7.0 or later versions.
- Beeminder – A self-commitment app with an innovative touch. Beeminder has earned plaudits from mobile app developers and general users alike, and is available on both the iOS and Android platforms. Users can easily set up different personal goals (fitness training, finance, health, learning) on this free app – and the progress on each count is tracked on the ‘Yellow Brick Road’. Users of the Beeminder mobile self-monitoring app get that extra bit of motivation to stick to their targets – for if they deviate, they will have to cough up money (starting from $5). Real money!
- PTSD Coach – Created by the US Department of Veteran Affairs, PTSD Coach is a very handy mobile tool for addressing post-traumatic stress disorder problems. Even people who are currently undergoing treatment can benefit from downloading and regularly using this application. There is a ‘Distress Meter’ in the app, where people can rate their PTSD on a ten-point scale. There are options of self-assessment, and audio files for day-to-day stress management (with positive imagery). Anger-management and relaxation are some of the other things that the PTSD Coach app helps users with.
- Lumosity – Wish to exercise your brain a bit, and have a whole lot of fun while you are at it? If yes, the Lumosity app is just the thing you would love to have on your iPhone/Android handset. Nearly 30 highly engaging cognitive games are included in the app – focusing on different activities of the brain, right from alertness and speed, to concentration and problem-handling capabilities. As in any mobile mind game app, the challenges grow progressively harder. Meet daily targets, compare your ‘Fit Test’ results with that of others – and become a sharper, more intelligent person!
- MoodTune – This mobile stress-reliever app allows users to gradually increase the average activation levels of the brain. That, in turn, removes depression, anxiety and other such troublesome mental problems. The app developers have created separate versions of MoodTune for Android and iOS devices. Advanced studies and researches on neuroscience have been used to sketch out the idea behind this app – and it’s hardly surprising that it has won rave reviews at many online portals.
- Ananda – Living In Love – Presented by Chopra Enterprises Corporation, Ananda is one of the very best iPhone meditation apps currently available at the Apple App Store. It runs on iOS 6.1 and later devices (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad). The uniqueness of the app lies in its audio gallery – there is a whopping 484 meditation channels in all (22 tracks and 22 guided meditation sessions). Both the sound balance as well as the durations of the sessions can be personalized, adding to the convenience factor of users.
- 24 Hours A Day – There are as many as 366 daily inspiring messages (you guessed it, one for every day of the year) in this smartly designed iOS app for spiritual development. There are separate sections for displaying the ‘Thought for the day’ and ‘Message for the day’ on the app screens, and users can happily swipe along to view older messages. 24 Hours A Day has been named among the Best Alcoholism Apps (2014), and the app proves that regular meditation – even for a short time everyday – is very useful to moving away from addiction and towards sobriety.
- Habitual Free – Developing good habits and staying away from bad ones is vital for overall self-development over time. The Habitual Free application allows users to do just that. People can add habits, and put a ‘tick’ when a good habit is pursued and a ‘x’ when they cannot avoid falling prey to a bad habit. The app comes with powerful social media integration – and as a result, people can share their achievements with fellow-users with ease.
- Unstuck – Challenges are a part of life, and being successful is all about overcoming them regularly. This is where this iPhone/iPad problem-resolving app comes into the picture. The mobile app development team behind Unstuck has made sure that the app can actually analyse why users have got ‘stuck’ in any situation (maybe a relationship crisis, maybe an unreachable work target), provide ideas on how to get out of the problems, and even come up with effective tips and strategies for the purpose. It is a digital coaching app that helps users get out of sticky situations. All the time.
Panic Attacks is yet another highly useful iPhone relaxation app for getting out of anxiety and bouts of panic. For alleviation of depression and mood upliftment, the Optimism app proves useful. Smiling Mind is a well-conceived mobile meditation app for kids, for reducing stress and improving mental health standards. Self-help apps are fast gaining in popularity – and the above applications prove that they can indeed be of great help to users.
Hussain Fakhruddin
CEO at Teknowledge Software
Hussain Fakhruddin is the founder/CEO of Teknowledge mobile apps company. He heads a large team of app developers, and has overseen the creation of nearly 600 applications. Apart from app development, his interests include reading, traveling and online blogging.
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