Mental Health Apps & Podcasts

The Counseling Center staff has compiled a list of free apps and podcasts that can be helpful for your mental health.

Road to Resilience
A podcast is created by Mount Sinai.

Building Psychological Strength
April Seifert, Ph.D. and Ashley Smith, Ph.D., two psychologists, have a podcast entitled “Building Psychological Strength” through their website called “Peak Mind” were they discuss ways to buffer yourself against the challenges while also increasing success, performance and happiness.

Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is a New York Times bestselling author of a number of books including “The Happiness Project.” She has created a top-ranking, award-winning podcast “Happier with Gretchen Rubin,” she discusses happiness and good habits with her sister Elizabeth Craft.

The Happiness Lab
The Happiness Lab is a podcast with Dr. Laurie Santos who is Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University.

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Brené is a New York Times best-selling author and researcher on shame, vulnerability and the human experience. In her new podcast, she explored over and under functioning, anxiety, grief/loss all during this extraordinary time.

The Good Life Project
Inspirational, intimate and disarmingly-unfiltered conversations about fully-engaged, fiercely-connected and meaning-drenched life.

The Mindful Kind
The Mindful Kind, hosted by Rachael Kable, shared personal experiences with mindfulness and provides listeners with simple and effective practices to incorporate into their own lives.

Insight Timer (free for Apple and Android devices)
World’s largest free library of more than 200k guided meditations.  The app also provides sleep tracks, relaxation music timer, all curated by experts from around the world.

Calm-Sleep, Meditate, Relax (free for Apple and Android devices)
Sleep, meditation, and relaxation app with soundscapes, breathwork, and stretching exercises to help to reduce anxiety and prioritize one’s self-care.

Relax with A. Johnson (free for Apple and Android devices)
Learn how to slow down, unwind, and relax after a hectic day at work or school.

Smiling Mind (free for Apple and Android devices)
Smiling Mind is built specifically for children and adults seeking to deal with daily stress. The app is based on mindfulness courses that train people to deal with stress.

CBT Tools for Healthy Living (free for Android devices)
Use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to effectively change one’s emotions/mood and behavior.

CBT Companion:  Therapy app (free for Apple and Android devices)
Use in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), record one’s mood, challenge automatic thoughts, etc.

CBT-I Coach (free for Apple and Android devices)
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for people who struggle with insomnia or would like to improve one’s sleep, develop positive sleep routines, and improve one’s sleep environment.

Clarity-CBT Thought Diary (free for Apple and Android devices)
An app to track one’s mood, identify patterns over time and have guided journals to reframe negative thought patterns.

PanicShield-Panic Aid Attacks (free for Apple and Android devices)
An app that uses four different tools (guide, breathe, internal exposure and external exposure) to help one protect oneself against panic attacks.

PTSD Coach (free for Apple and Android devices)
Learn ways to manage stresses of daily life for those who experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including relaxation skills, positive self-talk to ways to manage anger.

PTSD Family Coach (free for Apple and Android devices)
For family members of those living posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including relaxation skills, positive self-talk to ways to manage anger.

Daylio (free for Apple and Android devices)
A diary app that allows for goal setting, mood tracking, and routine notifications.

Mood Log (free for Android devices)
Quick and easy way to track one’s mood through a flexible logging system to track any mood related information.  With each record one can record the severity of the event.

Gratitude:  Self-Care Journal (free for Apple and Android devices)
Self-care tool to help focus on one’s mental health through gratitude journals, affirmations, and vision boards.

Gratitude Journal 365 (free for Apple and Android devices)
Science-based guided journal that helps to make self-care fun by boosting happiness and mental health.  Journal prompts and daily affirmations help one to engage in self-improvement and self-growth.

Finch:  Self Care Pet (free for Apple and Android devices)
Incorporate self-care into one’s daily routine by helping to take care of a Finch.

Kinder World:  Wellbeing Plants (free for Apple and Android devices)
A wellbeing game designed for quick stress release in just two minutes a session as you raise unique houseplants.

Twilight:  Blue Light Filter (free for Android devices)
Research suggests exposure to blue light (from phones, tablets) before sleep may distort one’s natural circadian rhythm and cause one to struggle with falling asleep.  The Twilight app adapts to the time of the day and filters the flux of blue light emitted.

Love Nudge (free for Apple and Android devices)
Fun habit-forming app that helps one intentionally express love in ways that are most meaningful to one’s partner(s).  Takes the concepts of Dr. Gary Chapman’s “The 5 Love Languages” to the next level and helps one learn about each other’s love language.

Fabriq:  Stay in Touch (free for Apple and Android devices)
A relationship tracker and reminder app for one’s personal relationships to aid one in building better social habits.

Smart Contact Reminder (free for Android devices)
A reminder app to help one keep in touch with one’s loved ones.

Happy Color (free for Apple and Android devices)
Adult coloring app featuring thousands of images to color by number and share.

Down Dog (free for Apple and Android devices)
Makes a handful of popular fitness services including apps for Yoga, HIIT, Barre, and 7 Minute Workout — free.

Nike Training Club (free for Apple and Android devices)
Nike has made all of its Nike Training Club Premium workouts free until further notice.

C25K(free for Apple and Android devices)
A free app on how to slowly advance from the couch to running a 5K.

FitOn (free for Apple and Android devices)
Basic version is free and one receives unlimited workouts.

Goodhunt:  Fitness, Avatar (free for Apple and Android devices)
Location based fitness game that rewards you for every victory on your fitness journey. You get to create your own avatar and earn rewards as you stay fit.

ZRX:  Zombies Run + Marvel Move (free for Apple and Android devices)
Run, jog or walk anywhere in the world, as you are chased by “enemies” which make you speed up.  Automatically collect supplies to trade for trophies or buildings.