SPOT.ph Roadtest: This Mental Health App Will Remind You That You Are Not Alone

(SPOT.ph) There are times when it hits you. There’s no one way to call it, but we’re sure you know the feeling: an overwhelming mix of sadness, loneliness, stress, and anxiety. Perhaps something happened at work, school, at home, or generally, it could just be the world we’re living in. Heck, even when nothing has happened at all: one minute you feel okay and the next, you're feeling empty and tears are streaming down your face.

There are a lot of things happening and everything’s just too much. That's okay. Your feelings are valid. And they matter. When this happens, sometimes we need to talk to someone, and have them listen—say, a close and trusted friend or a mental health professional—to help us feel our feelings, process our thoughts, and acknowledge our emotions.

There can be no denying the lack of proper and accessible mental healthcare in the country, not to mention the stigma and discrimination that keep us from seeking help. Most of us don’t know where to start and how to do so, more so when the pandemic hit. So allow us to introduce you to a possible first step: This mental health and wellbeing application, MindNation—which has been helping individuals and organizations worldwide since 2019 through comprehensive services—might be the game-changer that we need.

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Here’s how this application takes care of your mental health and well-being:

Accessibility: Available on the App Store and Play Store for free
Signing up: All you need to do is create an account via your email. Then, verification. It wouldn't take longer than necessary. You could also check if your organization is a MindNation partner
Navigation: User-friendly, straightforward features. No annoying and intrusive ads
Features: Mood trackers, exercises and resources (audio and visual kits), Well-Being Quiz, and 24/7/365 online teletherapy and coaching sessions and chats

Features

Right off the bat you'll see the home page where the application does daily check-ins. You can input whatever you're feeling that day—whether you're sad, happy, angry, and the like and track your emotions as time goes by. You can also spot the Well-Being Quiz to further understand your state of well-being through a series of questions regarding how you manage the physical, emotional, mental, social, and cultural aspects of your life, and work towards them.

Next is the chat page, where a bot can address any help you might need at the moment. If you want to talk to someone, whether it's a MindNation psychologist, Well-Being coach, or with a friend. If you want to learn and understand more about mental health, you can also do it here.

So, maybe you're not in the mood for talking but still want something to busy yourself with that also builds toward your growth and healing. That, too, you can do with MindEd, self-guided activities and exercises recommended by the app that can be of great help to assess, reflect, and improve your state of well-being. You can find plenty of worksheets and resources (bite-sized videos, audio, pieces, and posts) to work on in this portion of the app, available at any time of any day. For this writer right here, three o’clock in the morning is when late-night intrusive thoughts are the loudest. It’s always nice to jot down your thoughts and feelings—the next thing you know you’ve already formed a routine and made a good habit out of it.

Consultations and sessions

Booking a consultation or a session with a well-being coach (P800) and a psychologist (P1,750) is a breeze through the application if you need someone to talk to. You can easily and seamlessly plot an appointment at any time of any day, depending on the availability as seen on their calendar.

Consultations can last for about 60 minutes, just make sure your Internet connection is okay for a smooth flow of conversation. It can be for whatever you want to talk about, anything that is bothering you. Did work get too much? Can’t sleep? Having self-doubts? Because most of the time, all we need is to let it all out and have someone listen. For you to be heard and/or seen. And they do just that.

The sessions can be very emotionally draining. But, in a way, it can also allow your heart to open up and feel lighter, with the psychologist or well-being coach guiding you through the whole process. Throw in a little exercise that you both do during the sessions that you can use in your daily life. You can also choose to do follow-ups and rebook to continue the therapy.

If there’s something that this writer remembered, a.k.a drilled to their head during one of the sessions with a psychologist from the application, it’s the phrase: “You are not alone.” A simple yet comforting message whenever the mind tells you otherwise.

It’s not a bad thing to want to take care of your mind. It’s important to look after your emotional and mental well-being. It can be scary, and a little bit intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Know that there is always someone ready to help you every step of the way. At your own pace. To echo what we said at the start of this piece: Your feelings matter. Your feelings are valid. You matter. You are not alone.

For more information, check out MindNation’s website.

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