More

Wellbeing apps

Please note that these apps are not associated, affiliated, endorsed or sponsored by DMU. The DMU Wellbeing team have selected apps which you might find useful for information and as possible self- help tools. We cannot guarantee that they will work for every individual but would like to bring these apps to your attention and enable you to take responsibility for selecting one’s which you feel might be helpful to you.  

All information about apps, including pricing and availability, is correct at the time of publishing. Some apps may offer in-app purchases. Please check prices and details before buying.

  1. Student-specific apps

    Brain in Hand

    Brain in Hand is an app designed for students with Autism, including Asperger’s and Mental Health issues and is funded by DMU for eligible students. Potential students must attend a minimum of three set-up sessions to get the most out of this app. It can help students who sometimes find it difficult to make decisions, respond to everyday problems, and self-manage their anxiety. It is also an excellent tool to improve independence, reducing anxiety, and building strategies and solutions for managing change.

    To request a licence, please email the Disability Team.

    Emoodji

    Emoodji is designed to help with the ups and downs of university life, including stress, homesickness, workload, exam pressure, sleep problems, eating, housing, alcohol, drugs and low self-esteem. Take a selfie, choose an emoji that represents your mood, send it to friends – and track your mood over time.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Student Health App

    This app enables students to gain answers and information on common health questions in seconds. Includes information on:

    • Alcohol & drugs
    • Healthy living
    • Personal relationships
    • Personal healthcare
    • Long-term conditions
    • Personal safety
    • Navigating health services
    • and lots of useful links to useful resources

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

  2. Apps for anxiety, panic, stress and depression

    Calm

    Teaches mindfulness, calming techniques and meditation with the aim to improve mood.

    Cost: A seven day free trial is available; subscription costs are around £28.99 annually.

    Get the app

    CBT Self Help Guide

    Help to manage depression, relaxation audios, a diary, articles and CBT suggestions.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app (Android only)

    MindShift

    Helps the user to highlight what situations can cause anxiety and to draw up a personal plan to cope better with these situations. Includes detailed information on perfectionism, worry, test and performance anxiety, social fears and panic. Contains motivational and inspiration quotes.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    MoodTools

    Questionnaire, videos on guided meditations, soothing sounds and TED talks focusing on aspects of depression. A comprehensive section on thought records and how to make them. Activity session in which you rate mood before and after activity. Section on having developing a safety plan.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    SAM

    Tracks anxiety daily, in terms of worrying thoughts, unpleasant physical sensations, avoiding fears and feelings of anxiety. Comprehensive self- help section, including psycho-education and normalising, ways to physically relax and mentally relax, the impact the way we think has on anxiety and some nice tips for getting started. There is a social cloud if users wish to share how they feel with others using the app.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Sanvello

    Based on CBT with mindfulness and relaxation to improve wellbeing, for release from anxiety and stress. A detailed section on setting goals and lists ideas of goals in many areas of life including work and education, friends and family, romance, strangers, eating, destinations, speaking and performing, transportation, relaxing and random activities to build confidence.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Stop Panic & Anxiety

    Focuses on Panic Disorder and controlling panic to relieve the fear of panic and panic attacks. Currently Android only.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Wellmind

    An NHS app. Advice and tips on how to improve mental health and wellbeing. Functions to help monitor moods, get crisis help and use relaxation audio tracks.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    What'sUp?

    Immediate ways to manage anxiety. Includes a Catastrophe scale to put problems into perspective and forums to talk with others. Includes uplifting quotes and affirmations. A detailed and visual section on coping strategies including thinking patterns, metaphors, how to manage worries and getting started with some positive steps. There is a personal section to track how you feel by keeping a diary, a positive habits and negative record.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

  3. Apps for staying safe

    Calm Harm

    Aims to help users to express feelings in constructive ways and to use small tasks to help distract from thoughts of self-harm. Interactive and colourful, it gives a menu of 5 minute and 15 minute rule distractions to choose from which include ‘comfort’, ‘express’, ‘distract’, ‘release’ and random action based activities.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Stay Alive

    Access to national helplines, personalised mini-safety plan and advice how to help others who may be suicidal. "Lifebox" allows users to store videos and images that are important to them.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

  4. Apps for better sleep

    F.lux

    Smartphones emit a blue light which affects our circadian timing. f.lux adjusts the colour of the light that your phone emits; which in turn, helps your circadian timing. Also available for your desktop PC or laptop.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Sleepio

    Sleepio is a six week sleep improvement program, based on the latest Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques. It is clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep through the night and feel better during the day.

    Get the app

    Sleep Cycle

    Sleep Cycle takes the scientific approach to waking you up after a good night’s rest. It records your sleeping habits for tracking sleep quality over time. It draws on sleep cycle theory and aims to wake you at just the right time to ensure optimal rest. Users set a window of time (say a 30 minute stretch) instead of a traditional pinpoint alarm time, and when the app judges that your sleep movement is just right, it will ring the alarm to wake you.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app

    Deep Sleep

    Listening to Deep Sleep will help you gently drift into a deep, natural sleep every night.Through a range of relaxation techniques and visualisations, Deep Sleep will help you enjoy the physical and emotional benefits of a regular, deep sleeping pattern.

    Cost: £2.99 (iOS), £2.49 (Android)

    Get the app (iOS)

    Get the app (Android)

    Pzizz

    Pzizz helps users slip gently into sleep using a combination of music, words, sound effects and binaural beats to help you de-stress and re-energize. Once users set a listening duration (10 minutes to 10 hours), pzizz generates a unique sleeping soundtrack for you. Users can adjust the volume levels of music, sound effects and vocal tracks to achieve the desired effects.

    Cost: Free

    Get the app