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Therapy in a Nutshell

My 7 Favorite Free Apps to Improve Mental Health

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8658 Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2025

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Join Therapy in a Nutshell’s membership and get instant access to all 10 life-changing courses, live weekly Q&As, and a supportive community for just $27/month. Learn how to manage anxiety, process trauma, regulate emotions, and build lasting resilience. Take small, powerful steps toward healing and a richer, more meaningful life. Start your journey today! https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Check out the Therapy in a Nutshell App: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/app Smartphones often get a bad rap when it comes to mental health, but they can also be powerful tools for emotional well-being when used intentionally. In this guide, we explore some of the best apps for mental health—many of which are free or already on your phone—that can help with stress, anxiety, self-care, and habit-building. Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanutshell Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/best-self-help-books  Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the Therapy in a Nutshell podcast. I'm Emma McAdam, a licensed marriage and family therapist.

0:06.2

These episodes are filled with research-backed therapeutic education that you can start applying in your life today.

0:12.0

I hope you find today's episode beneficial, and if you know of someone who could benefit from this podcast,

0:18.0

please don't hesitate to share it. Let's work together and share tools everyone can

0:21.9

use to help deal with the difficult mental health struggles they're going through. Each podcast

0:27.0

episode comes from a corresponding video. You can find them on the Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube

0:32.4

channel. Also, these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction you may be receiving from a therapist or other health professionals.

0:43.3

Please enjoy the episode.

0:45.3

Okay, everyone knows that smartphones and social media can be bad for mental health, but phones are a tool, and if we use them well, they can also be really beneficial for mental health. So let me share with you how I use mostly free apps on my phone to build healthy tiny little habits to help maintain and improve my mental health.

1:08.0

Okay, so most of the apps I'll recommend are free and in case you're wondering none of the apps in this video sponsor me.

1:14.0

I just want to share what's working for me.

1:15.8

Okay, so first one, habit tracker.

1:18.4

Whenever I have something that I want to improve in my life, whether it's my marriage or my stress levels,

1:24.0

I choose a small practical goal to move in that direction. But the key to making

1:29.0

progress towards that goal is to have a system that supports that goal. So for example, I want

1:34.2

to improve my marriage and my goal is to work through the Lovedair book. So my system is to read

1:38.6

one chapter of the book every morning before I start work. I'll set a reminder in my phone

1:43.7

and then I'll check it off in the habit app

1:47.0

when I'm done. Now you could use the habit tracker app to build any positive habit like gratitude

1:52.8

practice, scheduled worry, exercise or checking in with your AA sponsor. And I put the widget for this app

2:00.5

on my home screen and I have a personal rule that I don't

2:04.6

get to watch my shows until I've done it. So that's my system for doing tiny little new habits.

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