After my relatively negative experience with a mobile mental health service I had an idea of my own. Especially after a friend recently opened up about his challenges with mental health. Since it was December 1st I decided to create my own Whatsapp advent calendar*.
Using Whatsapp’s ‘broadcast list’ feature, I sent 16 friends of mine the first post. I only chose 16, because I was worried that more would be too difficult to handle.
Here are the messages I have sent so far.
December 1st:
December 2nd:
Now everyday until the 24th I will come up with a new positive post every day. My plan is for the messages to share happiness, boost confidence and reduce isolation. Giving tips and positive thoughts without being preachy!
This is an experiment. So I will see how the next few weeks go and maybe I could broaden it at a later stage! Learnings to follow!
Last weekend I saw an ad on the train about getting free mental health advice via SMS. All I needed to do was to send ‘TIPS’ to a shortcode. I decided to sign up for two reasons:
1 I am quite a typical A-type neurotic millennial living in the big city. Stressed out is my default.
2 I am interested in mhealth (mobile health) and I was curious about the service itself.
So I texted TIPS.
And then nothing. Nothing happened. I checked my phone 4-5 times within the following hour ( I’m disillusioned about my phone habits, it was probably closer to 20 times). I didn’t get any confirmation that I had signed up. This was Saturday.
Monday morning I receive this text message. In the meantime I had completely forgotten about the whole thing.
I end up getting a text message every day..
until Friday I get this one.
And I’m like…
This was all a fundraising trick. I thought they were out to help me but instead they sneakily acquired my number, gained my trust but all they wanted was my money!
Don’t get me wrong, giving to charity gets a big thumbs up from me. However, I want to be part of the process. I don’t want to conveniently get something for free and then I am suddenly asked to give money. It’s comparable to the cards, coasters and pens I get from charities before Christmas. They send me free stuff I never asked for and then ask me to donate. Two things happen then:
I don’t want to donate anything because I feel blackmailed
I feel guilty for not giving and for the waste of stuff on me, but I cannot give into blackmail and now all I remember is that charity making me feel guilty!
When I got the final SMS, I felt tricked and foolish for believing that the service was there to help me.
Overall, I learned two key lessons:
Feedback is not optional. It is essential to any service operating in this day and age, especially in relation to technology. How often do you pay attention to the ticks () on your messenger app ? This kind of feedback makes me feel satisfied and in control.
Don’t make an mhealth intervention a gimmick. I seriously believed that these text messages were going to make me feel better. They didn’t really and by Friday I understood why. They were sent by the Marketing department. There is a place for such interventions and when there are real people with real expectations on the other side, it’s dangerous to put it out without a comprehensive plan behind it.
Anyway, at least it encouraged me try my own little mood booster service. More on that later!
When choosing an app to help you practice mindfulness, you have a wide range of choice: You can choose a very simple one that will only remind you to meditate, potentially play some relaxing bell chimes. A more complicated app may or may not cost a bit, but will bring you guided meditation, ranging from a few minutes, for when you’re stuck in a queue, to up to 30-40 minutes.
1. Mindfulness Bell- a reminder to be mindful
The bell will ring to remind you to “hold on for a moment and consider what you are currently doing, and in what state of mind you are while you are doing it”.
(Free) (£0.69)
2. Conscious -if you like a mindfulness change
(Free) (free)
“Every morning, everyone gets the same new challenge for the day. If you accept the challenge, you then try your best throughout the day to incorporate it in your experience. In the evening, you mark the challenge as finished and add a daily journal entry to keep track of your progress and share your insights with the others.”
Challenges include: “watch your breath”, “be aware of cause and effect”, “be aware of air”.
3. Smiling Mind – a meditation app for young people
Smiling Mind is modern meditation for young people. It’s a simple tool that gives a sense of calm, clarity and contentment. Developed by a team of psychologists, aimed at young people.
It includes:
Mood tracker
Body scan
Guided meditation: 5 or 10 minutes
Your meditation statistics
The Mindfulness App
(£1.49). (£1.41) (£1.49)
It includes:
A meditation reminder, either at different times or dependent on your geolocation
Four guided meditations: 3,5,15 and 30 min
Four silent meditations with bells: 3,5,15 and 30 min
One guided body scan
Your meditation statistics
5. Headspace
(free) (free)
The app contains:
10 daily, unique guided meditations, downloadable for offline use
Additional specialized meditations on Sleep, Stress, Eating, Walking, Public Transport and Mindfulness
9 unique purchasable Headspace programmes after completion of 10 meditations
Motivational animations and illustrations
Statistics- Set reminders to keep you on track with your practice
Meditation timer
Science facts and figures to spur you on
6. Mental Workout – Mindfulness Meditation
(free) (£1.49)
It includes:
5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40-minute guided mindfulness meditations
Audio guide to meditation
Checklist for optimal meditation practice
10-minute deep relaxation exercise to prepare for meditation or to unwind at the end of a stressful day
7. iMindfulness
(£1.49) (£1.49)
It includes:
An introduction to mindfulness and how to practice it,
) on your messenger app ? This kind of feedback makes me feel satisfied and in control.
(£1.49) 
