Lockdown was never going to be easy. Confining human beings, however necessary, is a fundamentally inhuman thing to do, as we are social animals and need to maintain a spread of contacts with others. However good messaging and meeting apps are, they’re not the same.
So it is not surprising that there’s an increase in unhappiness, with a quarter of all adults in the UK feeling the effects of loneliness, according to a Mental Health Foundation report published a week ago.
Anything that helps people in such times is hugely welcome, and today sees the launch of a new mental health app, using the same underlying approach to the needs of the human being as WeThrive.
The Better App Company is already known for a suicide prevention app which has been used by tens of thousands of people across the world, is available in multiple languages and won a Platinum Award in the Health and Wellness category at the DotCOMM Awards in 2019.
From today you can also download the Better app, with a suite of tools to help people who are stressed and unhappy, or who simply want to understand how to design and build a life that feels better because it meets the innate needs of the human being.
The free version gives you a trackable wellbeing score, has audio files that calm the mind with a simple breathing exercise, and encourages you to exercise and talk to other people, all vital for staying healthy in unhealthy times. There’s also a paid level which has more intensive help for other life problems and a programme to promote better sleep.
As we all know, mental health issues are a problem for employees and businesses alike; the estimated financial cost is around a trillion dollars a year globally, but the cost in human suffering is unthinkable.
Right now, with everything turned upside-down and a huge number of people feeling disturbed by the effects of the pandemic, it is a good time to take charge of events and start some routines that will help the mind and body stay calm and collected. Health resources are stretched paper thin and people are avoiding going to surgeries and clinics anyway, so apps like this are a potential lifesaver.
