Tools that Can Track Your Mental Health Progress and Self-Improvement

During my personal journey to an increased sense of emotional health and life transformation, I have realized the benefits of keeping track of my progress. Therefore, I want to discuss some good aids with you that can give you a hand in the way of evaluating your mental health and self-improvement goals. These tools have played a significant role in my wellness journey and can help you the same way.

1. Mood Tracking Apps

The most efficient method to keep track of my mood that I have found is with the help of the mood tracking apps. With the use of these statistical methods for analyzing my highest and lowest emotions, I can record what happened that day to make me happy or sad. It allows me to figure out the activities and habits that enhance my way of feeling and those that do not, and in turn, it helps me to modify my behaviors.

Popular Mood Tracking Apps:

• Daylio

• Moodfit

• MoodMission

Depicting this app made me realize different important factors like food, activities, and even social interactions that influence how my mood turns out. It can be that my mood will get a little better in the evening if I go for a jog or to the park in the morning. Knowing that this is something that I finally have the power to change has made me proud. The way of life I live when I am up and at it will be enormously changed.

2. Journaling

Writing down my internal thoughts and having a truthful insight into them has come as a necessity to some extent in my journey to transformation. Journaling as I go through my self-journey serves as a good way to get in touch with my emotions.

Journaling Methods:

• Traditional pen and paper

• Digital journaling apps (e.g., Day One, Journey)

• Guided journals with prompts

One of the positive habits that has changed my life drastically is the habit of meditation. Spending just 10 minutes on the habit of journaling each day has brought about a significant change in my ability to think clearly and to be emotionally stable. It is a great way for me to identify what I´m having trouble with, which I can then deal with more effectively.

3. Habit Tracking Tools

Establishing positive habits is a vital part of the process of improving oneself. Habit trackers have been excellent tools for me to keep myself on track and motivated during my journey of forming better habits.

Recommended Habit Trackers:

• Habitica

• Streaks

• Loop Habit Tracker

To this day, I am still making adjustments to multiple facets of my way of living. I want to pay attention to my sleep. I know now that if my daughter is napping or my partner is not home for a couple of hours that should be the time for me to do my meditation and write down the reasons I'm thankful. The probable absence of passengers like my daughter and my partner at home was actually the explanation that's as simple as I can make it.

4. Meditation and Mindfulness Apps

One of the key aspects of my recovery from mental illness has been practicing mindfulness. Meditation apps which contain audio training and data tracking have been my aids in making new habits out of them.

Popular Meditation Apps:

• Headspace

• Calm

• Insight Timer

When you use sleep monitor apps very often you will naturally begin to get the feel for your stress times and sleep quality plus your overall emotional resilience is going up. As an added benefit, some such applications offer classes on certain topics, e.g. anxiety management and self-compassion, which have maintained my self-improvement journey.

5. Sleep Tracking Devices

The simple practice of sleeping for enough quality has the potential to affect positively not only one's mental health but also their overall wellbeing. It is through sleep tracking devices that I have developed a better understanding of what my sleep patterns are and ways to improve my sleep.

Sleep Tracking Options:

• Wearable devices (e.g., Fitbit, Apple Watch)

• Smartphone apps (e.g., Sleep Cycle, SleepScore)

• Bedside sleep monitors

As I noticed the weather getting colder, I was also finding it difficult to get to sleep. I was getting into bed at 9:00 at night in the meantime to read and waking up at 5:45 the next day. Furthermore, I have started hoping that I can manage the household better and thus get more sleep resulting in a calmer home environment.

6. Goal-Setting and Progress Tracking Apps

One of the most important aspects of self-improvement is to set and work towards your desired goals. Goal tracking has kept me on the right track and focused on my objectives.

Recommended Goal-Tracking Apps:

• Strides

• GoalsOnTrack

• Coach.me

With these goal-managing tools, I have proportioned difficult goals into small goals and have sustained a better track over a period. The excitement I gain when ticking off each task that I have realized has been very significant too. I have not only taught myself the confidence of completing tasks but it has also given me more motivation.

7. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Apps

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is an extensively applied psychotherapeutic method for the treatment of mental health issues. While it is not a replacement for professional therapy, CBT apps provide me with different tools for managing negative thinking and developing healthier coping skills.

CBT Apps to Consider:

• Woebot

• MoodGYM

• Youper

The beneficial effects of these applications have been the identification and reframing of negative thoughts, resulting in greater emotional equilibrium and a more positive perspective on life. These interactive software enable me to do fun exercises and mood tracking that go hand in hand with the traditional treatment I am getting from my psychiatrist.

8. Physical Activity Trackers

It has been scientifically proven that engaging in a regular physical fitness routine has a positive effect on mental health. The use of the physical activity trackers has proven helpful in keeping me engaged and accountable in my pursuit of a healthy active lifestyle.

Popular Activity Trackers:

• Fitbit

• Garmin

• Strava

What I have noticed is that I am much more concerned with such things as balance, flexibility, and agility rather than just ignoring my upper body conditioning or focusing only on my intermittent cardio training. I make clear the reason why I'll have to wait till their nap time is over: it is quite simple that I can exercise and write down the things I am thankful for and be off one hour from work which will give me a reason to go to the meditation room if no member of the family is at home. In simple terms, the inability of our daughter and my husband to be around the house can be used as a valid excuse.

9. Gratitude Apps

I would say the gratitude practice is one of the most powerful ways in which the transformation of my life happened. The apps developed by the developers of the gratefulness app have facilitated my process to a great extent.

Gratitude Apps to Explore:

• Gratitude

• ThreeGoodThings

• Presently

The applications send me reminders and prompts at the end of each day to reflect on the things I am grateful for. This shift of the style of my thinking is so positive. It has already improved my mood and overall life satisfaction significantly. Thinking this way: 3 things that brightened up my day are:* and selecting, say, a running session instead of one in the gym makes me feel how I can regain my optimism and happiness again, which is extremely important.

10. Personal Development Podcasts and Audiobooks

Though they are no tracking instruments in traditional sense, I must mention that podcasts and audiobooks have become for me definitely the most rewarding learning experiences in my self-improvement journey. They bring new concepts, solutions, and fresh ideas that greatly influence my personal development.

Recommended Platforms:

• Audible

• Spotify

• Blinkist

The benefit of own growth from the listening practice is that I find new ways of fixing my mental health problems utilizing newly acquired techniques and knowledge. I usually use Gyazo, which is a note-taking app for saving important bits and keeping track of my new thoughts and actions.

Conclusion

From my personal experience, I can say that the journey of mental health and self-improvement is different for each person and quite personal. The resources I am sharing with you today have been important to my growth, but it is necessary to keep in mind that where one of them has worked for one person might not have the same effect on another.

My appeal goes to you to start by trying these tools and then find the ones that fit you. Just know that perfection is not going to happen, but it is the process of making improvements that counts. Cultivate tolerance and self-kindness through self-discovery and improvement as you embark on the trip.

By frequently employing these tools and pondering your progress, you will get all the insights needed into your mental health patterns and you will improve all the while. And that understanding will be the most intense step of the whole process of self-improvement.  

Nevertheless, do not forget that as helpful as these tools may seem, they are not replacements for the professionals in the field of mental health care. You should rather consult a mental health professional. The tool is beneficial both to my personal development and to my overall well-being.

I hope you will get out of these tools as much as I have got in your mental and personal growth journey. Here is to controlling our health and growth on our way to self-improvement!