Apps to support wellbeing / mental health

[Mummytothearkbuilder]

Evening all

Looking for a little bit of help after Google completely overwhelmed me! We have noticed that our lovely DS16 seemed really down since last week and it all came out this evening that he has lots of self hatred and negativity towards himself.

I was floored (and heartbroken), he is such a kind loving boy. He has a fantastic peer group, ticks along well at school, plays on a local rugby team and has a great little job to earn himself some money - I honestly thought everything was grand with him. We have a great relationship and he chats openly to us so I knew straight away something was up when he retreated into himself.

He has his exams coming up which he says isn't a factor but I suspect it. He knows what he want to do post 16 and seemed excited for it.

I was wondering if there were any mindfulness or wellbeing apps anyone could recommend. I will keep talking to him and I have explained the importance of him talking to us. I want to try and help and support him in anyway I can. It frightens me a little to think he has been having such negative thoughts about himself.

Thanks for bearing with me! I'm probably waffling!! Xx

Sorry to read this OP. Your poor boy! Teen years are so tough - they have a lot on their plates.

If you/DS have a Netflix subscription, there are some Headspace episodes etc. on there which may help him. There's an actual Headspace app but it requires a subscription too, so I've found the Netflix route better (and cheaper!).

Sorry I can't be of more help, but I hope he is feeling better soon. And well done you for picking up on it and supporting him

Thank you so much for your help. We have Netflix so I'll sit down with him and we will take a look together xx

@Mummytothearkbuilder
Sorry to hear your DS is struggling. Exam year can be really hard and it is a lot of stress.
Mindfulness is great if he can be persuaded to do it with you or even by himself.
Try and have regular time away from studies or the usual routine.
If he will go on a bike ride with you with a lunch stop at the end, swimming, coffee and cake or even cooking, all this will help take mind off things.
Young minds website is great for helping with a lot of strategies and tips and real life stories of young people who have gone through similar.
Remind him the exams will be over in June and then he can choose to do what he likes.

Xx

Thank you so much - I will look at young minds. He enjoys the gym so has been the last 2 nights and we have had a chat and banter on the way which has been good. Roll on the summer! X

The best thing you can do is engage with him, the last thing they need is another app. That said there are good options for things like insomnia but otherwise being with people, taking a long walk together for instance (not 10 minutes)

That’s a great thread – it’s really encouraging to see parents exploring tech tools to support their teens' mental wellbeing. There are actually some great insights available on how to make a mental health app if you’re curious about how these apps are built and what features make them truly helpful. It’s amazing how thoughtfully designed digital tools can provide support when it’s needed most.

A bit late to the party on this but I've discovered an app that's been created specifically to help teenagers with wellbeing. It's called Kamelion and looks really great Kamelion

Finch is one of the best apps