Apps to help manage worries

If your child struggles with anxiety here are some apps to help them in a number of ways including identifying their feelings, managing their thoughts and distracting themselves through anxious moments. Take a look for the following in your app store of choice.

Positive Penguins

Positive Penguins is a resilience-building app for all children. The app has a simple 5-minute guided meditation for children to learn to sit, relax and let go of the thoughts as they come into their heads.

There is also a strategy for children to understand an event or situation that happened that created an emotion in them – this emotion is not right or wrong, rather information – once they understand this and can examine the thoughts or stories they are telling themselves about situations they can then challenge the stories they
tell themselves and help problem solve situations.

Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind is Australia’s leading digital-led, prevention focussed mental health not-for-profit and the innovators behind Australia’s most trusted mental wellbeing app. The Smiling Mind App is a free tool, developed by psychologists and educators and downloaded by millions of people.

Programs in the app are underpinned by mindfulness and positive psychology strategies and are designed to build mental fitness and resilience; support good sleep, reduce stress and improve relationships; and promote the development of new social and emotional skills. Find programs tailored for children aged 3 years and older, young people and adults as well as dedicated family programs.

Sleep Ninja

Sleep Ninja is a free, evidence-based app shown to be effective in helping young people with sleep problems. It is reported that half of all mental illnesses start during early high school by age 14. At this critical stage of development, 40% of young people will face significant sleep problems heightening their risk of anxiety or depression.

Sleep Ninja was designed and developed at the Black Dog Institute in consultation with young people, their parents/carers, psychologists, counsellors, and sleep experts. It is the first adolescent-focused app which helps young people improve their sleep.

Calm Harm

Calm Harm is an award- winning app developed for teenage UK mental health charity stem4 by a clinical psychologist in collaboration with young people. The app provides some immediate techniques to help break the cycle of self-harm behaviours and explore underlying trigger factors; build a ‘safety net’ of helpful thoughts, behaviours and access to supportive people; and provides the opportunity to journal and self- reflect. It also provides signposts to help. The Calm Harm app is private, anonymous and safe. Please note that the app is not a substitute for the assessment and individualised treatment by a health/mental health professional.

Chill Outz

Chill Outz is a collection of fun animated stories teaching children proven techniques to stay mindful & relaxed anywhere, anytime.

• Buzzy Bee – teaches children how to calm down through humming
• Panicky Penguin – teaches children how to overcome panic through focused breathing
• Timid Turtle – teaches children to overcome anxiety through shrugging
• Noisy Alien – teaches children how to be OK in unfamiliar situations through body relaxation
• Sleepy Bear – gets children ready for bedwith breathing strategies

Clear Fear

Clear Fear provides the user with a range of ways to manage the symptoms of anxiety.

Developed by a clinician collaboratively with young people, Clear Fear uses a Cognitive Behavioural framework to help change anxious thoughts and emotions, alter anxious behaviours and calm fear responses. It is recommended for the ages of 11-19 years but can be used by a younger group with the support of a parent or carer.