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Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very cool! I tried to find transcripts of therapy to develop a system. This is the result: https://locserendipity.com/Therapy.html It doesn’t always respond sensibly, but repeating the query will usually hit on a sensible answer after a few tries. It is best used with an intermediary who can enter the queries and respond in a way that is consistent with how a therapist might respond in a real session.

Hm... it feels about on par with Eliza. Or at least I haven't gotten it to provide any constructive insight or meaningful questions. At its best what kind of interactions can it produce?

Sure, here is an example of a productive exchange:

Bot: Hello, I am a chat bot to talk with about problems. What can I talk with you about?

You: Well I have a bit of a problem with having trouble getting myself to exercise

Bot: And so it seems like there's a way to find out what the right opportunities for you are.

You: well I enjoy rowing on my machine

Bot: It sounds like a challenge to me, isn't it? Is there something in you says, I don't want to something unless it's really right?

You: Sure, but I enjoy rowing on the machine, it's just hard to set up a consistent time for those things

Bot: You said you want to to deal with this problem and get rid of it.

You: I am not sure how to set up a system so that I will exercise

Bot: And again, tell me some times where you felt like you were doing the right thing. What were some other times where you had those kind of feelings?

You: Well, I had that feeling when I was out running

Bot: You're saying too that you know perfectly well the feeling within yourself that occurs when you are really doing something that's right for you.

You: Yes, so you are saying maybe I need to vary my exercise routine to some degree?

Bot: And that's something of interest to you?

You: Maybe, I could try it. Maybe I could do an hour of a different exercise on some days

Bot: That's true. That's very true.

You: Okay, so that's what I will try. Do you think there might be something else I can do to make myself more consistent?

Bot: Is it fair to say that you feel, really, that at times you're acting in ways that are not in accord with your own inner standards?

You: well yes

Bot: And you want to learn new things. Is that fair to say?

You: Yes I do want to learn new things

Bot: What might you say?

You: I might say that I could learn some strategies to be more consistent about my exercise, or try something new and see what works for me

Bot: What are you doing about that?

You: I could set up an exercise log in a paper book

Bot: All right. So you mentioned feeling guilty about making a choice. How do you feel about that right now?

You: Maybe a little better about it because I know there is something I can try to improve my exercise routine or improve my consistency

Bot: The point is, you haven't forgotten.

You: Right, I am motivated now

Bot: It sounds like a tough assignment.

You: Yes, but I am up for it

Bot: One thing I might ask, what is it you wish I would say to you?

You: I guess you could say you think I can make it work

Bot: Well, yeah. It sounds like one of the hard things is that you really value the time late at night.

You: Yes, maybe I could shift more to the morning

Bot: Is that the main idea?

You: Well maybe ultimately it is because if I got up early I could make the time to exercise with more consistency

Bot: You mean you want to get over this for yourself?

You: Yes, it is my responsibility

Bot: That sounds right.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#172
post #98

Delete every recreational app on your phone. Also delete anything that gamifies passive consumption, e.g. Duolingo. Put some ebooks on your phone and read those. Stop mentally associating the phone with the infinite novelty generated by algorithmic social and YouTube feeds. Do not open your web browser unless you have a specific search query in mind. Disable all notifications except for the calendar and clock. Treat…

> Do not open your web browser unless you have a specific search query in mind. I'd counter this one. I've too often caught myself watching something, talking to friends or reading a books and being captured by the need to just quickly google that thing triggered by what I am doing at the moment. Most of the time you don't really need to know that information, your curiosity gets the better of you. Instead, maybe jus…

occasionally when im having strong willpower i will force myself to not google whatever random fact i need to know. it’s almost physically painful at first, but then after a couple days my brain starts feeling much better

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#173

I use Waking Up for guided meditations (if you can stand Sam Harris). There are a few promo code around Google for a few free weeks. It's a 'how to meditate' course followed by daily meditations, with a bunch of podcast-style interviews and collections of recordings. The course has really helped my shape my meditation practice, and I usually do the daily meditation, which has really helped me focus myself. (Another g…

I second the recommendation for Waking Up. I previously tried Headspace and Calm, but Waking Up was the only one that stuck for me. I think the difference was the structured nature of the introductory course, good intuitive explanations from Sam Harris and the accompanying "theory" discussions and talks.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#174
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also delete anything that gamifies passive consumption, e.g. Duolingo Since when is Duolingo passive consumption? I've learned two languages to fluency and Duolingo was my main source of practice. If language learning is your goal, Duolingo is a great app to keep around.

Congrats! I'm actually quite surprised because you must be the first person that learned a language using Duolingo. Most people I spoke with said they only learned how to answer Duo questions, not the language itself.

I’ve used Duolingo quite a bit as a part of my Norwegian training, and to brush up on my French now and then. It’s definitely been effective for me. And I’ve seen others become tourist-proficient in languages with no training aside from Duolingo.

I definitely don’t consider it passive consumption.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#175
post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also delete anything that gamifies passive consumption, e.g. Duolingo Since when is Duolingo passive consumption? I've learned two languages to fluency and Duolingo was my main source of practice. If language learning is your goal, Duolingo is a great app to keep around.

Congrats! I'm actually quite surprised because you must be the first person that learned a language using Duolingo. Most people I spoke with said they only learned how to answer Duo questions, not the language itself.

During my German B1 test I met a person who had only used Duolingo for learning the language. They had successfully passed most of the test... except for the spoken part, which they had already failed once and which Duolingo doesn't really help you with. And based on what I heard, they probably failed it again. So I guess you can learn something with it to a decent level.

On the other hand, I once had trouble repeatedly failing a German lesson so I gave the phone to my German girlfriend. She failed the lesson too, probably because she was answering as a German and not as a Duolingo user.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#176
post #124

These are my "good" apps: - Spotify: everyone loves music. Put it on speakerphone. Dance and sing silly while you cook. - Shazam: discover music. Exactly what apps ought to be. - Google Maps: Does what it does. - Google home: setting my lights to match the time of day / mood / or movie. - Google Authenticator: 2FA is good - "Justin Guitar", a simple guitar tuner, and a metronome app: I've been learning guitar - Duoli…

A note about Google Authenticator. There are alternatives which imo are much better, like LastPast Authenticator or Authy. They work exactly the same but they can back up your codes securely. Big plus if you lose or change your phone.

On Android, I really like Aegis, https://getaegis.app. Open source, biometric unlock, automated backups. Available from the Play Store and Fdroid.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#177
post #92

Not apps but things that have helped me: * remove All notifications from non-message & Calendar apps. * condition everyone around you that you might not reply messages in time. (crucial to make above work) and ofc you have to follow that too. * (if you have the financial means) get another device without ANY distraction what so ever, ideally disconnected from the internet (except maybe syncing files) For me it is a e…

+1 to this. Getting a reMarkable has improved my “Actually read interesting papers” metric by infinite%. I went from bookmark and forget to reading at least 1 paper per week on average. Turns out published academic papers, even the bad ones, are infinitely better than even the most insightful twitter threads. Years ago I replaced podcasts with audiobooks for long runs. Podcasts started feeling too short. That’s been…

I looked at reMarkable and it seems cool, except that they push subscription models that I really can't get behind.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#180
> Can I learn something while I’m bored on the couch?

I have two very generic suggestions, but I offer them in good faith since both goals you listed are related to learning.

1.) Wikipedia. My knowledge on most topics is a mile wide and an inch deep. If you're anything like me, going down a wiki rabbit hole is a pretty satisfying time-waster. If you want something more structured, Khan Academy is amazing.

2.) Reddit.. Except it's critical that you unsub from all default subreddits and big subs like r/technology etc, and only subscribe to niche subreddits for whatever hobbies or interests you have. These communities aren't as active so you won't have a million links to click on each day.

The other suggestions such as learning a new language, or playing puzzle games, are obviously good options as well.

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