Mental Health and Being Able to Use Technology to Help Us

We are living in a world of technology and sometimes it causes more stress than it is worth. I am looking at you Wi-Fi router when you decide to go out during the middle of a movie or during my training. That being said, there are great benefits to technology. I do love GPS, because I am hopeless at using a map even though I grew up at a time where reading maps is how you got around when you traveled. Heck, my father to this day will still use a map if he wants to figure out how to go somewhere before asking me to print out directions or use GPS, if I am not traveling with him.

With advancements in technology, how can we use it with our mental health? There are apps and websites out there that can help us in many different ways. For example, if you are wondering about what is triggering your anxiety symptoms, you can use an app to start tracking your symptoms. Being able to track whatever symptoms you are having allows you to be able to talk to your providers and help you manage those symptoms better.

There are also cons to these apps and websites of course. For example, they can be costly, having a fee yearly or monthly. Sometimes they can be complicated and not user friendly. It also can take a while to figure out which one works best for you.

Below is some websites that have suggestions of apps/websites:

https://www.verywellmind.com/best-mental-health-apps-4692902

https://parade.com/1053610/maureenmackey/best-mental-health-apps/

 

Carmen Stites, LCPC, RPT

Importance of Combining Therapy with Medications

As a society, sometimes we have become dependent on medications fixing our mental health issues or feeling as though if we take medications it will be good enough to help us. An important thing to keep in mind is if you are having emotional problems or biological problems. A way to be able to differentiate between the two is looking at your present life: have there been any new stressors, is there a recent event that came up as traumatic, am I coming close to the anniversary of something traumatic, am I overwhelmed, am I taking care of myself through self-care, or has there been a dramatic change in my daily life? If you said yes to any of these questions, your mental health issues may not be biological and are instead emotional. Emotional problems are resolved within therapy, versus biological problems are solved with medications. It can be extremely beneficial at times to combine both medications and therapy, but it can be harmful to depend on one or the other without looking at what the real issue is.

Carmen Stites, LCPC