Rize is a new app to help you track your mental health

Mental health app Rize has just been re-released with a new, updated version that’s now available for Android as well as iOS.

Founder and CEO John Harper started work on the app a few years ago after recovering from depression. Talking to fellow sufferers, he realised that a lot of people find self-help techniques overwhelming, meaning they become unmotivated and give up. So he designed an app that integrates therapeutic concepts and easy to use, interactive exercises designed to help people ‘Rize – one thought at a time’.

But he didn’t just rely on his own experiences – while developing the app he got feedback from mental health professionals, and it’s now backed by many local counsellors in Cambridgeshire as well as the London Institute of Psychiatry.
The app makes use of a range of approaches, from cognitive techniques to mindfulness to breathing exercises, in recognition of the fact that no one method works for everyone.

You don’t need to have a mental health problem to use Rize – the aim is to help anyone who wants to manage stress, reduce anxiety, or improve emotional resilience. It’s also designed to help people keep track of their moods in order to monitor how they’re feeling over time. That way they can spot any problems more quickly than they otherwise might, and notice any connections between their mood and what’s happening in their life.

So far, it’s proving popular with female students and young professional types. If you’d like to give it a go, you can download it via the website. It’s free to use for the first seven days, then £1.99 a week if you want to keep going. So it’s a bit of an investment – but you probably won’t find a therapist cheaper.