A mental health focus is becoming increasingly important in modern day society. While many would argue that we are living in a time of unparalleled possibility, there is also no question that we are currently living in a time where mental disease and illness is at an all time high.

Although the exact reason for this remains unclear, many suspect it is the result of increased work and life stress, in conjunction with the rush and rumble of modern life.

The combination of these two factors means that we are always switched on, and subsequently, never in a state of true relaxation.

Over time this constant state of hyperactivity can wreak absolute havok with your body, not only causing declines in physical health, but significantly increasing your risk of developing depression and anxiety as well.

In short, it’s not good.

But, on a more positive note, that does not mean its a death sentence either.

There are a number of ways you can improve your mental health, increase mood, and heighten energy levels, many of which can be done from the comfort of your own living room.

In this article I want to outline the top 10 technologies that you can use to boost your mental health in 2019.

So, without further ado!

1. Aura

Aura is a brand new app that places a premium on mental health. Designed by top meditation teachers and therapists from around the globe, Aura provides a step by step approach to help you integrate small scale mediation practices into your day, every day.

Well, practicing meditation and mindfulness has been shown to act as one of the most potent methods of reducing stress and improving mood on the planet. In fact, regular mediation has even been shown to help treat clinically diagnosed depression and anxiety – it is seriously just that powerful!

2. My Gratitude Journal

There is a growing body of evidence clearly demonstrating that practicing gratitude (taking time to focus on the things that you are thankful for) can actually help make you happier. This can also come with improvements in mood, reductions in stress, and serious jumps in mental health.

Although there is a number of ways to practice gratitude, journaling appears to be one of the most effective.

With this in mind, My Gratitude Journal is a new app that really facilitates this process.

By getting you to take note of five things you are grateful for every single day, it allows you to dwell on those things that truly make you happy in life, which stops you sitting on negative thoughts in the process.

With some handy little features that help you stay motivated and on the right track, this is the best gratitude journal app out there, no questions asked.

3. TMS Treatment

One new technological treatment that has been making some huge waves within the mental health scene is known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (or TMS for short).

According to Dr. Lindsay Israel, Chief Medical Officer and Medical Director at Success TMS, “Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is revolutionizing the way we approach treatment for depression. FDA approved in 2008, with this new and innovative technology, we now have a way to more specifically target the areas of the brain that are affected by depression without the systemic side effects seen with antidepressant medications.”

Much like tDCS, TMS is a completely noninvasive procedure that uses subtle magnetic fields to stimulate the cells of brain to help treat depression and anxiety.

During a session of TMS, an electromagnetic coil is placed on your forehead. This coil delivers a magnetic pulse into the brain, stimulating key nerve cells that manage mood and depression. Through this process, TMS activates areas of the brain that are downregulated in periods of depression.

While it is still in its early stages, TMS treatment has been shown to offer an extremely effective method of treating a myriad of mental health disorders, while also improving mood and metal state – although it currently has to be performed in the presence of a licensed practitioner.

Hopefully in the future this amazing technology will be available to everyone!

4. Muse

Muse is designed to help you keep focus while meditating but can be used for much more.

“Muse is an EEG device widely used by neuroscience researchers around the world. It uses advanced signal processing to interpret your mental activity to help guide you. When your mind is calm and settled, you hear peaceful weather. Busy mind? As your focus drifts, you’ll hear stormy weather that cues you to bring your attention back to your breath.”

If you’re looking for help training your mind, this tool is incredibly powerful. What’s nice is that It provides real-time feedback allows you to create goals, complete challenges and get points.

If you’re suffering from anxiety and would like to take control back, Muse might be for you.

5. Go1 Stress Management Course

Research has shown that developing effective stress management techniques provides an excellent way of improving mental state and general wellbeing. In a more traditional setting, these techniques were strictly taught in a one-on-one setting by a qualified practitioner.

While effective, they were notoursingly time consuming, and extremely expensive.

But this year, we have a much better option, being the Go1 Stress Management Course.

In this extremely accessible online course, you will learn how stress can be both positive and negative (depending on the scenario), and how you can tell which it is. You will also obtain all the skills you need to actively deal with your stress, thus improving your mental health in the process.

6. My Compass

Created by a key Australian mental health institute (The Black Dog Institute, for those interested), My Compass is one of the most powerful online mental health self-help tools on the planet.

A completely free online platform, the My Compass program is designed to help you get complete control of your stress, anxiety, and depression.

This program is a great option as it not only teaches how to monitor any declines in your mental health, but it also provides a number of powerful self-help strategies that you can use to help manage unproductive thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

To top it all off, everything in the program is based entirely on proven psychological treatments. It truly is a one stop shop for all your metal health needs.

7. Feel Wristband

Moving towards one of the most well thought out pieces of technology for the entire year, we have the Feel Wristband.

This amazing piece of technology can assist in the management of depression and anxiety by reading your emotions and providing real time coaching in response.

You see, the Feel Wristband has a number of integrated bio-sensors that monitor a number of physiological signals that come from your body. It then analyses this data to recognise your emotional patterns.

If your emotional patterns indicate a negative emotional or mental state, the wristband then contacts your phone via bluetooth and coaches you through this down period using the tried and true psychology principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

As a result, this great tool can help you better manage your own stress throughout the day, causing huge improvements in your mental well-being.

8. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy

It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. The use of virtual reality to treat depression and anxiety, and improve mental health.

But it’s here right now, and it’s known as Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET).

VRET describes a form of treatment where an individual is completely immersed in a computer-generated virtual environment. This environment is then programmed to help the person confront their personal fears in a completely safe manner.

Although it is in its early stages, this amazing treatment has been shown to help with several different anxiety disorders, including claustrophobia, fear of flying, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It is important to note that this therapy is not readily available to the general public outside of specialist treatment, but expect to see a whole lot more of it in the near future.

9. Happify

Our next app, Happify, has been specifically designed to help you cope with mental stress, depression, and anxiety, to make you happier!

Where Happify differs from several other treatment methods is that doesn’t focus on trying to get you to avoid those things that get you feeling down. Instead it places a premium on changing how you think about those feelings, and how you manage them on a daily basis.

As a result, it genuinely encourages you to take charge of your life, better manage intense emotions, and face challenging situations head on, and in a much more effective manner.

Using science-based activities and games, Happify has been shown to reduce stress, overcome negativity, and build resilience by providing you with the tools needed to improve your emotional state. With this comes the development of more helpful ways of thinking, ensuring that you can actually take control of your mood and well-being, rather than be controlled by it.

So if you find yourself at times feeling overcome by everyday challenges, then this is the perfect option for you.

10. Big White Wall

Last but not least we have Big White Wall.

This amazing website acts as a comprehensive online platform that helps you deal with a wide range of mental health and wellbeing issues. These can include anxiety, depression, stress and trauma, and even relationship problems (among a number of other general lifestyle challenges).

Using this platform, you are completely anonymous, in which it offers a peer support program, an online forum, as well as a number of resources that can be used to help you manage your individual symptoms.

I should note that the whole program is Monitored 24/7 by trained clinicians, and it also gives you access to one-on-one online therapy sessions with accredited counsellors and behavioural therapists.

As i said, this platform is one of the most comprehensive on the planet, providing you with everything you could ever need to manage all aspects of your mental health.

Take Home Message

The technological advancements we have seen in the last couple of years are a huge step in the right direction for mental health.

They have collectively increased both the accessibility and effectiveness of traditional treatment methods, and collectively offer a fantastic way to help people manage stress and treat depression and anxiety in the modern world.

If you are interested in experiencing some of these amazing mental health technologies for yourself, then the 10 listed in this article are a great place to start!