Free new mental wellbeing app

Sir John Kirwan is behind new mental wellbeing app, Mentemia, to help support Kiwis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Italian for “my mind”, Mentemia has been made possible by a contribution from the Ministry of Health and support from Kiwibank and Westpac.

It provides users with practical tips and techniques to help them take control of their mental health and wellbeing.

Kirwan says Mentemia puts the ability to monitor, manage and improve mental wellbeing into the hands of all Kiwis.

“The app helps everybody, every day. You don’t have to be struggling to get the benefits. It gives people a better understanding of the triggers that make them stressed or anxious, the little things they can do to improve their mental wellbeing, and what is really cool is it also helps you learn how to help others,” says Kirwan.

“I have a daily mental health plan. I do a few little things every day, and now I’m thriving. That’s where Mentemia comes in. It’s like having a personalised mental health coach in your pocket.”

Developed as an easy to use mobile app to help tackle stress and anxiety in the workplace, the free version of Mentemia has been specially adapted to help New Zealanders through the COVID-19 pandemic. The app will be available for free for the duration of the crisis.

Developed by technology, content and clinical experts the app has evidence-based tools that work to build and nurture greater wellbeing. These include a “Mood Tracker” to help identify what is affecting a person’s mood, and a “Breathing Tool” which has advice on breathing techniques and how these can be used to cope in stressful situations.

The app also provides daily suggestions of simple yet valuable things to try, such as how to relax your mind before going to sleep, and providing “Bite-sized brain science” which breaks down complex ideas into insights that are useful and easily understandable.

“Just like physical health and exercising, if you don’t pay attention to your body and look after yourself, your mental health can get out of shape too. Mentemia gives people user-friendly tools in the app to take action and enhance their mental wellbeing,” says Kirwan.

Mentemia is available from the App Store or Google Play.