Mental Health Apps: Clear Fear

While there are healthy levels of anxiety that help keep us safe, sometimes anxiety levels spike to the point where it interferes with our functioning and/or causes severe levels of distress. In these moments, it is important to have strategies to help reduce anxiety.

This is where the Clear Fear app can help (https://www.clearfear.co.uk/). While this app was developed for teenagers, it is an app that anyone can use to help manage their anxiety.

There are many tools provided within the app. In the “clear your fear” section of the app, the user is provided with methods to manage the anxiety by dealing with your emotions (express yourself, stay calm, laugh & smile), managing your worries (combat negative thoughts, put worries away, deal with worries one step at a time), reacting to worries (stop overdoing things, stop avoiding things), and managing physical responses to anxiety (set an exercise goal, eat a balanced diet, make time to relax, sleep well).

The app also provides users with psychoeducation on anxiety, self-monitoring tools to help track anxiety and anxiety levels, and coping skills that can be used to help calm the mind and body down when feeling anxious (e.g., breathing activities). Exploring the app before use so that one knows how to navigate it when anxious will be an important part of effective use of the app.

Disclaimer: This app is not meant to be a replacement for therapeutic services or medication. It will likely be best used in conjunction with services provided by mental health professionals, particularly with severe or chronic anxiety.

Photo by Yarenci Hdz on Unsplash

Written by Justina Yohannan, PhD