Anxiety is the body’s way of coping with fear or stress, it’s normal. Sometimes however, anxiety can turn from the tingling in your stomach, and the sweating of your palms to a crippling, visceral dread that can make the thought of doing anything other than curling up under your blankets seem overwhelming.
A 2011 survey by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in Singapore found that Singapore had the highest occurrences of anxiety disorders in the world.
The problem, according to the IMH, is two-fold. Singaporean culture tends to be high stress, high stakes and fast-paced. Combine this with a reluctance to seek medical attention due to social pressure, and you have a recipe for disaster.
While ideally, the solution would be the eradication of stigma and the creating policies that support people suffering from mental health issues, we’re still many panic attacks and sleepless nights away from that day. In the meantime, we have Pacifica.
Pacifica is an iOS and Android app designed to help users manage their mood, anxiety, and stress levels while also tracking potential triggers. Based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT, Pacifica uses a combination of mindfulness, relaxation and meditation exercises to calm the mind and help restore much-needed perspective.
I’ve been using Pacifica for over two years now. While I don’t have any diagnosed mental health issues, as a recent graduate trying to make it as an entrepreneur, I do have stress levels that go through the roof. Pacifica is perfect for my 2 AM meltdowns where I plot out my future as a homeless person trying to peddle poetry for a penny. (Pacifica tells me this is called catastrophizing)
Conrad Rohman*, a university student clinically diagnosed with both generalized anxiety disorder and OCD, opted to use Pacifica instead of seeing a therapist. It’s “perfect for students,” Rohman said, “I can use it whenever I need it, I don’t need to make appointments, it costs less than a therapist and it’s completely private.”
Rohman, an Arab-American, described the stigma associated with mental health problems even amongst younger generations. “People think you’re weak if you suffer from anxiety or OCD. I’m not ashamed of it, but I don’t like to advertise it either. Pacifica allows me to go about my day and manage my emotions with as little interference as possible.”
You don’t have to take my word or even Rohman’s for it though, see for yourself!
The first thing you do when you open the app, is tap the Mood button and then slide the wheel until it describes how you’re feeling. You can then choose to add in a few emotions describing your mood and add in a sentence or two if you like.
The best part about this is that over time it allows you to see a correlation between your mood and your triggers so you can limit your exposure to them.
Pacifica has shown me that too little sleep, lack of exercise, or meeting too many or too few people generally upsets my mood. So by taking those things into account, I’m generally more productive and efficient.
So now, based on your mood Pacifica suggests a few activities for me. Next, you choose my energy level, and then pick an activity.
I make sure I do the ‘thought entry’ whenever I’m on Pacifica, even if I’m not particularly upset because it really helps me get rid of all the things I’ve bottled up.
You have the option of completing thought entries either by text input or through a voice recording. I highly recommend using the voice entry option, there’s a sense of empowerment that comes with vocalizing your feelings.
Once you’re done recording your thought entry, Pacifica plays it back to you and asks you to identify and categorize negative thoughts as you hear them. Next, you record a more balanced view of things.
Apart from all this, Pacifica also lets you:
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Choose a challenge from their list for the day, or create one that suits your situation.
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Track other aspects of your health like your sleep, exercise, caffeine intake over a period of time.
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Anonymously join a supportive community to share your problems.
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Pick guided meditations that suit your situation whether that’s anxiety due to flying or talking to strangers, or even exam anxiety.
These are just from the free version, there are loads more features if you decide to purchase the subscription.
So to recap quickly:
PROS
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Works for a variety of mental health issues ranging from anxiety to depression
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User-friendly interface
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Lots of free features
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Allows for voice input
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Visual representations of progress
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Tracks moods and triggers to help you discover patterns in your mental health
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Soothing theme options
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Excellent guided meditations
CONS
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Paid subscription needed to access all features.
* Name changed to protect privacy.
