This Mental Wellness Resource Is Designed to Help You Manage Your Stress Levels From Your Phone

Odds are you don't automatically think of your phone as a source of ​less​ stress, considering it's typically the vehicle for breaking news updates, social media scrolling and pinging work emails. But, one mental wellness app is working to reshape that sentiment.

Noom Mood, a coaching-based mental wellness app, is taking the same methodology from its successful weight-loss program and applying it to stress management. And it's really more than just an app — it's a multi-week program designed with lessons, exercises and activities to help you learn how to deescalate stressors and boost overall mental and emotional resilience.

"Structure and routine can be helpful for the creation and maintenance of self-care," says Cami Findley, a Noom Mood coach. "Practicing the tools that Noom Mood offers allows a [person] to find when and where each tool can be useful."

I tried it out to see how it worked, and my biggest takeaway was that self-support doesn't have to be lengthy or complicated, as the 10-minute lessons turned into my own personal anti-stress sidekick.

The simple and direct approach the app takes with lessons helped me feel successful and inspired to log in the next day. It helped me create daily structure without feeling overwhelmed (like reading for just five minutes), and kept my attention with fun and judgement-free prompts such as quizzes and activities (mood logs and more). The program also offers in-app coaching for deeper insights and for me, an extra layer of accountability.

Thinking of giving it a try? Keep reading to find out how I incorporated Noom Mood as a mental-wellness resource in my stress-reduction kit.

According to Findley, learning the ​what​ and the ​why​ behind our emotions creates greater social awareness, which helps us notice triggers and move past their causes.

The first thing I learned in the program was how to recognize my stressors, and it was the foundation of the rest of my stress-management groundwork. By actively acknowledging how and why I was feeling a specific way, I could look at a root cause with greater clarity and self-compassion.

We all lead busy, jam-packed lives. Using this wellness-based app as one of my self-care aids was a way to make more time for myself in my day without changing my routine or schedule.

Noom Mood can help us "focus on self-care in a small way that leads to a change in how you feel," Findley adds. Instead of carving out two hours to calm my racing thoughts, tapping into the app for a five-minute lesson, logging a daily activity (like a gratitude list in my journal) or responding to a message from my personal Noom Mood Coach was quick and easy to complete. And that made me more eager to keep going.

When I'm stressed, it's sometimes hard for me to see a solution or a different point of view. But, the daily lessons helped me learn how to reframe my position with a bundle of tactics including taking breaks, grounding and checking in with my coach to relay my direct experiences or questions. "Being able to reframe an experience that was stressful and build on gratitude can shift the mood for the moment or even the day," Findley says.

She offered a relatable scenario that helped me understand the power of shifting my mindset: Imagine you're running late for work, and on your commute there's an accident that will make you even later. That sounds rather stressful and tense, right? "You could view this as a situation that allowed you to possibly avoid being involved in the accident," Findley says. "Seeing the positive out of a stressful situation can allow you to have a moment to breathe and shift into a gratitude state of mind."

Like any wellbeing regimen, having a sense of structure enabled me to actually see the progress I was making, big and small. Noticing my emotions in the moment meant that I was adapting to triggers and working on their root causes.

When I ran into traffic on my way to meet up with a friend, I didn't instantly engage in negative self-talk, but instead did a few box breathing techniques.

Another shift that's benefitted my mental wellbeing? One recent morning when my phone alarm went off at 7:30 a.m., instead of scrolling through my Instagram feed, I opened Noom Mood and completed a lesson — without even realizing it. When I noticed this uptick, I felt a deeper sense of pride in myself and my ability to engage in stress-busting tactics.

And, Findley agrees: "Having an automatic response to a stressor relieves the overall sense of stress." So now, I don't have to stress about being stressed, since my Noom Mood education helps me feel empowered that I can handle whatever the day throws my way. Pretty big payoff for just 10 minutes a day, if you ask me.

​​Want to try Noom Mood for yourself? Click here to get started! ​​