Stress and anxiety: Help for South Yorkshire people from new emotional wellness app myStrength

MyStrength, an emotional wellness app, is now available free to everyone aged over 16 in South Yorkshire to help them stress less, sleep better and live happier.

The app helps users manage a range of wellness areas including low moods, reducing stress, mindfulness and meditation and balancing intense emotions.

It also offers support for workers who may be anxious about returning to the office or are finding it hard going back after two years of working from home during the Covid pandemic.

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And in-the-moment coping tools are brought to life by high-quality animated videos to help users relax and slow down.

MyStrength can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play by typing in ‘Teladoc myStrength Emotional Wellness’ and then using the code ‘southyorkshirewellness’ when prompted.

South Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS), a partnership between the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector, has commissioned myStrength.

It has been delivered by Consultant Connect which is part of the Teladoc Group, which describes itself as the global leader in whole-person virtual care.

The app’s wellness programme derives from evidenced-based models of psychological therapy.

After signing on with the code, users are asked questions to personalise their experience and fill out the World Health Organisation’s Five Well-Being Index, an accepted measure of mental wellbeing.

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The app tailors its recommendations based on the users’ responses. Users can choose a guided option or work their own way through the platform.

The guides are Teladoc counsellors registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. They help users to navigate the app, offering suggestions on the most helpful content.

Users are asked to rate their mental wellbeing each time they log in to create a visual representation of their improvements or setbacks.

Jonathan Patrick, CEO of Consultant Connect, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for the people of Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham and Doncaster to get first-class wellness support completely free.

“Many people face mental health challenges with the cost of living crisis, the grim images of war shown every night on the news and simply the pressures of everyday life.

“South Yorkshire ICS should be applauded for this brilliant initiative and everyone should take advantage of it.”