CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

myStrength app offers resources for those with stress and anxiety

Cheboygan Daily Tribune - 11/21/2021

Nov. 19—North Country Community Mental Health recently released a new app — myStrength — which offers a number of different tools and resources to those who are struggling with stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns.

The app was launched — free of charge — to the public for use in May of this year. Since that time, North Country Community Mental Health has received positive feedback from those using the app.

"There's a lot more people that are struggling with their mental health issues now than ever before," said Deb Freed, public education specialist at North Country Community Mental Health.

The new myStrength app is available for use on a cell phone, tablet or personal computer, with the accounts a person creates able to be accessed across the platforms.

To sign up for a free account, visit www.norcocmh.org and select "myStrength." Or, you can go to the website myStrength.com or download the app on your phone, and sign up using the NCCMHcomm free access code by entering your email address.

Freed said when someone signs up for the app, the app will generate a number of questions for the person to answer, based on how they are feeling, what symptoms they are having, to tailor or personalize services available.

"It's like if you were to go in to — let's say — a mental health doctor or a regular doctor and they started doing screenings with you," said Freed. "They would ask these kinds of questions. That's what we would do if you came to us for service or anything like that."

Based on the answers to the questions, the app can figure out what is happening with the person and which of the services offered by North Country Community Mental Health will best help them.

For example, people can answer questions about their spirituality and which faith they practice. Or, if the person using the app has a lot of anxiety, content on how to manage or reduce anxiety would be prioritized once questions are answered.

"Of course, reaching out for professional services and support from your primary provider, and/or a licensed mental health therapist is recommended when your mental health requires professional attention," said Amy Christie, North Country Community Mental Health chief quality officer. "However, myStrength can provide that daily support to help you start take steps to feeling better today. For people already receiving care for a behavioral health issue, it can provide extra support, especially between appointments."

Those who use the app are also able to explore around and discover other services and resources made available to them through the entity, including how to incorporate mindfulness into their daily lives.

"There's lots and lots of stuff on there to explore," said Freed. "The areas include depression, anxiety and also life stages like early parenting or dealing with chronic pain, dealing with discrimination, or even coping with COVID-19 stress."

In order to get the content from the app, those who use it will have to log in on a regular basis. There will also be periodic emails sent to the users of the app with different content or things that will be featured in the app.

Every three months or so, the users of the app will be asked to answer the same screening questions they were asked when they signed up. This is to allow the users the chance to see any improvements they have been able to make in dealing with their mental health issues, or if there is different content the user may need.

Freed said there is also a separate part of the app where people can track their sleep. A lack of good, quality sleep has been a big problem for people during the pandemic and by using the app, they can find ways to get better, more restful sleep.

In order to use the myStrength app, the user has to be at least 13 years old. You do not need to have any sort of a mental health diagnosis to use the app.

"It's very helpful for people that just want some extra support on their own," said Freed. "Because it's 24-7, it's private, it's secure. Even if you just have a mild mental health issue, maybe it's a little extra anxiety, a little extra stress in your life. It's for anybody, but you have to be 13 in order to sign up."

North Country Community Mental Health service programs are mandated to serve a priority population of individuals experiencing a serious mental illness, severe emotional problem, or intellectual or developmental disability, including individuals with co-occurring substance use disorder. However, the entity does offer other safety-net services for members of the community who do not experience these issues.

North Country Community Mental Health offers a wide array of services to anyone in its service area, which includes Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Kalkaska and Otsego counties. You do not have to be a client — receiving services from the entity — to use some of their services, including the 24-hour crisis hotline at (877) 470-4668 or the Access Center and Warm Help Line, available 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday at (877) 470-7130.

There are also several state and national resources available to anyone who may need them, any time of the day or night, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-8255 or the Michigan Crisis Text Line, available by texting RESTORE to 741741

Contact Features Writer Kortny Hahn at khahn1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @khahnCDT.

___

(c)2021 Cheboygan Daily Tribune, Mich.

Visit Cheboygan Daily Tribune, Mich. at www.cheboygannews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.