Apple has long focussed on health, from heart rate monitoring and exercise tracking on the Apple Watch to the Health app on the iPhone. However, physical health is only half the equation.

Today is Mental Health Day and Apple Watch users can earn a new limited-edition award for the occasion. On October 10, Apple Watch users can record 10 mindful minutes with any app that adds to the Health app on iPhone to get this award, including the Mindfulness app on Apple Watch.

Here are some tips to take care of mental wellbeing using some Apple-powered technology.

State of Mind

Reflecting on one’s own mental state can help build emotional awareness and resilience. Several studies say that identifying feelings reduces emotions like sadness and anger, and positively impacts the body by slowing one’s heart rate. The State of Mind feature on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch allows you to log your emotions and daily moods, seeing insights on what might be contributing to your state of mind.

Mental health assessments

On iPhone and iPad, you can access the depression and anxiety assessments often used in clinics to understand your risk level. You can share these results with your caregiver to take the conversation forward.

Daylight is important

Studies have shown that 15-30 minutes of outdoor time can reduce anxiety, stress levels and increase positive feelings. With the Apple Watch, you can track your time spent in daylight with the ambient light sensor, and you can view the amount of time in the Health app. And for family members with a managed Apple Watch, you can also monitor how much time they spend in daylight.

Practice gratitude

The Journal app is one of the best additions to the Apple flow. It lets you jot down everyday moments and special events in your life, and include photos, videos, audio recordings, locations, and more to create rich memories. On-device machine learning ensures that conversations remain private. Journal helps you reflect and practise gratitude through journalling, which has been shown to improve well-being.

Reduce distractions

The ‘Focus’ option on Apple devices is a lifesaver because it lets you set boundaries. When you want to concentrate on a specific activity, you can customise one of the provided Focus options — for example Work, Personal, or Sleep — or create a custom Focus. You can use Focus to temporarily silence all notifications, or allow only specific notifications — ones that apply to your task, for example — and let other people and apps know you’re busy. People who try to send you a message will see that you’ve silenced notifications, but they can still notify you if something is urgent.