Life has a way of overwhelming us out of nowhere. Last year was one of those times for me when thoughts of anxiety, loneliness, and depression made even small tasks feel monumental. I didn’t have the energy to talk to anyone about it, not even myself.
However, I knew I needed to get a hold of things, and that’s when I found How We Feel. It’s a journaling app with a twist, built by the co-founder of Pinterest, Ben Silbermann, along with a team of scientists, designers, engineers, and psychologists who genuinely care about emotional health. So let me tell you how it helped me manage my emotional and mental struggles.
Unlocking Power of Journaling for Stress and Anxiety
You see, while trying to find a solution for my issues, I stumbled upon a blog by the University of Rochester Medical Center, where they discussed that journaling “can help you identify what’s causing that stress or anxiety. Once you’ve identified your stressors, you can work on a plan to resolve the problems and reduce your stress”.
With this in mind, I started looking for an app that could help me jot down my thoughts, but in a more visual way. That’s where How We Feel comes in. Unlike other journaling apps, it offers a visual and guided approach. Instead of asking you to type out your feelings, you start by choosing a core emotional state: High or Low Energy, and Pleasant or Unpleasant.
Mapping Your Emotional Landscape with How We Feel
Based on your selection, it opens a broader emotional spectrum, more like a color picker. Here, you can find the specific feeling that resonates with you. Whether it is “hopeful,” “angry,” “anxious,” or even “content.” There are many options, and you can choose whichever fits your mental or emotional state.
After identifying your feeling, you can tag the situation: who you’re with, what you’re doing, and where you are. For example, if I’m feeling low at home, I can tag it as “Me, By myself, At home.” Or if I’m feeling energized and happy at work, I’ll tag it as “With coworkers, At work.” These little details slowly begin to build a map of your emotional world.
Then comes the journaling part, which is optional but powerful. You can either write freely about what you’re experiencing or record a voice note. On days when words fail me, that voice recording option has been a quiet savior.
Decoding Your Feelings and Taking Control
Where the app truly helped me was with its insights. You can go to the Analyze section of the app to get a breakdown of what emotions you felt the most, where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing, thanks to the tags I talked about above. It even keeps track of physical activity, helping you learn if that is something affecting your mood and behavior.
These aren’t just stats. They’re emotional breadcrumbs for me. After using it regularly, I noticed that I felt my worst when I was alone at home. Those moments brought up bad memories, fed my loneliness, and pulled me into a spiral. On the other hand, I felt at my best while working, being productive, and simply being around people.
I also looked into my journals and checked what was disturbing me the most. These insights weren’t easy to face, but they were necessary. I learned that productivity doesn’t just make me feel accomplished, but also lifts my mood. Laziness, on the other hand, often turns into feelings of worthlessness. Bit by bit, I began making meaningful changes. I’d go for a walk when I felt low, hang out with friends, or set small tasks for myself to break that cycle.
The app also offers an AI-powered Reflect option where you can further delve into your emotional state. Then there are other exercises to further improve your understanding of your thoughts. However, mental health is a sensitive topic, and keeping that in mind, the How We Feel also includes Hotlines to seek some help from professionals.
It’s Not a Fix, But It’s a Start
Let me be clear: this app isn’t a replacement for therapy. And it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution. But it offers something important, which is self-awareness. In a world where we cope with our feelings by constantly being online or adopting other bad habits, How We Feel helps you pause, check in, and understand what you’re going through.
It helped me a lot, and while I am usually not as active on the app lately, it is a sign that my condition has improved since last year. That’s why, if you are feeling the same way and wish to make an effort to improve, then I suggest trying this app. It might teach you, as it taught me, that your feelings are trying to tell you something. And maybe, just maybe, that’s where healing begins.
