With COVID-19 having a significant impact on mental health at the moment, Mick Fanning has stepped in to show his support by encouraging Australians to seek help and use Mentemia – the app that provides people with tips on how to take control of their mental wellbeing during times of high stress and anxiety.
The app was created by All Blacks legend and long-time New Zealand mental health advocate Sir John Kirwan, Kiwi tech entrepreneur Adam Clark, and a team of medical advisors. Mick Fanning decided to get involved in order to help, explaining that he had also lived through struggles in his personal life and career”.
“Everyone deals with doubts, down times, and anxiety. I know I have.”
Mich Fanning
Speaking in a video call with JK, Fanning said that there’s a stigma surrounding mental health, that there’s this idea that “you’ve got to be really sick mentally to actually do anything about it.”
Now more than ever, it is important for us all to restore some balance in our lives when it comes to sleep, nutrition and exercise; all aspects that affect our mental health. Mentemia can “make a difference in people’s lives, and at no time has that been more necessary than now. We want all Australians to have the benefit of this important and effective app,” says AIA Australia and New Zealand CEO and Managing Director Damien Mu.
Mentemia is being recognised as one of the more advanced apps for mental wellbeing as it takes proven medical techniques and transforms them into easy tools for people to use. Not only that, but it also helps users recognise when they’re stressed or anxious, and gives them the support they need to deal with it.
Co-creator, Kirwan likens the app to “a personalised mental wellbeing coach in your pocket.” The app includes features like a “Mood Tracker” to help identify what is affecting a person’s mood, and a “Breathing Tool” which has advice on breathing techniques and how these can be used to cope in stressful situations. It also provides users with handy daily suggestions on things to try out, like what to before going to bed to relax your mind.
“With Mentemia we’ve designed a whole range of evidence-based content and ideas so people can find the things that work for them,”
says Health Psychology Expert, Dr Fiona Crichton
Download Mentemia for iOS or Android.
