About this app

Feeling sad or depressed? Completely free tools to help change your life!

Learn to manage the factors that can contribute to depression. The natural management of depression involves understanding depression and the factors that contribute to the symptoms. Learning to manage stress in your life and engage in self-care behaviors can improve your symptoms and your mood.

Feel hopeful about changing your life! Learn about the cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) methods shown in psychological research to be effective in managing depression and anxiety.

This app provides education to be an informed consumer of mental health services and contains resources to use in collaboration with a health professional.

The tools provided in this app are derived from the CBT research base and developed into a user-friendly format by Dr. Monica Frank, a clinical psychologist specializing with the cognitive-behavioral treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders for over 30 years.

CBT methods included in this app

1) Assistance audios
• learn to manage depressive symptoms
• Emotion Training -- can be used simply as relaxation or to learn how to manage emotions
• Mindful Grounding -- teaches you how to refocus during stressful situations
• Mindful Breathing

2) Dozens of other audios
• Guided Imagery -- relaxation
• Quick Stress Relief -- simple exercises
• Mindfulness
• Muscle Relaxation
• Children's Relaxation
• Mindfulness Training
• Energizing
• Self-esteem
• many of the articles are also available in audio format

3) Qi Gong Videos
• a gentle, physical relaxation method

4) Tests
• PHQ depression screening
• other tests to help you learn about yourself
• Cognitive Styles Test, Your Happiness Assessment and more

5) Cognitive Diary
• step by step evaluation of an event that caused distress
• to help with cognitive restructuring

6) Healthy Activities Log
• track daily activities to motivate and make improvements

7) Mood Log
• record your moods throughout the day
• mood analysis feature: shows your average mood ratings for different actions or events
• graphs to track your mood

8) Daily Goals
• to plan your healthy activities
• use for treatment planning with therapist

9) Articles
• about depression
• explaining cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• other mental health issues

About cognitive-behavioral therapy

CBT Guide to Depression Self-help by Excel At Life teaches you how to use the cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) methods in a simple format.

Learn the CBT methods shown by decades of psychological research to be effective for changing your emotions/moods and behavior that contribute to depression, anxiety and stress, as well as problems in relationships, career and physical health.

These CBT methods can be used as self-help for minor issues or can be used in collaboration with your therapist to develop a treatment plan best suited to your situation. The Daily Goals feature can be used to record your plan and completed activities.

Other features

• All personal data stored in your device.
• Download audios for offline use.
• Fully customizable: change the CBT terms (beliefs and definitions) used in the diary to conform with the system you are familiar with, add your own challenging statements for each belief, add moods/emotions, add healthy activities to track
• Password protection (optional)
• Daily reminder (optional)
• Examples, tutorial, articles
• Email entries and test results - useful for therapeutic collaboration

App Permissions

Allows applications to access information about networks.
Allows applications to open network sockets.
Allows an application to receive the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED that is broadcast after the system finishes booting.
Allows using PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming.