Blue Monday is often referred to as the most depressing day of the year. Falling on the third Monday of January, it combines post-holiday blues, cold dark days, and the fact that payday might still be a bit away for many. While the concept of Blue Monday is more myth than science, it does highlight a real issue: many people struggle with their mental health during the winter months.

Fortunately, your mobile phone can be a powerful tool to help improve your mental well-being. Some may opt to cut down on their phone usage during this period, as part of a New Year’s resolution or a fresh start to have a healthier relationship with social media, but there are also options using your phone to assist with managing your life that can be equally as beneficial – so we’ll look at both sides of the coin here! We will look at options to help reduce your phone usage time, but also help make your usage more productive.

Reducing Usage

We’re first going to look at ways to limit usage of your mobile phone. Below are some options, built into your phone’s operating system, that will help you focus on tasks and prevent distractions. Ther are also options to help create better routines, particularly at night time, where you may want to encourage a better bedtime routine.

Limiting Notifications:

Hearing our phones ping with notifications can result in us nonchalantly picking it up to check, and then falling down the rabbit hole of endless scrolling. So, avoiding non-essential notifications can be a good place to start. Below find instructions on how to limit this distraction:

For Android:

Go to Settings > Apps. Select the app you want to manage. Tap Notifications and turn off the toggle for Show notifications.

For iPhones:

Go to Settings > Notifications. Select the app you want to manage. Turn off the toggle for Allow Notifications.

iPhones also have a handy feature: Schedule a Notification Summary. To set this up:

Go to Settings > Notifications > Scheduled Summary. Turn on Scheduled Summary and select the apps you want to include.

Scrolling Limits:

Setting scrolling limits on your mobile phone can help you manage your screen time and reduce distractions. This may include setting up times where you can focus on tasks without the temptation of opening certain apps or, if you need to use social media apps, help you become more productive and use your limited time wisely. This can be particularly useful at night time, where you might want to keep your phone on for emergency calls but avoid the ability to endless scroll, and delaying going to sleep.

Here are some ways to do this on both Android and iPhone devices:

For Android:

Digital Wellbeing:

Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. Tap Dashboard to see your app usage. Select the app you want to limit and tap Set timer to choose a daily limit.

Focus Mode:

Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. Tap Focus mode and select the apps you want to pause. Turn on Focus mode to limit distractions.

For iPhones:

Screen Time:

Go to Settings > Screen Time. Tap App Limits and then Add Limit. Select the app category or specific app you want to limit and set a daily time limit.

Downtime:

Go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime. Schedule a time when only certain apps and phone calls are allowed.

BlueLight filters:

Blue light filters can be quite beneficial, especially for those who spend a lot of time in front of screens. They can help reduce eye strain, which can lead to discomfort and fatigue. Also they can help improve sleep quality. Exposure to blue light, especially in the evening, can interfere with your circadian rhythm and make it harder to fall asleep.

For Android Phones:

Built-in Blue Light Filter:

Go to Settings > Display > Blue Light Filter. Toggle it on and adjust the opacity to your preference.

You can also schedule it to turn on automatically from sunset to sunrise.

Night Light (for Pixel phones and some other Android devices):

Go to Settings > Display > Night Light. Tap Schedule to set your preferred hours or use the Sunset to Sunrise option1.

Third-Party Apps:

If your phone doesn’t have a built-in blue light filter, you can download apps like Blue Light Filter – Night Mode from the Google Play Store.

For iPhones:

Night Shift:

Go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Night Shift. You can schedule it to turn on automatically from sunset to sunrise or set custom times. Adjust the colour temperature slider to make the display warmer.

Control Centre:

Open the Control Centre by swiping down from the top-right corner (iPhone X and later) or up from the bottom (iPhone 8 and earlier). Press and hold the brightness control, then tap the Night Shift icon to enable it.

Productive Usage:

Some people might want to use their phone in a more positive way to support their mental health and general life activities. Below we will focus on some of the options our phones can offer:

Using Widgets

Widgets are small applications that provide quick access to information or functions directly on your device’s home screen or desktop. They are designed to offer at-a-glance information and easy access to frequently used features, such as seeing the weather forecast, your calendar events, or the latest news without needing to open the full app, helping to avoid distractions in the digital world.

Widgets can help you stay organized and productive. For instance, a to-do list widget can display your tasks, and a notes widget can show your latest notes, making it easier to keep track of your responsibilities.

By using widgets, you can perform actions more quickly. For example, a music widget lets you control playback without opening the music app, and a fitness widget can show your step count or workout progress.

For Android:

Touch and hold an empty area on your home screen. Tap “Widgets” from the menu that appears. Browse or search for the widget you want to add. Touch and hold the widget, then drag it to your home screen. You can also resize the widget to suit your needs.

For iPhone:

Touch and hold an empty area on your home screen until the apps jiggle. Tap ‘Edit’ on the upper left hand corner and then tap ‘add widget’ Browse or search for the widget you want to add. Select the widget size and tap “Add Widget.” Drag the widget to your desired location and tap “Done.”

Health Apps

Many smartphones come with built-in health apps that can help you monitor and improve your health. For example, they can assist with activity tracking such as your steps, distance, and calories burned. These apps can monitor your sleep patterns and provide insights to improve your sleep quality. Some apps allow you to log your food intake and monitor your nutrition. Many health apps offer mindfulness activities such as guided meditations, breathing exercises, and tips to help with stress management.

For Android:

The apps available may depend on your phone’s manufacturer. Some options that may be included are:

1. Google Fit: This app tracks your activity, heart rate, and other health metrics using your phone’s sensors. It integrates with other health apps and devices to provide a comprehensive view of your health.
2. Samsung Health: Available on Samsung devices, this app tracks your activity, sleep, heart rate, and more. It also offers guided workouts, mindfulness exercises, and nutrition tracking.
3. Huawei Health: This app tracks your activity, sleep, heart rate, and stress levels. It also provides workout plans and health tips.

For iPhone:

1. Apple Health: This app consolidates health data from your iPhone, Apple Watch, and third-party apps. It tracks your activity, sleep, mindfulness, and nutrition. You can also set up a Medical ID and track your health records.
2. Fitness: This app works with the Apple Watch to track your workouts, activity rings, and trends over time. It provides detailed metrics for various types of exercise.
3. Sleep: Integrated with the Health app, the Sleep feature helps you set bedtime routines and track your sleep patterns.

Set up Emergency SOS

Both iOS and Android have emergency SOS features that can quickly call for help and notify your emergency contacts. This can provide peace of mind and a sense of security, which is beneficial for mental well-being.

For Android:

Go to the Settings>Safety & Emergency/Advanced features>Emergency SOS” or “Send SOS Messages.” Toggle on the feature to enable it. Follow the prompts to add emergency contacts who will receive alerts when you use Emergency SOS.

To activate Emergency SOS, press the power button rapidly five times. This will call emergency services and send alerts to your emergency contacts with your location and other information

For iPhone:

Go to Settings >Emergency SOS. Toggle on “Auto Call” to automatically call emergency services when you trigger SOS. Tap “Set up Emergency Contacts in Health” to add emergency contacts. These contacts will be notified when you use Emergency SOS.

To activate Emergency SOS, press and hold the side button and one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears. Drag the slider to call emergency services. Alternatively, you can rapidly press the side button five times to start the call automatically.

Built-in reminders and notes

Using the built-in reminders and notes apps can help you stay organized and manage your tasks effectively, reducing stress and anxiety related to forgetfulness or overwhelming to-do lists.

For Android:

Open the Google Calendar app. Tap the plus icon (+) at the bottom right. Select “Reminder”. Enter the details of your reminder, such as the title, date, and time. Tap “Save”.

You can also use the Google Assistant to set reminders: Activate Google Assistant by saying “Hey Google” or holding the home button. Say “Set a reminder” followed by the details (e.g., “Set a reminder to call mom at 5 PM”). Google Assistant will confirm and save the reminder.

For iPhone:

Open the Reminders app. Tap “+ New Reminder” at the bottom left. Type your reminder. Tap “Details” to set the date, time, location, or add a tag. Tap “Add” to save your reminder.

You can also use Siri to set reminders:  Activate Siri by saying “Hey Siri” or holding the side button. Say “Remind me to [your task] at [time]” (e.g., “Remind me to call mom at 5 PM”). Siri will confirm and save the reminder.

Download additional apps:

The apps stores for both Google and Apple have lots of free and low-cost apps to help with managing and supporting mental health. Below are some suggestions, but this not an exhaustive list.

Mindfulness and Meditation Apps: Apps like Calm, and Insight Timer offer guided meditations and mindfulness exercises that can help reduce anxiety and improve your overall mental health.

Exercise and Fitness Apps: Physical activity is a great way to boost your mood. Apps like Nike Training Club, 7 Minute Workout, Wheel Fit, Wheel with Me and MyFitnessPal can help you stay active and track your progress.

Digital Detox: Sometimes, the best way to improve your mental health is to take a break from your phone. Apps like Forest can help you limit your screen time and encourage you to engage in offline activities.

By leveraging these tools, you can turn your mobile phone into a valuable ally in your journey towards better mental health, even on the bluest of Mondays.