World Mental Health Day 2024: Apple Watch gets new features to help users focus on mental wellness

Like physical health, mental wellness is as important as physical health to keep us fit and healthy, as it affects all aspects of life such as personal, professional and socialising with friends, colleagues and loved ones.

Every year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates World Mental Health Day on October 10. Its main purpose is to bring global awareness and remove the social stigma around mental well-being.

To mark Mental Health Day, Apple Watch gives virtual medals to users. 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.

Like the physical activity rings on the Apple Watch, the virtual award system is a subtle but strong motivating feature. It never comes off as nagging, but gently nudge the device owners to improve their health.

There are other value-added mental health features on Apple devices.

One such important feature is the 'The State of Mind'. It is available on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. It allows users to log their momentary emotions and daily moods. With this, the users get to see valuable insights into what might be contributing to their state of mind, whether it’s associations or lifestyle factors, such as sleep or exercise.

Read more | Here's how to use 'The State of Mind' feature on iPhone/iPad and Apple Watch

Apple device owners can assess their mental health by answering a few questions on Health app.

Also, on iPhone and iPad, owners can access the depression and anxiety assessments on the Health app and share these results with their psychiatrists for more informed conversations.

Apple Watch Series 5.

There is also the Journal app. It lets the device owners capture and write about everyday moments and special events in their lives. They can add photos, videos, audio recordings, locations, and more to create joyful memories.

Further, with on-device machine learning capability, the iPhone offers private, personalised suggestions to inspire journal entries.

And, customisable notifications help the user develop a good writing habits.

Journal app on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

There is also Focus feature that allows users reduce distractions on iPhone and iPads.

For instance, if you want to concentrate on a specific activity, he/she can customise one of the provided Focus options — for example Work, Personal, or Sleep. There is also option to create a custom Focus. You can use Focus to temporarily silence all notifications, or allow only specific notifications.

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