Calm Harm – manage self-harm

I saw this app on Twitter. I was looking for an alternative to some breathing based apps for winding down and then saw the distraction option for this app (and the breathing one). Thought it was an interesting concept even though I don’t physically self harm (I just overthink things). I know this is geared towards people who self harm but really it could be used for everyone at every age. I think it’d be helpful if you had different reasons to choose from why you’re using the app because the get help literature is excessive upon first use and kind of put me off a little bit. Also, it was giving an error when selecting location so I picked a different location and changed it later in settings. When people want help the last thing they need is an error screen. Otherwise, great app upon first use. Will return and hope for positive changes!

This is a wonderful concept. I think my favorite part about it is that the activities have categories. For instance, very few health apps have a “distract” solution. This is often one of the most important ways to help someone in the moment. Thank you for being absolute geniuses. The customization within the app is also very soothing, and the little characters are adorable. Science says that living by a body of water is good for the mind, so your theme is sweet and reminds me of the ocean and every wonderful memory I have from going to beaches. If there is any way in which I can support your app, I would love to. I do recommend that you take a page to list hotlines, not your own, but maybe the national hotlines for most countries. I don’t know what permissions are involved with that, but I feel like that would be the only touch that could make this even better than it already is.

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I was excited to see this app because, even though I don't cut, I do engage in self destructive behavior when my anxiety is high. Unfortunately, my experience with this app wasn't all that helpful...at least in its current iteration. Right now, it's mainly a countdown timer & a list of anxiety reducing activities. Which wouldn't be bad, except the majority of the activities can't be "performed" in-app. For instance, quite a few 'wave' actions are things like naming capital cities or doing multiplication tables. Cool, but.. it would be SO much easier if there was a space to type them in on the app vs having to go find a pen and paper. (Don't try to switch to your notes app either, because you'll get logged out :-/ ) Other activities require that you gather one or more objects that aren't always readily at hand, and trying to remember if there's any bubble wrap in the house or where there might be a stray rubber band at 3AM when you're already amped up? Well, it's decidedly NOT anxiety reducing...Howsabout a piece of virtual bubble wrap? Or some other virtual fidget toy? I'd also like to see them implement a small journal/note/emotion tracking feature, and some soothing music. (Like some wave sounds,for the wave counter). Altogether, I didn't find this truly helpful-for me- but I'm hopeful that the developers will expand on its feature set.

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Very stupid app. I was expecting little games or activities within the app but the whole thing just gives you a list of “ideas” of something to do, all of which are very lame and played out - snap a rubber band on your wrist, hold an ice cube, stretch, make a list, etc. We’ve all heard these suggestions before. This app is equivalent to just Googling “self harm distraction tips.” It doesn’t even give you a spot to type out anything for the list-based suggestions, just tells you to go find a pen. In an episode that is leading towards self-harm, people are not going to have the clarity or patience to go find supplies and do this kind of thing. Little distracting games that require focus or spaces to type things out or stress release activities that can be done within the app would be much more helpful than this. The only decent part was the breathing exercise. The rest of it is useless and frustrating enough to push someone over the edge in the moment. Don’t bother downloading this.

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What if you can’t remember your memorable word? Ironic, yes, but there are those of us with poor memory who can’t remember what our word was when we first created the account Lord knows when. So when those of us with poor memory are struggling with anxiety or having suicidal thoughts and it is 3AM and you can’t get help because your parents will notice, can’t log into our accounts, then what? Not very calming when you can’t log in. Sure, “there’s other apps, try those”, “call the hotline” (already covered that one), or other suggestions are out there. However, I shouldn’t have to download another app to cover what this one is lacking in and the hotline isn’t an option right now for me. Also, some of us are college students who live with their parents that struggle with mental issues and this app is great for people like me. The forgotten password issue is a no-go for me.