BURSTNot everyone feels comfortable or is physically able to work through mental health concerns using traditional methods like group or individual talk therapy and body movement and exercise.
It may be mobility issues that restrict a person from leaving their home to attend an in-person session. It could be a more ingrained fear to vocalise triggers relating to stress, depression, anxiety, PTSD or other disorders. It also could be something as simple as time availability and scheduling. Or a pandemic.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that there was a 25 per cent increase of anxiety and depression globally during the first couple years of the COVID 19 pandemic. This then drove a surge in the demand for and development of digital mental health tools.
Enter the podcasts and apps.
Podcasts too experienced a surge during the early 2020s. In 2023 there were, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine more than 2,000 podcasts with ‘mental health’ in the title.
Two very popular hosts include authors Mark Manson and Mel Robbins. Manson recorded 70 episodes of his The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck podcast and in May 2025 started SOLVED with Mark Manson, a podcast which focuses on researched and actionable advice to tackle specific life problems.
Robbins, as of April 2026, has released 389 episodes of her top-ranked The Mel Robbins Podcast which focuses on relationships and emotional health as well as the brain and neuroscience.
Apps like Calm and Headspace saw millions of downloads with users focusing on mindfulness, meditation and mood tracking. Businesses even offered free subscriptions as a way to help their employees.
In 2023 the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) published a list of assessed mental health apps they feel are beneficial to those in need. Their framework evaluated the apps across seven key areas with an emphasis on cultural safety, social responsibility, equity, and enhanced data protection. The list also ensures the digital tools are inclusive and respectful of diverse peoples, including Indigenous communities.
The MHCC approved apps cover topics ranging from general well-being and stress reduction to substance use and suicide prevention. Several are either solely youth oriented or have a youth aspect to them.
Another app that incorporates listening, sharing and doing is Zentangle.
Began in 2003, Zentangle was started by a former Buddhist Monk Rick Roberts and a world-renowned calligrapher Maria Thomas. It has been used by millions and has had several studies done around the method and mental health.
Local certified Zentangle instructor Barb Round recalled a time when she was a guest in a grade two classroom and had the kids to a “tangle.” She noticed the teacher was intently focused on one particular child at the front of the room. Afterwards, Round asked the teacher why she seemed so focused on this child.
The teacher shared that the child in question had severe ADHD and she had never seen them sit still and focus for longer than just a few minutes. Instead, the student had sat, listened and participated for nearly 45 minutes. Round said that the teacher realised the student needed something to keep their hands and eyes busy while their ears and mind listened.
There are also official sites to find resources to learn and create these tangles, all a person needs to start is cardstock and a fine tip felt.
Regardless of participant situation, mental healthcare advocates have developed a multitude of avenues to provide options.
Sometimes one thing works where another failed. It may take two or three or 23 experiments to find what is right for an individual. The important thing is to not be discouraged and give up. If a tracking app isn’t the jam needed, it may be something more tactical like an art app or aural like a podcast that breaks through and is the fit a person has been looking for.