In our fast-paced world, where productivity is the goal, we often leave the producers of all that work behind and underestimate the importance of our mental health. While AI can in no way replace the connection with and work of professional mental health care providers, AI can help support and enhance our mental wellness.

Because we are suffering an epidemic of loneliness, it is important that you don’t replace technology with real-life connections, which is why I suggest incorporating strategies that address 8 dimensions of wellness. By understanding that wellness is composed of a series of actions that address a variety of our needs, we can be proactive about caring for our mental and overall health and well-being.

The 8 dimensions of wellness are social, physical, emotional, spiritual, occupational, financial, environmental, and intellectual. So, as you are trying to invest a bit of time in each of these dimensions on, say, a weekly basis, let’s consider how AI may assist you with that.

1. Chatbots can help you make a plan for your week if you tell it what you want to do, how often, and when. Engage AI for planning not just your to-do-list, but also activities that you know support your wellness. Parse it down into smaller time chunks if needed.
2. Secondly, AI chatbots can engage in conversations to help you identify negative thought patterns and provide strategies to overcome them. For example, say you are beginning to notice signs of an anxiety attack, you could ask a chatbot to talk you through it. While the attack may still come, being reminded of strategies like breathing, changing your focus, or counting specific objects around you may help you get through it quicker and with less intensity. Similarly to stress, if you are noticing signs of stress, let the chatbot talk you through some strategies that can help re-engage your frontal lobes, which are responsible for reasoning and decision-making. There are several apps that are not just reactive but proactive, checking in with us regularly and offering exercises to boost our mood. Search them up, or better yet, ask people you know. This builds solidarity and connection at the same time, which is the best medicine for our mental wellness!
3. AI can assist you in monitoring your mental health. By using wearable devices and smartphone sensors you can collect data on our physical and emotional states. AI algorithms then analyze what you share and detect signs of stress, anxiety, or depression. For example, if the AI detects a significant drop in activity levels or changes in sleep patterns, it can prompt you to notice, take action, or seek help. This proactive monitoring can help prevent dips in your mental health and well-being and increase your overall wellness.

AI offers numerous ways to engage with and improve our mental health. By embracing these technologies as tools, mental health care is more accessible, personalized, and effective.

Remember, while AI is a powerful tool, it should complement, not replace, professional mental health care.

Here is a list of chatbots that you can use for free and through your browser:

Use Chat GPT for chats, writing, planning, etc.

PI AI is your Personal Assistant. You can discover ways to improve your life and use it for chatting, writing, planning, etc.

Perplexity AI has been named the best AI for doing searches for information.

Anthropic’s Claude has been dubbed the best AI for chatting.

Here are some ideas for prompts:

• “Give me a few practical tips to stay calm during a stressful time.”
• “List a few mood boosters to keep me motivated while at work.”
• “Make a 5-day self-care plan that focuses on my mental well-being.”
• “Create a meal plan for four people for one week based on a Mediterranean diet, including recipes and a shopping list.”

Now it’s your turn!

Enjoy,

Julika