As a nurse, life moves fast. Working long hours, managing emotional highs and lows, and caring for others with compassion. In the middle of it all, it’s easy to let your mental health take the backseat. Whether you’re working nights, rotating shifts, or adjusting to life on the road as a travel nurse, finding time to care for yourself can feel nearly impossible. Traditional therapy may not always align with your schedule or budget. That’s why I put together this list of 8 nurse-friendly online tools you can access anytime and anywhere, from apps that track your mood to guided meditations and online therapy.
Apps for Mental Health
Getting support for your mental health isn’t always easy. Long shifts, rotating schedules, and demanding workloads can make it tough to find time for in-person care. Fortunately, technology has provided us with mental health and mindfulness tools designed to support you anywhere, even when you’re constantly on the go. While these digital tools can’t fully replace in-person care or medication, they can help support your mental health journey.
Here are some of the highest-rated, nurse-friendly online mental health tools worth exploring:
Bearable: Mental Health Tracker
As a nurse, your schedule, stress levels, and sleep can change daily. Bearable can help you track how different shifts affect your mental and physical well-being. The app enables you to track your physical and emotional well-being, including journal entries, sleep quality, energy levels, and more. By identifying trends and potential triggers, Bearable can help you understand what influences your mental health and make informed decisions to support emotional stability and reduce burnout.
Cost: Free; $34.99/mo for premium.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (3.7K Ratings)
Happify: Positive Psychology and Happiness App
Happify is a science-based platform that helps you enjoy “lasting happiness.” The app features a range of science-based games, tools, and exercises designed to help you shift your mindset and promote wellness, while reducing stress. Rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy, it provides structured activities to encourage positivity, making it perfect for short breaks or unwinding after a long shift.
Cost: Free; $14.99/mo for premium
Rating: 4.5/5 (4.7K Ratings)
Moodfit: Track Your Moods
This free app helps you monitor your mental health and emotions. Moodfit offers tools such as mood tracking, CBT-based thought records, mindfulness exercises, and gratitude journaling. Moodfit is easy to use and is especially helpful for nurses with hectic schedules who want to stay balanced.
Cost: Free; $39.99/yr for premium.
Rating: 4.7/5 (2K Ratings)
BetterHelp: Online Therapy Platform
BetterHelp is a leading online therapy service connecting users with licensed therapists through messaging, phone, and video sessions. It offers flexible scheduling and a range of communication options, making professional mental health support more accessible and affordable. It’s a flexible option for nurses who may be on the road, working nights, or struggling to find time for in-person care.
Cost: $65-$100. The price is based on your location, source, preferences, and the therapist’s availability.
Rating: 4.8/5 (124K Ratings)
Meditation and Mindfulness Apps
Mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a clinically proven tool to reduce symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression. Nursing comes with high-stakes situations that can leave your emotions heightened even after your shift ends. Mindfulness helps you pause, breathe, and reconnect.
Mindfulness has several immediate benefits, like reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety, managing pain, and improving your quality of life. Whether you’re recharging after a long day or trying to fall asleep before an early shift, these apps can help you center yourself.
Breethe: Deep Sleep App
If you’re tossing and turning, trying to get some sleep after back-to-back shifts, Breathe offers sleep stories, guided meditation, and bedtime visualization that can help you rest. The app focuses on promoting deep sleep and restfulness, and is most helpful for those who struggle to fall or stay asleep.
Cost: Free; $12.99/mo for premium
Rating: 4.7/5 (64.1K Ratings)
Calm: Relaxation and Meditation App
The Calm app remains one of the most downloaded meditation apps. You can download the basic features for free. This includes meditation courses, several breathing exercises, soothing music, and more. Whether you’re taking 10 minutes in the breakroom to regroup or need soothing sounds to get some rest before a night shift, Calm is a great choice.
Cost: Free basic features; $14.99/month for full access.
Rating: 4.8/5 (1.9M Ratings)
Headspace: Stress Release and Mindfulness App
Like Calm, Headspace offers a range of features, including sleep stories, guided meditation, and stress-release workouts. This is an excellent option for nurses seeking more structure in their mindfulness practice.
Cost: 14-day free trial; $12.99/month
Rating: 4.8/5 (1M Ratings)
Healthy Minds Program: Meditation & Mindfulness App
Created by neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the Healthy Minds app provides podcast-style lessons and meditation practices rooted in research on well-being. A good fit for nurses who want practical tools they can use anywhere, like listening during a commute or between shifts.
Cost: Free
Rating: 4.9/5 (7.3K Ratings)
The Journey to Good Mental Health
You don’t have to face mental health alone. As a nurse, you undergo a great deal of emotional, physical, and mental stress. These online tools help lighten the load by making it easier to track symptoms, practice mindfulness, seek support, or take a breather.
Take the time to explore some of these online tools and find the one that works best for you. Most are free or offer free trials, allowing you to try out different options and determine which one fits best.
You care for others every day. Don’t forget to care for yourself, too. Nurture your mind. Rest when you need it. Take the first step to a calmer, healthier you.
Mary Ross is a healthcare writer and marketing professional whose work focuses on productivity, habit-building, and well-being for nurses and advanced practice providers—bringing together insights, resources, and stories that support them in work and life.Her work appears on platforms like the Advantis Medical Blog, where she blends real clinician stories with research-backed insights to help clinicians stay focused, energized, and connected in a demanding healthcare environment.
