Can AI Help You Build Resilience?

Do you remember the Speak & Spell? I knew I was a nerd early on because this was one of my favorite toys. I can still remember sitting on the stairs at my grandmother’s house for hours, guessing letters and deciphering secret codes. I thought technology was cool, but never in my wildest dreams did I think someday there would be a tool that could have written this post in way less time than it took me.

Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm, so when someone at a recent training workshop asked me if they could use AI to build resilience, it was a head-scratcher. I gave it some thought and did a little research, and I have to say, I’m excited about the possibilities.

What Is Resilience?

Life knocks us down from time to time. Resilience is the skill of recovering from setbacks and adapting to change. It is a set of beliefs, skills, and habits that help you navigate life’s ups and downs.

How AI Fits In

AI might not seem like the obvious choice for building resilience, but it can be an incredible tool for building skills that support your mental health and well-being. AI-powered apps can monitor your mood in real time and provide instant support. Whether it’s guiding you through a breathing exercise or offering a motivational quote, these tools are designed to keep you steady even when life gets challenging. (See a list of free apps below.)

Here’s How

Mindset Shifts: AI-powered apps can help you reframe your thoughts, providing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques that challenge negative thinking patterns in real time. Over time, you will change disruptive patterns of thinking.

Building Skills: Whether it’s developing mindfulness through guided meditation, breath work, or setting reminders to practice gratitude, AI can be a daily coach to help you monitor and shift your mood and provide instant support. Half the battle is remembering to practice these skills.

Resetting: Sometimes, all you need is a moment to breathe and reset. AI-driven tools like Calm or Headspace offer quick, on-demand breathing exercises and relaxation techniques that can help reset your nervous system, reduce cortisol levels, and help you regain focus. Headspace is running a special for $2.92 a month if you sign up for an annual subscription.

Building Social Connections: Social support is a key ingredient of resilience, and AI can help you foster these connections. By connecting with groups or communities with similar interests or challenges, AI can help you find support and connection.

Self-Reflection and Journaling: AI-powered journaling apps analyze your entries to identify patterns in your thoughts and emotions. These insights can help you better understand triggers for stress or anxiety and guide you in developing strategies to cope with them. This self-awareness is crucial for building resilience, allowing you to anticipate challenges and respond more effectively.

What’s Next?

To make the most of AI in your resilience-building routine, start small. Try incorporating an AI-powered app into your daily routine. Use it to track your mood, practice mindfulness, or simply to remind you to take a moment to breathe when stress arises. You can even ask Chat GPT to give you a few gratitude prompts.

FREE AI Resilience Building Apps

1. Woebot is a free AI-powered mental health chatbot that uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles to help you manage stress, anxiety, and depression. It engages in conversations to help you reframe negative thoughts and build resilience.

2. Wysa is an AI-driven chatbot that offers emotional support and resilience-building exercises. It’s designed to help with various mental health concerns, offering techniques like mindfulness, breathing exercises, and CBT. The basic version is free.

3. Replika is an AI companion that helps you understand and express your thoughts and emotions. It’s great for practicing emotional distancing and reflection, which are key aspects of resilience. The free version includes most of the essential features.

4. MindDoc: Provides mood tracking and mental health assessment tools. It’s an excellent resource for understanding your emotional patterns and getting tailored recommendations on improving resilience.

5. Youper: This app helps you track your mood and emotions using CBT. It offers mindfulness and emotional regulation tools, which are crucial for building resilience.

6. Sanvello provides tools for managing stress, anxiety, and depression. It offers guided journeys that include meditation, goal setting, and CBT practices to help you build resilience over time.

The good news is that resilience isn’t a personality trait – it’s a skill that can be developed, and with the help of AI, you can cultivate it more effectively than ever.

Writing this made me miss my Speak-n-Spell. I guess we know what I’ll be asking Santa for this year.