Anxiety App Review: Pacifica

We live in a technological world and we cherish the fact that we can carry a whole plethora of information in the palm of our hands. That's not a metaphor—I'm talking about our smartphones. 

Journaling is an important process of managing anxiety. In moments of heightened anxiety, we might forget all the work and progress we've put into ourselves. This is why helps to keep track of each day's highs and lows as a reference to go back to and learn from. 

I didn't want to carry a journal around everywhere I go but I did want something in my pocket as a resource. Four months ago, I found Pacifica in the app store and downloaded it. I've been using it daily ever since! It's a fantastic way to track moods, emotions, and activities but also provides online communities for people to interact and support each other. The basic app is free and premium is $5.99 USD per month.  




  • Here you can log in your mood from a scale of Great to Awful.

  • You can write down thoughts, whether negative or positive. The thoughts section lets you write down a thought, then they ask you to highlight the negative words and replace them with positive words. I wrote this one about graduation because I was nervous about having a panic attack at the ceremony. (Please try to look past the messy sentence structure. I can't.) 
  • You can pick challenges for yourself. The app has suggestions in areas such as Friends and Family, Romance, Strangers, Transportation, Speaking and Performing. The Work and School suggestions are perfect for students to build confidence in the classroom.


  • Health lets you make daily goals for yourself to track. The app provides suggestions but you can add your own. When you complete your goals, you get points and level up. It's a fun feature, as if you're playing a game but the reward is much more of an impact. (I really struggle with drinking enough water.) 


  • Pretty self explanatory—Relax has breathing and relaxation exercises, as well as guided meditations for a number of situations, like flying or general panic attacks. You would need Pacifica Premium to listen to all of the activities but the basic app gives you good ones to work with. 


  • This feature lets you join groups and discuss issues in them like a forum. You can also make your own group. It's a way to talk to others using the Pacifica app and support them or ask for advice. From my experience joining an "overthinking" group, everyone was very friendly to one another and willing to open up. Of course, no personal information is given. 


  • This feature is similar to Groups. In Communities, there are themes like Health, Goals, and YouTube where you can share your thoughts, likes, and dislikes. It's similar to posting a tweet where others can like your post, share it, or comment on it. 

I'm very happy with this app. Here's why:

  • It has a clean and clear layout, which makes it accessible for new users and doesn't overwhelm you with text
  • It also has a web version that connects to the phone app
  • It allows you to track your progress
  • It has a customized push notification feature. You can ask the app to remind you throughout the day certain things like, "A friendly reminder to drink more water," or simply ask "How are you feeling?"

If you're looking for tools to help you control your anxiety, depression, over-thinking, or just a way to monitor your well-being, I encourage you to download this app. 

Pin for later!

Pin for later!