Reminders App: Your External Memory 

If you struggle to remember appointments, medications, or tasks, the Reminders app can take that burden off your brain. It's a standalone app (look for the icon with a checklist and colored circles). Here's how to use it: 

Creating a basic reminder: 

1. Open the Reminders app 
2. Tap the list you want to add to (or tap "+ Add List" to create a new one) 
3. Tap "+ New Reminder" at the bottom 
4. Type what you need to remember 
5. Tap "Done" 

Adding a time alert:

1. Create a reminder or tap an existing one 
2. Tap the "i" icon (or tap the reminder to expand it) 
3. Toggle on "Date" and pick the day 
4. Toggle on "Time" and set when you want the alert 
5. For repeating reminders (like daily medication), tap "Repeat" and choose Daily, Weekly, etc. 

Location-based reminders: 

1. Create or open a reminder 
2. Tap the "i" icon 
3. Toggle on "Location" 
4. Search for an address or choose "Current Location," "Getting in Car," or "Getting out of Car" 
5. Choose "Arriving" or "Leaving" Example: "Remind me to grab my wallet when I leave home" or "Remind me to ask about my prescription when I arrive at the pharmacy." 

Medication reminders tip: Add details in the Notes field (tap the "i" icon, then scroll to Notes). Write things like "take with food" or "the blue pill in the bathroom cabinet." You'll see these notes when the reminder pops up. 

Using Siri for faster setup: Say "Hey Siri, remind me to take my medication at 8 AM every day" or "Hey Siri, remind me to call Mom when I get home." Siri creates the reminder with all the details—no typing needed. 

Focus Modes: Reducing Notification Overload 

Constant notifications can make anxiety worse and make it hard to concentrate. Focus modes let you control when and how your phone interrupts you. 

How to set it up: 
1. Go to Settings > Focus 
2. Tap an existing Focus (like Do Not Disturb or Sleep) or tap "+" to create a new one 
3. Under "Allow Notifications," choose which people can still reach you 
4. Under "Apps," choose which apps can still send notifications 
5. Tap "Done" 
 

Sleep Focus: 

Automatically silences notifications during your sleep hours. Go to Settings > Focus > Sleep to set your schedule. Only calls from your favorites can get through (or no one, if you prefer). 

Creating a "Calm" Focus for overwhelming moments: 

1. Settings > Focus > tap "+" in the top right 
2. Tap "Custom" 
3. Name it "Calm" or "Quiet Time" 
4. Allow only your most essential contacts (or none) 
5. Block all apps or allow only one calming app 
6. Turn it on whenever you need a break from your phone buzzing 

Quick toggle: Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to open Control Center. Tap "Focus" to quickly turn any Focus mode on or off. 

Mindfulness Features in the Health App 

The Health app (the white icon with a red heart) includes features that can help when you're feeling anxious or need to ground yourself: 

Finding mental wellbeing tools: 

1. Open the Health app 
2. Tap "Browse" at the bottom 
3. Scroll down and tap "Mental Wellbeing" 
4. Here you'll find options to log your mood, track mindful minutes, and more 

State of Mind logging (iOS 17+): 
1. In Mental Wellbeing, tap "State of Mind" 
2. Tap "Log" to record how you're feeling right now 
3. Choose whether it's a momentary emotion or overall daily mood 
4. Slide to select how pleasant or unpleasant you feel 
5. Pick words that describe your feeling and what's influencing it Over time, you might spot patterns—like certain days or situations that tend to be harder. This can be useful info to share with a therapist. 

Breathing exercises (with Apple Watch): 

If you have an Apple Watch, the Mindfulness app guides you through deep breathing with gentle taps on your wrist.
Open the Mindfulness app on your watch > tap Breathe > choose your duration. You can also set daily reminders in the Watch app on your iPhone. 

Other Helpful iPhone Features 

Notes app for brain dumps: When your mind is racing with things you need to remember, open Notes and type it all out. Getting it out of your head and onto the screen can reduce that anxious "I'm forgetting something" feeling. To pin important notes to the top: swipe right on the note and tap the pin icon. 

Calendar with multiple alerts: When adding an event in Calendar, tap "Alert" and add two alerts—one for the day before and one for an hour before. This gives you time to prepare instead of being surprised. You can add a second alert by tapping "Alert" again after setting the first one. 

Downtime in Screen Time: If you find yourself doom-scrolling when you're stressed (which usually makes things worse), go to Settings > Screen Time > Downtime. Schedule hours when only apps you choose will work. You can still override it, but the extra step makes you pause and think. 

Guided Access for focus: If you get distracted easily, Guided Access locks your phone to one app. First, enable it: Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access > toggle On. Then, when you're in an app, triple-click the side button and tap "Start" to lock to that app. Triple-click again and enter your passcode to exit. 

A Note About Professional Support 

These iPhone features can help with day-to-day stress and organization, but they're not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're struggling with anxiety, depression, or other mental health challenges, please reach out to a doctor, therapist, or counselor. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) to talk with someone right away. 

Technology can be a helpful tool in your toolkit—but the most important tool is asking for help when you need it.