My (very brief) experience with Headversity

It’s that time of year again. The new year has begun, and so has the winter term. During this time, many students reflect and vow to change themselves in one way or another. For some, this comes in the form of improving their mental health. Sticking to new habits can be difficult, and the school-induced anxiety and stress can be a lot. One resource that MacEwan students have access to is an app called Headversity. The app allows you to build resilience through short lessons and activities that can allegedly help you visualize where you’re mentally at. To help you determine whether this app might be right for you, I’ll be giving an honest review of my very limited use of the app so far. 

Firstly, MacEwan does not advertise Headversity well at all. To save you time, the code that MacEwan provides is “MCWNS2”, which will be important when you begin using the Headversity app. 

My first experience with the app wasn’t great. The introduction video made me as excited as a professor reading the course syllabus on the first day of class. Users are asked to fill out a questionnaire with questions that you have to rate on a scale of one to 10. I find that this task is difficult because it’s really hard to put your mental state, which can be complex, on a scale. 

The first three videos that I watched in the “purpose” lesson had speakers who looked and felt uncomfortable, but the videos became better. 

The content on the app doesn’t go into much depth, and a lot of topics are pretty common knowledge, but then I realized that’s the point. If you are a student who doesn’t want to learn about the intricacies of mental health and need a quick fix for a stressful situation, then this app could definitely be for you. There are activities that involve writing out your goals and strengths, and there’s a training feature based around developing core values. The app also has two-minute long reflective meditations. While some of the content isn’t too in-depth, it is thought-provoking, and for the right person (hopefully you!), it can change their outlook on their mental health.

Something that I struggle with is focusing , which the app has a section for.. The gamified nature of Headversity, like climbing levels for each skill that you work on, is beneficial for me. So, if you have trouble staying on track, or love gamifying habits, this app could definitely be for you. I would recommend trying the app since you get access to it for free as a MacEwan student. Headversity is a tool, but as a long-term solution, it won’t fix everything all at once. Overall, I would rate the app  7.5/10. 

While Headversity is an app that gamifies mental health, and helps you build healthy skills to respond to resilience, mental health struggles aren’t a game. If you are really struggling with your mental health, you should consider whether going to a professional is appropriate for you.