As part of the Student Union’s provided health care, students are now able to download the I.M. Well app.

I. M. Well, short for Integrated Mental Health & Wellness, is an app provided by the Student VIP insurance program. The app is meant to connect students with resources in the Brandon community (or the Winnipeg community for students taking their courses there) that help them cope with issues surrounding their mental or physical wellness. Some of the issues that the Student VIP website claim that the app can help students with include stress, depression, legal issues, life coaching, financial issues, relationship issues, addiction, and nutrition.

In using the app students can make a confidential profile to save their information on the app. The information that you put into the app is not shared with anyone, however, unless the student expressly shares that information themselves. When you open the app you are presented with a multitude of options to choose from. I will go over a few that students may find useful, but I would recommend further exploring the app to see if it suits your individual needs too.

On the home screen is the “Track My Mood” option which allows you to keep a record of how you’re feeling. The available emotions are happy, neutral, sad, or worried, and the app also presents the option to further explain the mood felt by adding a text note. You can then view a journal of all of your mood entries which can help you look for patterns in what you’re feeling and what might be making you feel that way.

Another option on the home screen is “Healthy Reminders”. In this section of the app you can choose to have reminders for things such as taking medication, going for a walk, or checking in with a friend set to occur on a weekly, daily, or hourly basis. Someone who has trouble with anxiety, for instance, might benefit from setting an hourly reminder to take a few minutes to just breathe and clear their head.

Lastly, something that is not necessarily a feature of the app but is important nonetheless, is that students are not the only people that can use this app. As members of the Student Union’s health care plan your family or roommates are also able to use this app to their benefit if they so choose. In this way Student VIP is using their app to promote healthy communities as well as healthy people.