Long work hours are tiring on the mind and body, and taking breaks is an integral part of remaining productive. They are also essential for your mental health. Therefore, using extensions focused on mental and productivity can be beneficial. Wellness-focused browser extensions can help you hit your goals while taking care of your mental well-being. Take a look at some of the best chrome extensions for mental health.

1. Thyself

Thyself is a chrome extension made to improve and track mental health. It helps you calm down, track moods, and journal. While setting up the extension, you can select your mental health goals and the frequency of check-ins. Based on the selected frequency, Thyself will check in on your current emotional state on a new tab.

Here, you can quickly enter how you’re feeling by selecting a relevant emoji. If you need a break, head over to Thyself’s dashboard, where there are several self-care options. The extension gives you a new journal prompt every day. One of the several ways to beat stress is breathing exercises, and Thyself offers a quick breathing exercise session if you want to unwind.

Over time, you can access your mood chart to see your progress. That will also help in understanding emotional patterns. Taking a few minutes off work to support your mental health can make you happier and more productive in the long run. Thyself also offers a premium subscription for more features, such as mood insights and comments.

Download: Thyself for Chrome (Free, subscription available)

2. Check-In Chicken

Check-In Chicken is an easy-to-use productivity and mood tracker. The app is based on an illustration of a chicken called Gappy. You begin by setting a study and break timer. Once the study timer ends, the extension will remind you to take a break. Gappy checks in with you when your break begins.

If you are feeling anxious, sad, or upset, the extension provides links to mental health resources such as a free crisis hotline. The main goal of this extension is to form healthy work habits while prompting you to take frequent breaks. The simple user interface and interactive illustration make this extension fun to use.

There are several features that still require improvement. For example, once you take a break, the study timer does not reset automatically. The extension also lacks the option to see the history of your mood tracking. However, the simplicity of this productivity timer makes it a useful tool.

Download: Check-In Chicken for Chrome (Free)

3. Forest

Forest is one of the most popular productivity apps. Its extension is a simplified version of the app. Apart from improving productivity, Forest helps tackle internet addiction. At its core, the extension is a focus timer. However, it encourages you to follow through by planting trees.

When you want to focus on a task, start with setting the timer. Once you start the work timer, Forest plants a virtual tree for you. As you carry on with your task, your tree continues to grow. During this work period, you can use Forest’s "blocklist" to temporarily block access to certain distracting websites while you work.

If you abandon your work timer, the virtual tree dies. In the setting menu, you can edit your blocklist. Also, all the trees that you’ve planted will appear here. Through a mindful practice of planting trees, Forest enables you to work more productively while limiting distractions. Additionally, the virtual trees serve as a visualization of the time invested into each task.

Log in to your Forest account through settings to sync your app data with your extension. Logging in also allows you to buy different types of trees and create a virtual forest to your liking.

Download: Forest for Chrome (Free)

4. Coffeelings

Coffeelings is a visually appealing coffee-themed extension. It serves as a mini-journal and a mood tracker. It does not require any login, and you can view your mood history directly in the extension. This extension serves the same purpose as the best mood tracker mobile apps but it lives in your browser. Since your daily mood entries are color-coded, you get a visual idea of your emotional patterns from just a glance at the calendar.

The interface is divided into two parts. The first is a check-in screen. Here, you can select an emotional state. The emotions are categorized similarly to different coffee roasts. Thus, when you hover over a type, the color of the coffee illustration also changes. You can journal freely in a text box that's right below that graphic.

The second part of the extension is a mood calendar. Here, all your moods (categorized by the different roast colors) and journal entries are visible. However, the large illustrations can make the text look small and cramped. Also, the extension lacks a daily reminder. But this extension is still worth trying for its simplicity and easy access.

Download: Coffeelings for Chrome (Free)

5. Daybreak

If you want an extension for mindfulness and physical health, Daybreak is a good option. It personalizes the extension based on an initial survey. You can set how often you want a break reminder, and Daybreak will remind you to take a small break. Apart from a standard mood tracker, it has a few other handy tools.

Daybreak has three sections: mindfulness, physical health, and custom breaks. In the mindfulness section, you can listen to calming nature sounds or meditate. The physical health section suggests back stretches and exercises to help avoid eye strain. Lastly, you can create a custom break and save it for quick access.

The only downside of the extension is that it does not open on a new tab or window. When you select it, it reloads your current tab, so you might lose something that's in progress. Therefore, always remember to open a new tab before selecting Daybreak.

Download: Daybreak for Chrome (Free)

Take Care of Your Mental Health While Working

While apps and extensions are helpful tools, deliberate action is necessary to improve mental health and productivity. Taking routine breaks and checking in with these tools will create a habit of self-care. Ideally, you should not wait until you feel stressed or overworked to take a break. Therefore, these extensions do a great job as proactive mental health reminders.