Do you want to rant and rave about the frustrations in your life, but have no one to lend an ear? Use these stress-busting apps to vent online to strangers and bots.
Sometimes, all you want to do is scream about the situation you find yourself in. But what if no one is willing to hear you out at the moment? With the internet connecting billions of people across the world, you're never alone. You can privately, securely, and anonymously talk about your problems with people online, and finally, unburden yourself.
1. HearMe (Android, iOS): Find a Stranger to Talk About Your Issues
HearMe is a platform to unburden yourself when you're feeling bogged down by negative thoughts by opening up to a stranger on the internet. It's a simple chat app that connects two people based on common topics.
When you're ready to chat, choose a topic and HearMe will connect you to an available listener. You can see active conversations and listeners in each topic beforehand. The free version of the app allows for up to three chat requests in an hour. It takes some time to connect, but be patient and you'll get someone. The app tracks all your conversations and encourages you to build a streak of talking regularly. You can also revisit all your past chats in the Journal.
You can also sign up as a Listener on HearMe. You'll need to register for it with your name, email, age, location, and topics that you consider yourself to be a good listener in. You also have to undertake a 45-minute course on the essentials of being a listener before you can proceed.
It's important to note that listeners are regular people like all of us, not trained therapists. The 45-minute course gives a few valuable ways to be a good listener, but this isn't a substitute for professional help.
Download: HearMe for Android | iOS (Free)
2. TalkLife (Web, Android, iOS): Community to Vent About Anything
Having been around for years, Talk Life has established itself as a community to find others to talk to. It works a bit like Twitter or similar social networks, where you post an update and others comment on it. But with a few simple features, it tries to be a safe space to boost mental health.
For starters, TalkLife recognizes that some topics can be triggers that make you spiral, and asks you if you want to filter these out of your feed. You can also select topics that you're interested in so that the general feed is more customized for your tastes.
To write a post, you need to first identify your current mood and the topic of discussion. Then, write the post and add media like any social post. The post options let you send this anonymously, warn people that it could be a trigger, and control who sees it — everyone or TalkLife regulars.
The community guidelines and rules ensure that this is a safe space to open up. If you find someone you'd like to chat with, use your best judgment and our tips to start random chats.
Visit: TalkLife for Web (Free)
Download: TalkLife for Android | iOS (Free)
3. Ventscape (Web): Real-Time Anonymous Chat to Express Yourself
Ventscape is an anonymous real-time chat board to express what's on your mind, and hopefully, get a response from others at the same time. It's the fastest app to start talking, and a little different from a chatroom, in a good way.
The website is a black screen, with a text box to type your thoughts. Whatever you or anyone else says will appear in random spaces in the black space, with no way of knowing who sent it. This anonymity is double-edged, as miscreants could hijack your conversation, but that's the risk you run.
At any point, you can see how many people are logged into Ventscape through a counter at the top-right. You can also switch between dark and light modes. It's intended to be a safe space to anonymously say what's troubling you, and have a real conversation. Be warned that Ventscape has recently faced a few issues with trolls, so exercise caution while engaging with others.
4. The Sh*tbox (Web): Securely Vent About Work Grievances to a Chat-Bot
Work life can often be frustrating. When a colleague, a subordinate, or a senior makes things worse, you want to tell someone about it. But you can't always talk about it with coworkers because of different reasons, from office politics to not being seen as a team player. Next time, air your work grievances into The Sh*tbox.
The app is a minimalist chatbot to let out your frustrations, coupled with a chatbot who makes it seem like you are being heard. The bot is actually quite a cool addition as you get anonymity and aren't dependent on others being around, but also get a response to your rants. The responses are the kind of supportive platitudes that anyone needs from a friend, such as "I can't believe it" or echoes of what you said.
The Sh*tbox also makes the messages ethereal. You'll only see your last two messages, while older texts fade out into oblivion. It's kind of a nice, poetic way to get things off your chest and see it literally disappear into the void.
5. Therapeer (Android, iOS): Private Room to Talk About Your Problems
When you want to vent and get advice, you seek a safe space, ideally with people who have been through something similar. That's what Therapeer seeks to provide, in the form of private, hour-long rooms where you connect with people who can talk about the same issues.
Here's how it works. When you register, you have to add 10 topics you would be comfortable talking about. You'll then see a list of people posting about their problems. Join one of their rooms (three listeners per room) and participate in the conversation. Follow the community guidelines, be helpful, and see how more experienced members of Therapeer help the person in trouble.
Being a listener will give you an idea of how Therapeer rooms work, and you earn kudos coins for helping. You can then use these kudos coins to create your own room, where three listeners will join in, and discuss the thing you want to talk about.
Therapeer doesn't have licensed therapists, so it's not a substitute for seeking professional medical help. But if you just need a regular person to listen, empathize, and offer a few words of wisdom, it is one of the best therapy and counseling apps.
Download: Therapeer for Android | iOS (Free)
Stay Safe When Chatting Online
The whole point of these apps is to let you unburden your woes and vent safely. But the way the internet has shaped up, you still need to be careful about which information you give out online. So even when you're chatting on these apps, make sure you protect yourself.
A simple set of rules is to never give out any data about your location, name, phone number, ID card, and any credit card or banking details. You should also change all the names you're talking about, be it a person or the company you work for.