Almost a year has passed since russia invaded Ukraine and launched a full-scale war, the most destructive conflict Europe has seen since 1945. Moreover, it's also the first war occurring in an entirely digital country, counting over 32 mln Ukrainian Internet users. Thus, the war-torn mental health of the whole nation is formed as a result of watching the horrors of the war online 24/7. According to WHO, one in four Ukrainians is at potential risk of some form of mental disorder.

To help Ukrainians, BetterMe, a health & wellness company with 150M users worldwide, with expert support from WHO in Ukraine, the First Lady of Ukraine, and the NGO "Barrier Free," has developed a digital self-help tool, "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress." The project is implemented as part of the National Program for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support and aims to cope with stress in the microlearning format.

This winter, when thousands of Ukrainians were in dire need of mental support due to regular missile attacks and lack of electricity, partners along with BetterMe launched a promotion of the stress-relief project to increase awareness of such a tool. Meta, as a valuable partner, joined BetterMe’s initiative to prevent the mental health crisis in Ukraine and provided its support for the projects.

The ongoing war has an immense impact on the mental health of many Ukrainians, which is why Meta supports such initiatives as BetterMe. Since the beginning of the invasion our efforts have been directed at equipping those in need with a number of practical skills to aid their mental health, keep them informed via our platforms and help fight against the spread of misinformation. We hope that our support for such initiatives as BetterMe will continue to provide valuable support to our community, - Oskar Braszczyński, Government & Social Impact Partner for CEE in Meta.

How does the tool work?

Users receive information through interactive tests, exercises, and visualizations to equip them with practical skills and help them deal with stress. Investing just a few minutes daily in this program is enough to practice these self-help techniques effectively. The team combined important topics of coping with stress with easy-to-perceive formats to get the best outcomes in the short term.

In times of uncertainty, what people need the most is strong and supported mental health as a basis for dealing with problems they are constantly facing: deaths, missile attacks, electricity blackouts, bad news, inflation, etc. We created a fast digital solution to help them cope with stress from anywhere, at any time, said Victoria Repa, founder and CEO of BetterMe, a certified Health Coach.

In June, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health estimated that 15 million people might require psychosocial support due to the war against russia, with 3 to 4 million potentially requiring medical treatment. BetterMe keeps developing even more free digital tools to address this issue.  In the last month alone, more than 35K people downloaded the BetterMe: Mental Health app and wrote hundreds of positive reviews for a digital self-help tool, "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress." Since 24th February 2022, our mental health support app has helped more than 250K Ukrainians deal with the psychological consequences of war.

The self-help tool is free to all Ukrainians in the BetterMe: Mental Health mobile application on iOS and Android. The BetterMe: Mental Health app became free and accessible for all Ukrainians with the outbreak of war.

BetterMe is a health & wellness company with accessible digital health products, athleisure goods, and wearables for people of all ages, backgrounds, and physical abilities. The company is headquartered in Ukraine, offering services for 150M+ users worldwide.

*BetterMe has developed two supportive apps BetterMe: Health Coaching, ***the all-in-one solution for physical health, and BetterMe: Mental Health, the app for a balanced and mindful life.