By accident I came into contact with NiceDay: I had just started an eHealth course and in this course they mentioned the GGD Appstore. The GGD app store contains an overview of reliable health apps that have been carefully tested by expert GGD professionals. I was curious so I took a look and saw the NiceDay app. I was surprised. What a beautiful app! I saw a daily planner for personal goals, a tracking section for measuring steps, a diary functionality and a possibility to register your mood. I found the psychologist’s support really unique. I definitely could use some help with sleeping and my sleep cycle.

Bad night’s rest and chaotic behaviour

Since a few weeks I have been sleeping for 4 hours a night and that didn’t seem healthy to me. Too little sleep caused me to suffer from chaotic behaviour. Normally I have that under control but with little sleep it became a disaster. One time I was drinking lemon tea with a biscuit, but for some other reason I lost my biscuit. I found it later in my bedroom. I also lost a boiled egg once (never found it again) and in addition I also lost my keys, headphones and my wallet. I even experienced a few times that I didn’t even know where I put my bike and had to search for it after being done with work.

I forgot about appointments, was busy with several things at the same time and never took a break. It was a vicious circle. Even in the evenings I was very busy and then went to bed too late. Because of the short nights, my chaotic behaviour got worse. And because of my chaotic behaviour I went to bed late. It was in this period of my life that I downloaded the NiceDay app and decided to send a connection request. Very quickly I received a response from a psychologist at NiceDay and a few days later I was already chatting with my online therapist Sarah. There was no waiting list and that is unique!

NiceDay treatment

I agreed with my online therapist how often we would be in contact via video calling. At first it was once a week and later on we decided once every 2 weeks. In between, I was able to send her messages and have contact via chat.

The first time video calling felt a bit strange and exciting, but I would also find a first consultation in a psychologist’s consultation room a bit exciting. You do not yet know if there is a click. Fortunately there was a click with Sarah and after that I thought that ‘this is ideal’. You don’t have to leave the house. Simply connect with a psychologist from your own lazy couch! It is that easy.

Write it down

I have used the diary in the NiceDay app a lot. I like to write things down, that relaxes me. An additional advantage of me writing things down was that Sarah also knew what occupied my head and could say something about that through chat or when we were video calling. She also had insight into the number of steps I took per day. In my case that was a lot, around 20,000 each day. She made me aware of things I had not thought of myself and asked questions so that I could better reflect on my own behaviour, which led to more self-insight.

The benefits of registering and evaluating

Keeping a journal in combination with registering your mood and the number of steps also gives you insight. I particularly liked that Sarah was thinking with me ‘in the background’ and that I could easily contact her, especially when I was confronted with a feeling of loss of control. Usually she responded quickly. In my situation it would have been ideal if I could have had support later in the evening because going to bed and falling asleep was the most difficult thing for me.

How are you now?

Four months later and my process at NiceDay has been completed. I sleep better and have continued my eHealth course. I still have periods when I find it very difficult to get to bed on time, but once I’m in bed, I fall asleep much better. When I find it difficult to fall asleep, I can use some tools I’ve learned from Sarah. Taking the time to unwind, listening to binaural beats and drinking Passiflora (herbal tea). And I will never lose my bike again! By consistently placing a reminder where my bike is in the NiceDay app for a few weeks, I have automatically focused on trying to remember it and I always know where to find my bike (without a reminder). That is quite nice! Coincidentally, I am now drinking white lemon tea and this time with a biscuit.

I wish everyone (a) NiceDay and my advice to you is: give it a try! Do not hesitate! If you are bothered by something, submit a connection request today. It’s going to help you. I still use NiceDay, only now without the help of Sarah.