Inpathy Mood Tracking App Aims to Foster Collective Mental Health

A few years back, Inpathy Founder Ziarekenya Smith found himself in a dark state of mind. While many people might pull back from publicly sharing a less-than-perfect image, Smith wanted to rewrite the script. Social media allows for unprecedented levels of community, but we typically only share the most tailored versions of our lives. That’s when he brainstormed the idea for a new type of internet forum. Inpathy is a mood tracking phone application that allows for users to check in with their friends and family on a daily basis. 

Originally, Smith wanted the app to work similarly to popular sharing platforms but with a mental health twist. He then decided to scale back the idea and focus on fortifying our personal relationships with friends and family. 

Each day comes with its own set of challenges. Reaching out to everyone we care about everyday isn’t always possible. Inpathy seeks to bridge that gap allowing us to not only track our own moods but to also keep up with emotions our loved ones.

Connecting Through Moods, How Inpathy Works

First things first, you have to create an account. The service will be completely free to use. Friends and family members who are also Inpathy users can add you to their friends list by connecting your phone number. The app works by asking users to log their emotions throughout the day. Starting out, the app will offer 15 preprogrammed emotions to select from. For example, you can set your status to overwhelmed and briefly elaborate why you feel that way. Your added friends can then see this status and reach out to offer support. 

When giving us further insight into the platform, Smith posed the question, “Have you ever spoken to a loved one and they caught an attitude with you for no reason?” He goes on to say that at times there is a lapse in human communication where we don’t realize that someone is going experiencing a hardship. Inpathy seeks to build that gap by allowing us to be attuned to one another’s emotions. 

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It’s common for those struggling with mental health to choose to suffer in silence, especially men. Stigmatization of illnesses such as anxiety and depression can prevent people from seeking not only professional help but guidance from those closest to them. Inpathy isn’t simply a place to wallow in despair, but a place to uplift one another. 

“White, Black or any race, our common denominators are emotions,” Smith said. “Our emotions are not exclusive to one group, it’s for everybody.”

Humans Series

As with any new product or service, increasing brand awareness is essential. Spearheaded by Co-Founder Kathyrn Pierre is a short video series called Humans. In these bite-sized videos, the Inpathy team travels to college campuses to gain insight from their target audience, Generation Z. While social media has allowed us to connect to one another at a level previously unattainable it can also serve as a distraction and detriment to our mental wellbeing. 

“I strongly believe you should find a support group,” one college student shared in a Humans video. “If you don’t have a step stool inside then you should find something outside, it could be a friend group or one person just something that will keep you going every single day.”

Inpathy Release Date

The app is still in the last stages of development, but Smith says they expect it to go live this summer. Initially, the app will only be available on Apple products but will eventually expand to Android devices.

To learn more about Inpathy you can follow them on Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, TikTok and Youtube.