Dugri Real Talk

I started using this app because I heard through a friend that theirs a community of individuals who live and work the life style I have. What a blessing to be able to talk and be heard with someone else and receive the emotional support I need. I love that this is anonymous!

I’m a U.S. Air Force Veteran that has struggled to find emotional peer support through other military veterans both in person and online mainly bc there aren’t any.The main reasons this app is so impressive are that 1) the app itself is so simple 2) every user in the app is anonymous 3) no unnecessary features 4) clear community guidelines 5) 3 core ways to communicate and again, they’re all anonymous. 6) real PEER support from veterans or family members of veterans I’ll start with 1) the simplicity of the app is perfect, all features are easily accessible from one main location / toolbar / drop down menu. I didn’t have to do lots of searching to find each feature for communicating or notifications. 2) with making users anonymous, I feel as if I’m in a safe space where I can share my honest thoughts openly and receive honest support and feedback. 3) a lot of other apps I’ve tested have felt overwhelming, trying to provide mental health support to everyone, everywhere. Or had a ton of features where you can meditate, journal, read articles etc as well as interact with a community of people or even a “bot”. To me, that’s too much and encouraged me to actually stay isolated, I quickly stopped using those apps bc I would get overwhelmed with too many options. 4) Dugri has very straightforward community guidelines. There’s no misunderstanding about the intent or expectations for using this app. Or what they do and don’t offer! 5) the ways to communicate are also very direct and simple. There’s an anonymous message board set up like a news feed where other users can reply, “like”, but there’s also a “support” button and a “me too” button- the wording is great! There’s an exchange feature where you can record an anonymous voice message with a description and another user can then voice message back. And last a place where you can request for someone to talk live with you, within the app, anonymously! Safe safe safe! 6) there’s just no comparison to peer support. Especially when people are feeling so isolated - peer support by far is a way of accessing other people that have had similar experiences that can listen with empathy and understanding. I genuinely believe this app will save lives.

I have just fully realized the cumulative impact of this time of Covid on my stress level. This app is coming just at the right time for me. I don’t have the time or money to do private one-on-one therapy, but I can find the few minutes to use Dugri.