Worry Jar | Julia Liu

Overview

I built the anxiety app I actually wanted to use.

Worry Jar is an app that helps you process worries without making it feel like therapy. You write down what's bothering you, choose whether to deal with it now or later, and your worry goes into a jar and turns into a star.

I designed it to do one thing: be a place to sort out your thoughts.

Why

Mental health apps feel like homework.

Anxiety happens in the moment. You don't need a system; you need somewhere to put the thoughts right now.

Notes apps feel too isolated.

Worries pile up with no structure or release. They just stack.

Mental health apps are too clinical.

Sterile interfaces that feel like filling out a medical form.

Most apps demand action.

Set goals, track moods, build habits. Sometimes you just need somewhere to put a thought.

How It Works

Five steps. No pressure.

01 Arrive. Draw to center yourself.

Take a breath. Before you write anything, there's a freehand drawing canvas to gather your thoughts. Doodle, scribble, whatever slows your brain down.

02 Write. Put the worry somewhere.

Write down what's on your mind. Like a diary entry, not a therapy prompt. Just getting the thought out of your head and onto the page.

03 Choose. Two paths forward.

Schedule the worry for later, or try a calming technique right now. No wrong answer.

04 Act. Schedule it or calm down.

Two paths: schedule the worry for later with calendar integration, or try a calming technique like box breathing or grounding.

Schedule it

Calm down

05 The Jar. Your worries, collected.

Every worry you drop in lives here. A growing collection of thoughts you've processed and let go of.

Design Decisions

Choices that shaped how it feels.

The entire app looks like a hand-drawn journal. Lined paper, washi tape, sketchy borders, handwriting fonts.

Notebook aesthetic over clinical UI.+

Soft pastels, Cabin Sketch fonts, and lined paper backgrounds make it feel personal.

Art before words.+

The first screen is a drawing canvas. Drawing slows you down before you start processing.

Action is optional.+

Sometimes just writing a worry down is enough. Not every thought needs a solution.

Worries become stars.+

The jar reframes anxiety as something that transforms into something hopeful.

Private by default.+

No accounts, no cloud. Everything stays on your device. Built as a PWA that works offline.

Reflection

What I learned.

Design for the moment, not the habit. This app isn't about daily retention. It's for the 2am spiral when you actually need somewhere to put your thoughts. Playfulness made it feel safe, and keeping it simple made it something I actually use. Try it out →

Get in touch

Wanna learn more?

Reach out to me at julia[dot]liu05[at]berkeley.edu

A place to put your worries and watch them turn into stars