Heartbreak is universal, and something known to cause damage. Mend is an iOS app designed to help users appropriately cope with the aftermath of a breakup when friends and family are not enough.
The app offers daily audio training with the intent of stepping in as a personal trainer for heartbreak. It has a “mending” tracking process to show progress in time and healing.
Mend also provides breakup stories and advice from other Mend members as inspiration to continue working through a heartbreak.
Elle Huerta, founder of Mend, first thought of the idea for the app after going through a breakup and feeling empty while searching for heartbreak advice, but could not find any. She was then inspired to create the website letsmend.com, which launched in 2014.
“We believe that you can not only mend but thrive after a breakup,” Huerta said on the main website, letsmend.com, “We believe an end, in whatever form it takes, is just the beginning of rebuilding the life and love you want.”
Alyssa Lujan, sophomore psychology major, says she understands the appeal of the app, but she didn’t feel it necessary despite its convenience.
“If I were going through a breakup, I wouldn’t turn to Mend,” Lujan said. “I would seek more traditional ways to get help or advice such as through close friends or family, but I could potentially use it for a small mood pick me up if I truly needed it.”
However, Phillip Ndowu, freshman biology major, said he sees the app as a helpful opportunity that could serve as a substitute for more traditional ways of dealing with a breakup.
“I would definitely use this,” Ndowu said. “I have gone through a heartbreak before and one of the first things I did was listen to positive music and go through Twitter to find profiles that shared motivational thoughts. I wasn’t comfortable talking to my friends about what I was going through so things like that were definitely helpful.”
Whether or not the app appeals to some, the Mend app is available in the event that heartbreak arises.
