Building a Mental Health Tracker with AI Integration: My Journey as a Beginner
Deciding on a Unique Project: As a beginner in the world of programming and AI, I didn't want to go down the typical path of building old projects. I was eager to create something unique that could make a difference while helping me learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). But the problem was, I didn’t know where to start. I had the enthusiasm, but no solid idea. This is where ChatGPT came to the rescue. While it didn’t provide me with a complete idea right away, it guided me toward a project: a Mental Health Tracker. At first, the idea was a bit vague, but as I explored and planned, it started taking shape. The Challenges I Faced: Like many beginners, I encountered a few roadblocks along the way. The first major issue was financial—AI tools can be quite expensive, and as someone without a card for payments, I wasn't sure how I would afford to integrate AI into my project. On top of that, I was still new to backend development, which would be essential for handling the AI’s logic. However, after some research, I stumbled upon Gemini AI Studio. The best part? It offered free access to AI tools, which meant I could continue with my project without worrying about costs. This was a game-changer, and I was finally able to move forward with my plan. Building the Mental Health Tracker: With Gemini AI Studio, I started building my Mental Health Tracker. The goal of the project was to create a web app where users could answer a set of questions about their mental health, and based on their answers, the app would provide tailored suggestions and guidance. While I faced some hurdles during development, such as learning new concepts and troubleshooting issues along the way, I made sure to take everything step-by-step. The beauty of the project is that it’s not perfect yet—it's a practice project, after all—but it's a great starting point for beginners like me. More importantly, I believe it can truly help people by providing insights into their mental health and offering useful advice. What I Learned from This Experience: This project has been a fantastic learning opportunity. Even though it's not at a fully professional level, it taught me a lot about working with AI, how to integrate it into a real-world application, and the process of building a meaningful project. The challenges I faced helped me learn faster and understand the practicalities of using AI tools. I encourage other beginners to step out of their comfort zones and try building something new, just as I did. Even if it’s a small project, it will teach you a lot. Plus, working on something that can have a positive impact on others, like the Mental Health Tracker, makes it even more rewarding. Overcoming Fear of Sharing: One of the biggest hurdles I faced wasn’t technical but emotional: the fear of sharing my work. Mental health is a sensitive topic, and I wasn’t sure how people would react. I feared criticism and was unsure whether my project would be seen as useful or effective. However, after some time, I gathered the courage to share it with others. I realized that people’s feedback was crucial for me to improve and that it was okay if it wasn’t perfect. This was just a starting point, after all. Once the project was complete, I was amazed by how well everything came together. The AI worked as expected, and the tracker was functional. Even though this was just a practice project, I felt proud of what I had accomplished. It felt like a great starting point, and I was excited to share it with the world. Now, I’m at the stage where I want to share the Mental Health Tracker with others. I believe that people will find it useful, and I’m eager to hear their feedback. Your feedback is incredibly important to me, as it will help me improve the project and continue learning. I encourage you to try it out and let me know your thoughts! Here’s the link to the website: Men-Heal Tracker.
Deciding on a Unique Project:
As a beginner in the world of programming and AI, I didn't want to go down the typical path of building old projects. I was eager to create something unique that could make a difference while helping me learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs). But the problem was, I didn’t know where to start. I had the enthusiasm, but no solid idea.
This is where ChatGPT came to the rescue. While it didn’t provide me with a complete idea right away, it guided me toward a project: a Mental Health Tracker. At first, the idea was a bit vague, but as I explored and planned, it started taking shape.
The Challenges I Faced:
Like many beginners, I encountered a few roadblocks along the way. The first major issue was financial—AI tools can be quite expensive, and as someone without a card for payments, I wasn't sure how I would afford to integrate AI into my project. On top of that, I was still new to backend development, which would be essential for handling the AI’s logic.
However, after some research, I stumbled upon Gemini AI Studio. The best part? It offered free access to AI tools, which meant I could continue with my project without worrying about costs. This was a game-changer, and I was finally able to move forward with my plan.
Building the Mental Health Tracker:
With Gemini AI Studio, I started building my Mental Health Tracker. The goal of the project was to create a web app where users could answer a set of questions about their mental health, and based on their answers, the app would provide tailored suggestions and guidance.
While I faced some hurdles during development, such as learning new concepts and troubleshooting issues along the way, I made sure to take everything step-by-step. The beauty of the project is that it’s not perfect yet—it's a practice project, after all—but it's a great starting point for beginners like me. More importantly, I believe it can truly help people by providing insights into their mental health and offering useful advice.
What I Learned from This Experience:
This project has been a fantastic learning opportunity. Even though it's not at a fully professional level, it taught me a lot about working with AI, how to integrate it into a real-world application, and the process of building a meaningful project. The challenges I faced helped me learn faster and understand the practicalities of using AI tools.
I encourage other beginners to step out of their comfort zones and try building something new, just as I did. Even if it’s a small project, it will teach you a lot. Plus, working on something that can have a positive impact on others, like the Mental Health Tracker, makes it even more rewarding.
Overcoming Fear of Sharing:
One of the biggest hurdles I faced wasn’t technical but emotional: the fear of sharing my work. Mental health is a sensitive topic, and I wasn’t sure how people would react. I feared criticism and was unsure whether my project would be seen as useful or effective. However, after some time, I gathered the courage to share it with others. I realized that people’s feedback was crucial for me to improve and that it was okay if it wasn’t perfect. This was just a starting point, after all.
Once the project was complete, I was amazed by how well everything came together. The AI worked as expected, and the tracker was functional. Even though this was just a practice project, I felt proud of what I had accomplished. It felt like a great starting point, and I was excited to share it with the world.
Now, I’m at the stage where I want to share the Mental Health Tracker with others. I believe that people will find it useful, and I’m eager to hear their feedback. Your feedback is incredibly important to me, as it will help me improve the project and continue learning. I encourage you to try it out and let me know your thoughts!
Here’s the link to the website: Men-Heal Tracker.
What's Your Reaction?
