Inspiration

1 in 3 college students report significant mental health struggles, yet most never seek help due to stigma, cost, or simply not knowing where to start. I wanted to build something a student could open at 2am during exam week and actually feel heard — no appointment needed, no judgment.

What it does

MindMate is a 6-feature AI mental health companion:

• AI Chat — Talk to a compassionate Cohere-powered companion anytime
• Mood Tracker — Log daily mood with a visual weekly trend chart
• Burnout Index — Auto-calculates your burnout risk from recent check-ins
• Guided Breathing — Animated 4-7-8 breathing exercise to reduce anxiety
• AI Journal — Write freely and receive warm, supportive AI feedback
• Coping Generator — Describe a stressor, get 3 personalized strategies instantly
• Crisis Resources — One-tap access to 988, Crisis Text Line, and more

How I built it

Built as a single-page React app. The AI features use Cohere's command-r-plus model via their free-tier API — the same model powers the chat companion, journal feedback, and coping strategy generator. Mood data and burnout score are computed in real time using React state. Charts are rendered with Recharts.

Challenges

The hardest part was designing the AI prompts so responses feel genuinely human and warm — not robotic or clinical. I also had to carefully structure the breathing animation so the circle scales smoothly in sync with each phase (inhale 4s → hold 7s → exhale 8s) using CSS transitions tied to React state.

What I learned

How to integrate a real AI API into a production-ready UI, design for emotional safety (not just usability), and build features that serve a vulnerable audience responsibly.

What's next

Streak tracking, peer support rooms, and integration with university counseling waitlists.

Built With

• ai
• api
• cohere
• javascript
• react