Pocket Crisis Plan

Inspiration

I've always believed that when someone is going through a mental or emotional crisis, what they need most isn't a lecture or a hotline. They need a moment of calm, clarity, and something that reminds them why they want to hold on.

I built Pocket Crisis Plan because I’ve seen people struggle silently, including myself at times. It's hard to reach out for help in those moments. This app is designed to be a personal safety net—something gentle, quiet, and always there.

Whether you're feeling anxious, alone, or overwhelmed, it offers structured support: calming techniques, reminders of what matters, your trusted contacts, and even a space to reflect.

I wanted this to feel like carrying a mental health first-aid kit in your pocket—because everyone deserves support, even when they don't know how to ask for it.

That’s when I pivoted to build Pocket Crisis Plan from scratch (During submission period). An app designed to be a calm, supportive space during moments of emotional overwhelm. It’s a tool I wish I had during my own low points, and I built it to be a lifeline anyone can carry in their pocket.

What it does

Pocket Crisis Plan is a beautifully designed mental wellness companion that offers:

• Crisis Journal: Write and tag emotional entries (e.g., 😊 happy, 😔 sad).
• Smart Search: Search by keywords or emotion (e.g., emotion:sad).
• Emotion Heatmap: A 7-day emotion visualization showing your dominant feeling each day.
• AI Assistant (MindEase Chat): A gentle, conversational assistant like ChatGPT for your feelings and hear those words you need in hard times. (currently placeholder due to billing limits).
• Crisis Plan Setup: Add calming techniques, trusted contacts, reasons to stay, and comfort content.
• All your data stays local ensuring privacy and safety.

How I built it

Built from bolt.new prompt and making changes through direct coding.

• React + Tailwind CSS for frontend UI.
• AppContext for clean state management.
• EmotionHeatmap custom component built to visualize mood trends.
• OpenAI API connected to MindEase Chat (currently returns mock replies due to quota limits).
• Data is stored locally using localStorage.

Challenges we ran into

Pivoting from my initial project idea was tough it felt like starting over. I struggled early on with Bolt’s prompt limits and needed a reliable, coded solution. Connecting to OpenAI’s API worked, but I hit a 429 “quota exceeded” error due to billing limits. Designing a helpful UX for emotional journaling while keeping things lightweight was a constant balancing act.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Rebuilt the app mostly with fully coded screens, without relying much on Bolt prompts.
• Created a meaningful, usable product with journal, search, and heatmap features that just work.
• Designed an empathetic, gentle UI that feels like a calm space true to its purpose.
• Integrated AI chat support in a grounded, helpful way.

What we learned

• That great products often come from pivoting and listening to your intuition and your users.
• How to balance emotion driven design with technical implementation.
• That even a solo builder with limited tokens can build something meaningful, beautiful, and useful.
• How to integrate OpenAI APIs and create a conversational assistant from scratch.

What's next for Pocket Crisis Plan

• Enable full AI chat support once billing is active (to unlock real OpenAI replies).
• Optional secure cloud sync and backup for long-term journaling
• Share it with schools, mental health orgs, or open-source it for community use.

Built With

• and-elegant-ui-styling-bolt.new-(code-mode)-?-for-direct-coding-and-building-the-app-from-scratch-openai-api-?-for-ai-powered-emotional-support-(currently-mocked-due-to-quota)-localstorage-?-to-persist-user-data-securely-on-device-lucide-icons-?-for-clean
• bolt.new
• localstorage
• lucideicons
• openaiapi
• react
• responsive
• tailwindcss
• typescript
• vite