Quick summary: Guilherme Mendes built CONFIA after two periods of anxiety that began with a scare involving his daughter and then showed up as convincing physical symptoms, uncertainty, and a loop of watching the body more closely. The free Android app is framed as a tool for naming feelings, recording change, and seeing that recovery is not a straight line, not as a diagnosis or a substitute for a doctor or psychologist. The practical point for mental health and well-being is that self-understanding and continuity can sit alongside professional care, while privacy, user control, and a clear line between shared experience and medical advice have to shape any tool offered to people who are already vulnerable.

It began with a frightening incident involving my daughter. As a father I felt an enormous emotional weight. Afterwards physical symptoms appeared and my concern about my health grew. I did not think this was anxiety. The sensations were real, so I sought medical advice and tried to rule out other explanations. In time I understood how physical and convincing anxiety can feel.

I did not realise how deeply anxiety could affect someone until I lived through it. When I later imagined CONFIA I drew on what I had needed in those moments. The project did not begin with a technology company or a business plan. It grew from anxiety, fear and uncertainty, and from a wish to make that journey less lonely for others.

The hardest part was the uncertainty. A sensation would appear, I would worry and watch it more closely, and that attention made everything more intense. It was hard to accept that anxiety could affect my body, sleep and everyday thinking so strongly. Medical and psychological support mattered. I improved over time and learned that understanding what is happening changes how we relate to anxiety.

Later I went through another period of anxiety, again connected to a family scare. Recovery had not erased the possibility of feeling vulnerable. This time I recognised some patterns and knew I could ask for help. That reinforced an idea central to CONFIA. Emotional progress is rarely a straight line. A difficult day should not erase the progress that came before it.

I wanted more than motivational phrases or instructions to relax. I wanted a way to look inward, name feelings, record changes and notice patterns over time. The name CONFIA means learning to trust the process, know yourself better and gradually regain a sense of safety.

CONFIA does not diagnose anyone and does not replace a doctor, psychologist or other health professional. I see it as a tool for support, self-understanding and personal reflection. When assessment or treatment is needed, an app cannot take the place of professional care.

I turned the experience into an app gradually, without a large company or a big team. People can check in with how they feel, follow their journey, work with personal goals and use spaces for reflection. I have worked on making the experience more responsive, so yesterday’s records still give context today. The community offers a place to recognise shared experiences while respecting privacy. Personal stories should never be confused with medical advice.

I kept CONFIA free because the project began with the wish to help. Cost should not be the first obstacle when someone is already vulnerable. CONFIA is available as a free Android app on Google Play.

I no longer see CONFIA only as my project. In September 2026 the app reached around 850 users. That may seem small to a large technology company, but each installation represents a person with a story. It increases my responsibility to improve the writing, tools, privacy and overall experience.

Building something I find useful is different from building something another person wants to return to. I now think more about continuity and whether people can recognise their progress. There is no single experience of anxiety. An app can have many tools and still fail to support someone in a meaningful way.

I do not claim CONFIA is better simply because I created it. What I want to preserve is the connection between a real personal story, a person’s ongoing record and an experience that responds to their journey. Privacy and user control should shape the product.

I would not choose those difficult moments. CONFIA does not make anxiety a positive thing. A difficult period can still lead to understanding, empathy and a wish to build something for others. I would like someone who uses CONFIA for a while to look back and understand themselves better, not to say an app solved their problem.

What you are feeling deserves to be heard and understood, and you do not have to find every answer alone. No two journeys are identical, and there is no instant solution. Sometimes the first step is not to stop feeling something, but to begin understanding it and slowly find a way forward.

Guilherme Mendes the creator of CONFIA, a free Android app in mental health, well-being and self-understanding.