Turning Anxiety into Action: Harry’s Coding Journey with Inner Peace

The Developer Who Turned His Mental Health Journey Into Code

Meet Harry - a former Software Project Engineer who took a bold leap into the world of full-stack development with Sigma School. But his capstone project wasn’t just another assignment. It was deeply personal.

Harry has always found comfort in mindfulness apps like Headspace and Calm. As someone who has faced moments of stress and burnout, meditation became more than a routine—it became a lifeline. So when the time came to build something meaningful for his final project at Sigma School, he decided to create what helped him most: a meditation and sleep app called Inner Peace.

A World Where Everyone Feels Overwhelmed—But Few Have Tools to Cope

Mental health struggles, especially among young people, are more common than ever. Academic pressure, social media anxiety, and societal expectations weigh heavily on today's generation. Harry knew this reality firsthand.

That’s why Inner Peace wasn’t built to be flashy. It was built to be useful. The goal? Help users reconnect with themselves through guided meditations, calming audio, and personalized experiences. In a world of noise, Inner Peace aims to be your quiet space.

Inner Peace: The Tech-Driven Sanctuary Built from Scratch

To bring Inner Peace to life, Harry leaned into a tech stack that pushed him beyond his comfort zone. On the front end, he used React, Redux Toolkit Query for state management and API calls, and designed a clean, simple user interface inspired by his favorite mindfulness apps.

On the back end, he implemented a robust stack:

• Node.js with Express.js for server-side logic
• PostgreSQL for the database
• JWT for secure authentication
• Firebase for additional auth capabilities like Google Login

He even designed his own database schema and user session flow—handling everything from sign-up, login, to meditation session tracking and playback.

Bugs, Burnout & Breakthroughs: What It Really Took to Finish

Harry’s journey wasn’t smooth sailing. He hit major roadblocks in three key areas:

• UI/UX Design: Despite using Headspace for inspiration, he couldn’t replicate their polish. So he chose to focus on building a functional MVP, prioritizing features over aesthetics.
• Database & Auth Complexity: Designing the schema and integrating Firebase authentication required hours of research, documentation reading, and countless YouTube tutorials.
• Debugging & Folder Structuring: As he explored new technologies, Harry faced frequent bugs and had to restructure his code multiple times before things began to click.
  

But every challenge became a lesson. Harry debugged tirelessly, leaned on ChatGPT, and developed a deeper understanding of writing his own backend APIs. With each bug squashed, his confidence grew.

A Stronger Coder, A Stronger Mind

In the end, Inner Peace wasn’t just a meditation app. It was a symbol of Harry’s transformation - from someone overwhelmed by stress to someone who could build solutions for it.

Through this capstone, Harry didn’t just become a better coder—he became more patient, more adaptable, and more strategic. He plans to improve the app’s design, add full profile image uploads, and refine his planning and time management moving forward.

His parting words?

“Thanks to Sigma School, I now feel confident in building full-stack applications from scratch. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to keep going—even when things get hard.”