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Everyone wants and needs to be healthy. And that includes physical, emotional and also mental health. There are many ways to go about getting there and maintaining practices that help optimize health. In fact, there are tools readily available on a variety of smart devices, including phones, that help support a user’s mental health daily. Here are seven of the top apps for better mindfulness and mental health.
Calm
Calm tops the list, with over 100 million downloads, fantastic reviews and a reputation as “the world's happiest app”. It was also the winner of Apple’s “Best of 2018 Award” and “2017 App of the Year”. This popular platform can help improve a variety of fundamental aspects of our lives including sleep, focus and general self-improvement, and it can even reduce stress and anxiety.
This app is a great option for those starting out on their mindfulness journey, and also includes programs for intermediate and advanced users. Its greatest value, reports the LA Times, is that it has become part of people’s bedtime routine and helps users enjoy quality, deep sleep. The soothing music, murmured stories and, as the name promises, calm energy of the app are things that set it apart and will continue being appreciated by its growing number of subscribers.
Headspace
The Headspace app is another great option that helps people find more joy and make their days happier. Its goal is to teach its users to manage stress, relax and focus energy to become more centered and well rested. “Be kind to your mind,” suggests the app’s website.
With daily meditations, productivity-enhancing music and fitness courses, this app offers a variety of uses and options to choose from. It also provides “SOS Sessions” for moments of anxiety, stress and panic, as well as “Move Mode” for releasing stress and tension. Its subscription program claims to bring balance to daily life when used for just a few minutes each day.
This company has made headlines for reasons other than having a famous Chief Music Officer, John Legend. During the pandemic, it launched a nonprofit, Headspace for Teens, that provides free access and support to some of its meditations and exercises for teens aged 13-18, according to Engadget. Kudos to Headspace for using their platform to do even more good than they were already doing!
Waking Up
This platform is “not just another meditation app,” as its creators write in its App Store description. It is about opening the door to self-awareness, helping people better understand themselves and even learn a new way of being in the world. Waking Up features world-renowned meditation teachers, scholars and scientists, and sessions are meant to create a radical shift in perspective and thinking.
This company practices what it preaches when it comes to self-improvement and doing good in the world by donating a minimum of 10 percent of profits to charities and foundations. Sam Harris, neuroscientist, philosopher and the creator of Waking Up, says that the purpose of meditation isn’t only to de-stress and be calm. He believes it is “to radically transform your sense of who and what you are.”
Simple Habit
This app says it helps people “feel better in just five minutes”. It was featured on the popular business reality TV series, Shark Tank, and won Apple’s “New Apps We Love” in 2016. Simple Habit is recommended by several renowned mental health professionals and its users get to better their marriages, parenthood and other relationships through the guidance of its program.
Its five minute meditations are ideal for busy people. Also offered are meditations for specific situations such as preparing for a date or having a difficult conversation.
Tide
Tide is perfect for procrastinators looking to find their inner peace, according to the Fueled blog. Using the Pomodoro technique, a time management method that breaks work and tasks down into 25 minute intervals, this app allows its users to get things done while listening to a variety of sounds from nature. The relaxing sounds are also available as meditation sessions and even to listen to while taking a nap or falling asleep.
The app’s goal is to provide mindfulness practices through its natural soundscapes for improving subscribers' physical and mental condition. It is suitable for anyone who suffers from sleep problems, creatives who get discturbed by noisy environments, as well as people looking for general anxiety and stress relief. Its wide selection of sounds, daily inspiring quotes and unique music fusion mode, which mixes good music with natural sounds, aims to bring calm and provide people with a peaceful experience.
