There was a period of time where I was obsessed with discovering and exploring new apps for organization, meditation, mental health, journaling, you name it. I loved studying the app designs and layouts, and the various color schemes and themes. I was also on a hunt for a few apps that I could find useful in my everyday life. I have been working on taking a few minutes to meditate more often and finding online resources to help me with my recovery and healing process.
I haven’t had much time to find a therapist, but I know that my mental health is a priority. Until I can get into the habit of seeing a therapist regularly, I will always have my phone on hand. There are numerous apps that are designed to support and guide those who are struggling. These six apps are ones that I have loved using and are designed for anyone and everyone. They are all super user-friendly and of course, free!
Sanvello – Mindfulness and wellbeing for anxiety and stress
There are “guided paths” (feeling better, taking control, building confidence, and mindfulness) designed to teach cognitive behavioral therapy related skills. You can set goals for habits and self-track your mood, sleep, exercise, and anxiety triggers. There’s a “thoughts” module that focuses on helping you understand your thought patterns and develop more balanced perspectives to reduce anxiety. Sanvello also includes 15 communities, chat groups, and guided visualizations. There are 11 in the free version and 33 more in the paid.
Calm harm – Self harm management
This app features 5 and 15 minute activities designed to help users manage urges and impulses to hurt themselves. The app also offers resources, such as websites and hotlines. Users can create their own call list for people they can reach out to during a crisis. Activity types include: comfort, distract, express yourself, release, breathe, and random.
Calm – Meditation and relaxation
Apple named this app the iPhone App of the Year in 2017. It is used for getting better sleep, boosting confidence, and reducing stress and anxiety with the help of guided meditations, soothing music, and bedtime stories. The paid version is $60 a month, but there is a 7 day free trial where you can continue with the app for free (with limited features). There are all sorts of calming and moving sceneries, all while the app keeps track of your meditation progress. The app also features bedtime stories which are all very descriptive and soothing.
Headspace – Meditation
Headspeace is one of the most popular meditation apps that features many themed sessions including sleep, stress, focus, and anxiety. The app offers short, five minute sessions for busy schedules, and emergency sessions for sudden breakdowns. On their website, Headspace claims to “reduce stress in 10 days”, “improve focus by 14% in 4 weeks”, and “increase happiness by 16% in 10 days”.
Simple Habit – Meditation
This app offers meditation sessions anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes in categories such as relationships, spirit, career, health, school, parenting, athletics, sleep, and more. My favorite part of the app is the “On-the-Go Quick Picks” wheel, which gives you options to choose the time of day, your mood, or where you are. It will narrow it down further and find the most suitable session for you. For example, you can choose that you have a big event coming up, and from there, your options are feeling nervous, public speaking, test or interview, and before a difficult conversation. If you are taking a break, you can choose from options such as work break, taking a bath, stressed, improve focus, and eating.
Sanity & Self – Self care and meditation for women
Designed to help empower women and help them gain insight, confidence, better peace of mind, and get better sleep. These audio journeys are broken down into three 10 day series and two 20 minute daily sessions. Categories include relationships, self-love, healing, empowerment, anxiety & stress, sleep, and personal growth. You can also set reminders for yourself, write in a personal journal, and contribute to various threads and conversations with other users.