For all of us, stress can have a real, negative impact on our lives. But there are plenty of apps that can help. We look at six of the best.
Statistics show that people all around the world are battling stress. Around 75%–90% of doctor visits in the United States are in some way related to stress.
At the same time, 13.5 million workdays in Europe are lost yearly due to stress complaints.
Meanwhile, countries in Africa, Asia, and South America rank the highest in average stress levels.
Despite what society says, more and faster isn’t always better. Take a moment to chill out with these six apps that help you relax.
Insight Timer: Free
There are many fantastic relaxation apps out there, but some of them have price tags that may make your blood pressure spike.
Insight Timer is a completely free app with a nearly perfect five-star rating.
Enjoy over 30,000 pre-recorded guided meditation sessions and keep track of your progress.
Earn badges for the time you’ve spent meditating to turn relaxation into a game. Learn from well-known yogis and mental health experts.
Start your journey to a less stressful life today, and download Insight Timer for iOS or Android.
Pigment – Adult Colouring Book: Free
Meditation isn’t the only way to relax. Some people prefer to do repetitive activities to clear their minds.
Pigment is one of many Adult Colouring Book apps that lets you colour the stress away mess-free and on the go.
Unlike other colouring apps, Pigment has the extra advantage of offering 10 different paintbrushes to give you more control.
Plus, you can easily tap on every angle to colour efficiently. This free app is a great way to be creative and use pretty colours to chill out whenever you need a break.
You can get Pigment on both Android and iOS.
MindMeister: Free
MindMeister is an effective way to get all our thoughts organized.
The free mind-mapping app allows you to brainstorm your ideas without any order or structure.
It puts everything into a visual form so that it can stop buzzing around in your brain.
The free app offers the bare bones of mind mapping. A subscription will allow you to export maps in PDF and PNG format, plus it lets you create and edit unlimited maps.
You can even add files and images to topics. The app is available for both Android and iOS.
Smiling Mind: Free
Two Australian mindfulness and medication enthusiasts came together to create an app that makes these two practices accessible to everyone.
In just 10 minutes a day, Smiling Mind can guide adults and children to improve their mental health and academic performance.
Since it was launched in 2012, over 4.1million people have used Smiling Mind to learn about mindfulness.
The free app is a unique programme that helps bring balance to people’s lives. It discusses overall health, including eating well, keeping the body healthy, mental health, and more.
It is available for both Android and iOS.
Zen Sand Garden: Free for Android, $2.99 for iOS
For an aesthetically pleasing mindless activity, play with sand and rocks. You can have a zen garden in your pocket for free.
Sand Garden costs $2.99 for iOS, and Zen Garden 3D Lite is free for Android.
Both games let you rake sand and arrange rocks in your very own zen garden!
Calm – Meditate, Sleep, Relax: Free Trial or $69.99/year
Last but not least, the Calm app is one of the top-rated apps for relaxation. It can improve your sleep quality, reduce stress or anxiety, improve focus, and more!
According to their website, 84% of Calm users who used the app five times a week saw improved mental health.
With more than 50 million downloads and 700,000 five-star reviews, Calm is known as the “World’s Happiest App”.
You can try the app for free or pay $69.99/year or $399.99 for lifetime access.
The Calm app combines guided meditations, sleep stories, and mindful practice lessons to help people live better.
Try the app that Apple named ‘App of the Year’ in 2017. It is available for both Android and iOS.
Many different apps exist to help you battle stress. The more typical apps focus on breathing and medication.
However, there are mind mapping apps, adult colouring books, and many other ways that you can take a break from the busy world and de-stress.
Even just a few minutes can help you unwind and do wonders for your mental health.
Photos: Shutterstock
De-stressing can be a great way to keep emotionally happy. Here’s some tips to find that place:
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