3 (free) Apps To Help You Relax Your Mind & Body
Feeling just a tad more anxious than usual lately? Having trouble sleeping? The world got you feelin’ stressed?
With political/social tensions high and COVID-19 back on the rise, I bet we could all certainly use a vacation right about now! Anyone else miss the mildly pressured pain or the sound of your ears popping shortly after take off? …I never thought I would either.
With that being said- a vacation isn’t the only way to experience relaxation, take a break, or let go of those darned thoughts about the future. And “not for nothing but” (something a friend of mine says right before she’s going to make a point) vacations can be costly & don’t truly help us address anxiety, stress, or sleep issues!
The apps listed in this post are completely free! The best part about them…they can just about be used anytime, anywhere, with the support of a therapist or without! There are a lot of meditation/mindfulness/stress management apps out there that advertise themselves as free…and unfortunately they turn out to be anything but after that trial or starter pack ends.
Below you will find a list of 3 free apps that may be helpful in managing stress, reducing anxious feelings and improving sleep. Some of these apps will even help you to better tolerate and accept difficult emotions.
Offerings: Guided Meditation, Mindfulness, Relaxing Music tracks, Talks & Therapeutic Pep Talks, Meditation Timer, Discussion groups & Community Features, Stats & milestones for progress tracking
I think the most impressive thing about this app is that its library contains more than 60,000 meditations and relaxing music tracks. So, not so fond of the speakers accent or tone? Finding that the length of the meditation is longer than you can tolerate? No problem! There is something for everybody on this app.
What I love about it: New content is added every day, Free 7 day Meditation Course, Parenting & Kids Sections
Offerings: Catalog of additional exercises available for free download, goal setting and tracking, Education, Audio-guided mindfulness exercises, a mindfulness mastery assessment to help track progress, customizable reminders, access to other support and crisis resources
Mindfulness! A word often thrown around without much intention. Interestingly enough, mindfulness in a nutshell means noticing and paying attention to what is going on in the present moment (without any judgement or attachment to it).
What I love about it: This is a great app for beginners- the app allows for gradual, self-guided training and provides a solid introduction to mindfulness.
Offerings: Breathing Exercises, Educational materials, Instructional videos & text, progress tracking, audio coaching
A worthwhile download and stress management tool. This app will teach you how to engage in diaphragmatic breathing and may be helpful to your mindfulness practices. This app is great in that it will also educate you about the biology of stress, and the effects of stress on the body. It was developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), however, it is not restricted to use by the military or veterans, so don’t let that stop you from downloading!
What I love about it: Since it was developed by DoD and T2, it is compliant with federal guidelines for clinical practice and HIPAA. Furthermore, the app doesn’t require you to enter any personal information…bonus points!
There are so many health benefits associated with these practices.. Regardless of what led you to this post, I do hope you give them a try and find them helpful!
Stay Well,
Katie