We are very lucky to have technology come as far as it has, and that there are developers out there who have our mental health and well-being at heart. They have creatively come up with apps that put tools at our fingertips to help with mood and to give us peace of mind. Here are 10 of my favorites and what they do:
1. Happify: "How you feel matters! Whether you're feeling sad, anxious, or stressed, Happify brings you effective tools and programs to help you take control of your feelings and thoughts.
Our proven techniques are developed by leading scientists and experts who've been studying evidence-based interventions in the fields of positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy for decades."
2. Headspace: "For thousands of years, meditators have claimed many benefits for their practice. Our experience, and that of Headspace members, suggests that regular mindfulness practice, through meditation, is an effective treatment for stress, worry, lack of focus, relationship problems, addictions and more. It leads to peace of mind and wellbeing, greater focus and creativity and better relationships."
3. 3 Minute Mindfulness: "1. Equal Breathing: Simply breathe in, and breathe out. It's perfect for focusing on your breathing and bringing you into the moment. 2. Square Breathing: This popular breathing technique helps you clear and focus your mind. The benefits include feeling calmer, relieving tension and giving you back control over your mind! 3. 4-7-8 breathing: Another super popular breathing technique that has been described as a natural tranquillizer. If you struggle to sleep, this is the exercise you need. 4. Custom Breathing: If the breathing exercises supplied just aren't enough for you, you can create your own!
4. Buddhify: "Buddhify is the mindfulness app for your modern life. Practical, playful and beautifully-designed, Buddhify 2 increases your wellbeing by teaching you mindfulness-based meditation on the go. With over 11 hours of custom meditations for 15 different parts of your day including traveling, being online, taking a work break and going to sleep, Buddhify 2 gives you a simple but effective way to bring more mindfulness and calm to your busy day."
5. 28 Day Meditation: "The natural way of meditation is not to know many things but to forget everything. Then you will know everything." -- Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati
This challenge is a simple and effective daily practice. It will teach you the principles of meditation and grow your personal practice day by day. Each practice outline is unique and teaches a different lesson. Throughout the 28 days, your practice will grow and evolve, resulting in a calmer, peaceful self."
6. Stress Free Life: "Put on your headphones and drift into a deep state of physical and emotional relaxation. This application is a guided meditation that helps you unwind and beat stress."
7. The Light Space: "The Light Space introduces impactful motivational video collection online. The company is sharing creatively crafted videos that are based on the themes like Meditation, depression, happiness, motivation, spirituality and more. According to the company, they are targeting to develop the overall personality of the viewers and eliminate the negative vibes from their lives."
8. Infinite Storm: "Best Free Storm Simulator. Infinite Storm gives you a constant storm to help you sleep, study, relax or provide you a way to hide your tinnitus and let you rest! Adjustable settings to add different sounds to your storm like thunder or even birds! Also perfect for dock or next you your bed! Comes with a date display on the screen. The audio also works when locked or app is closed! You can also control the volume of the storm so it doesn't over power your music."
9. Brainwaves: "Benefits of Brainwaves:
- Total relaxation of the entire body from head to toe
- Reduce Anxiety or Relieve Stress
- Feeling of sedation
- Enhance cognitive ability
- Increase ability to meditate deeply
- Explore spiritual side of life
- Place you in a state of hypnosis
- Treat ADHD and personality disorders
- Heighten your mood
- Ease the symptoms of depression
- Beat insomnia and sleep like a baby
And a lot more is waiting for you to explore."
10. White Noise and Deep Sleep: "Even when you're asleep, your brain is constantly scanning and listening for sounds. If it's too quiet, unwanted noise such as a faucet drip or police siren can interrupt your sleep. White Noise generates sounds over a wide range of frequencies, masking those noise interruptions, so you can not only fall asleep, but stay asleep."
Many of these are free, or are only a few dollars. Well worth the investment of meditation, relaxation, and quality sleep that they can help provide you. Many offer free trials, so you can test them out before you buy. If you need help getting started, a few sessions with an individual therapist can give you a great base to work from. Since we are talking technology, why not do that part online as well, with groups like Teladoc, Betterhelp, or AmericanWell. They can help you with the basic skills, and then you can be off and running with you newfound, and new fun technology that helps promote well being!