Millions of people experience various forms of anxiety, which can often be debilitating and can severely affect their lives. The good news is that there are myriad apps available to help bring anxiety under control.
Most of the apps integrate meditation and breathwork known to be useful for combatting anxiety. Some apps may offer specific courses to learn more about anxiety, whereas others will have specific meditations and exercises to decrease anxiety levels. There is an app for you, whether you are looking for a specific type of app or just testing the waters for new anxiety interventions.
Calm: Sleep & Meditation
The #1 app for sleep and meditation has a free version that includes timed meditation options, day one of all multi-day meditation programs (such as seven days of focus or 21 days of calm), the Breathe Bubble, and a sleep story called Blue Gold. Calm app also has a large number of free scenes users can select from to play nature sounds and/or music in the background, on both the guided and unguided meditation.
A premium subscription includes an original Daily Calm meditation session every day, several hours of guided meditations covering sleep, anxiety, stress, gratitude, and much more. It also grants access to a library of more than 120 sleep stories. New stories are added every week, along with exclusive music tracks for focus, relaxation, sleep, and Masterclasses featuring world-renowned mindfulness experts.
Download Calm App
Free to download and use basic features
Full access Premium Subscription: $14.99 monthly, or $69.99 annually.
Insight Timer
Insight Timer offers guided meditations and talks in varying lengths led by the world’s top meditation and mindfulness experts, neuroscientists, psychologists, and instructors.
Regular and daily meditation for anxiety relief helps users to focus on staying in the present moment and recognize a situation for what it is. Users can sort through meditations based on the length of the session and gender, popularity, and other information about the teacher. Premium subscription offers offline meditation and courses.
Download Insight Timer App
Free to download and use basic features
Full access Premium Subscription: $9.99 monthly, or $59.99 annually.
iBreathe
iBreathe provides an easy-to-use, beautifully designed user interface that is excellent for beginners, whether you are struggling with stress, anxiety, insomnia, or are trying to meditate and relax. Syncs with quick actions via haptic touch (a long press from your iPhone or Apple Watch home screen) to quickly start your breathing exercises, which is great when anxiety peaks. Customizable reminders that tell you to breathe throughout the day can be set, and there are predefined presets specifically designed to help with stress and anxiety.
Download iBreathe App
Free to download and use
In-app Purchase: $1.99 to Remove Ads
Tide
Tide app is designed to help users sleep better. Unique to this app is a gentle wake alarm feature. Disrupted sleep can make anxiety worse both in the moment and throughout the day ahead. Tide helps users sleep and nap with the sounds of nature. Aiming to support physical and mental care, Tide’s goal is to get listeners away from their fast-paced life and into calm, peaceful moments.
Tide offers sleep analysis, light wake-up alarms, nap modes, and calming nature sound for users looking to optimize their sleep. Specific sleep meditations are available for Tide Plus subscribers
Download Tide App
Free to download and use basic features
Full access Plus Subscription: $11.99 monthly, or $59.99 annually. per year.
Headspace
Headspace is all about being kind to your mind. With topics ranging from stress about politics, death, aging anxiety, body anxiety, and so much more.
New users can try a two-week free trial of Headspace Plus and get access to hundreds of guided meditations on everything from stress to sleep. There are short meditations you can do anytime, along with expert guidance, and sleep sounds to ease the mind into a truly restful sleep.
Download Headspace App
Free to download and use basic features
Full access Monthly $12.99, or Annually for $69.99
Colorfy
Meditations, breathing exercises, and visualization can be difficult for teens to access. Colorfy is a top pick for teens because it gives them a tangible task to work on with their hands while focusing their attention and mind through coloring.
Colorfy is an art and coloring game designed to help users pass the time, relax their minds, and have fun. Coloring comes in the form of a painting book with several designs to choose from. Users will find complex and simple art such as mandalas, animals, patterns, and florals in the coloring book and they have the option to upload their own drawings to color.
Download Colorfy App
Free to download and use basic features
Offers in-app features: $9.99
Happiness Trap: ACT Companion
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a scientifically supported, mindfulness-based behavior therapy that has demonstrated effectiveness in helping anxiety.
Not only is this app excellent for those looking to take their ACT work on-the-go in app form, but it is an incredibly affordable option to accompany work with an ACT-focused clinician or coach. In this newer app, users will find simple defusion and acceptance techniques, easy values-clarification, and goal-setting tools, powerful “observing self” and self-compassion exercises, and handy, easy-to-use tools like the Choice Point.
There are also traditional mindfulness exercises available such as mindfulness of the breath and body-scan meditations, exercises to inspire mindfully observing thoughts and emotions, and “active” mindfulness exercises such as mindful eating and mindful walking.
Download Happiness Trap: ACT Companion App
Free to download and use basic features
Full Access Subscription: One month ($1.99), three months ($3.99), and unlimited ($9.99).
Keep in mind that an app will not resolve or treat anxiety and does not replace working with a mental health professional. Hope any of these apps helps!
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