Mental health is just as important as physical health. So if you’ve been feeling anxious and stressed lately, it’s time to take action. Create a simple self-care routine and follow it every day. You will see positive changes very soon! Self-care is super important as it enhances our well-being by keeping us connected to ourselves. It helps manage stress, lowers the risks of illnesses, and increases energy. Well, your routine doesn’t have to be time-consuming or overwhelming. Just a few minutes of meditation a day can work wonders. Not sure where to begin? Ahead, we’ve picked 5 user-friendly meditation apps to help you find focus and de-stress. Let’s build healthy habits together!
Aura
Aura is an all-in-one mental wellness app that brings together the world's best coaches, therapists, and storytellers. The app is easy to navigate: all stories and meditations are divided into categories, such as sleep, anxiety, or happiness. So you can choose whatever suits your needs best. If you have insomnia or just want to relax, listen to the sounds of nature. Aura’s library has a variety of them, from thunder and rain to forest sounds. The app also allows you to track your mood and emotions. When you rate your experience, Aura learns from you, generating only the most relevant suggestions. The app has different subscription plans, including family ($119.99) and lifetime ($399.99) plans.
@biancatuzee, @barbara.shilova
Calm
Calm is one of the most talked about meditation apps. And it's easy to see why. Calm provides an impressive meditation catalog, relaxing music, audio programs by renowned mindfulness experts, breathing exercises, and guided videos on gentle stretching. The app also records all your stats and allows you to track your mood. Calm’s best feature is sure to be Sleep Stories, bedtime stories for both adults and children. The cool thing is that some of them are narrated by celebrities, including Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Matthew McConaughey, Rosé, and more. You can either get an annual subscription for $69.99 or pay $399.99 once to use the app forever.
@photoraspberry, @thatcoolmoodboard
Headspace
Founded by a former monk, Headspace provides hundreds of guided meditation and mindfulness exercises on subjects like general anxiety, stress, and building resilience. The winning point of the app is that it works great for every experience level and lifestyle. Having a busy schedule? Try short, 3-minute sessions. You can also opt for longer ones for any time of the day. And if you want to meditate with your friends, there’s such an option too. Plus, you can join live group meditation with members from around the world. Headspace will improve your focus, boost your concentration, help you cope with sadness, and even motivate you to exercise. Use the app for free, or get a subscription to access more features.
Insight Timer
Insight Timer is praised for its amount of free content. The app features an extensive meditation library and is great for both beginners and experienced practitioners. Insight Timer allows you to filter out content by need, specific benefits, or time. The app’s popular topics include self-love, stress reduction, concentration, better relationships, and more. At Insight Timer, meditation and talks are led by top experts, psychologists, and teachers from Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Oxford. By the way, the app is favored by celebs such as Jennifer Aniston and Gisele Bündchen. Insight Timer has one optional in-app subscription that opens access to more meditation courses and features.
Waking Up
Waking Up goes beyond meditation. It's a unique operating system for the mind and a guide to a deeper understanding of yourself. The app takes a more philosophical approach to mindfulness, explaining both the theory and the practice in detail. So you will learn not only the “how” of mindfulness but the “why” too. Here, you’ll discover wisdom from top scholars and experts, uncover different relaxation techniques and explore spiritual teachings. If you are a beginner, try a 28-part Introductory Course. It's a step-by-step foundation that will help you start your regular meditation practice. Waking Up’s monthly subscription costs $19.99, while the annual one is $99.99.
Pinterest, @matteomontanariphotography
