As more and more social distancing measures are taken, and we’re all increasingly stuck indoors, it’s easy to feel trapped, anxious and upset in the current situation. One of the most effective ways to manage low mood and anxiety is practising mindfulness and meditation, and fortunately, this is something you can do easily from your own home. We’ve rounded up a few of the best mindfulness and meditation apps available right now so you can stay in control and ensure your own wellbeing at this difficult time.
The Mindfulness App really focuses on the importance of remembering to do a meditation session every day in order to truly reap the benefits of the practice. As such, the app offers not only a number of expertly guided meditation sessions (and timed silent sessions), but also a reminder function which can be activated on specific times and places. The app is free to download and offers a free five-day introduction to Mindfulness, on iOS and Android.
Calm offers a lot more than just meditation, with sessions that help sleep, music and scenes to help you focus and relax, and videos guiding you though body movements that can promote mindfulness and an overall feeling of wellbeing. Calm is free to download and offers a 7 day free trial of their complete library of resources – but you can access a limited selection for free on iOS and Android.
MoodMission takes a slightly more practical approach to mental wellbeing. Users select how they are feeling – for example anxious or depressed – and after a little further clarification of the feelings, the app suggests a selection of ‘missions’ that have the potential to make you feel better. The missions range from light physical activity, to activities such as knitting and sewing, or simple mental exercises to help ‘decatastrophise’. It’s based on CBT, and is available for free on iOS and Android (but not on iPads or iPhones 4S and earlier).
Zen is another guided meditation app with a particular focus on reducing anxiety and aiding in restful sleep. Alongside guided meditation sessions (updated weekly for subscribers), Zen also offers deep sleep music, morning music and a mood monitoring feature to help you keep track of your mental wellbeing. The app is free to download on iOS and Android and offers a free trial and a number of paid subscription options.
- Words:
- Amy Callaghan
- Published on:
- Sun 3 Jan 2021
Headspace offers a very basic introduction to meditation for free, with a number of short guided sessions available to listen to on your phone anytime (online or offline – you can download the sessions). The free sessions are great for complete beginners, and it’s available for iOS, Android and on their website. If you’ve got a little more meditation experience, you can check out a free trial of their paid subscription options to discover some great next steps.