We’ve written extensively about the importance of destressing.
Stress is a killer and causes a kaleidoscope of mental and physical issues. With stress at an all-time high, you need a way to deal with it – and bring happiness back into your life – STAT!
People in every age group are turning to calming apps to help achieve a more relaxed state of being. Calming apps are exploding in popularity because they provide immediate self-care benefits like stress reduction through convenient, enjoyable smartphone app platforms.
Below, we look at five calming apps that may help you better manage your daily stress and anxiety, help you breathe more deeply, and feel a little more centered, so you’re ready to handle anything life throws your way.
1. Aura
Some of the world’s most sought-after meditation teachers and therapists collaborated to make Aura – an all-in-one app for mental wellness. It features the most extensive library of mindfulness meditations, bedtime stories, life coaching, hypnosis sessions, and cognitive behavioral therapy through a personalized, user-friendly, and highly effective interface.
Aura also allows you to track your mood throughout the day, keep a gratitude journal, and listen to soothing sounds. Learning and participating in daily meditation challenges enable you to level up your meditation practice.
Although you can’t replay the meditation clips as often as you want or have full access to its extensive library without purchasing the full subscription, the free Aura version can still benefit your peace and wellbeing journey.
Free Limited Access | Available for iPhone and Android – Full Access $59.99 a year.
2. Happify
Happify’s techniques were developed by therapy experts in mindfulness and positive psychology interventions. Whether you’re feeling anxious, stressed, depressed, or dealing with negative thoughts, Happify gives you practical tools to take control of your emotional wellbeing.
This easy-to-use, self-guided app encourages you to connect with your thoughts and feelings through activities, journals, and learning “tracks.”
Happify’s guest version allows you to access its learning tracks, 20 guided meditations, and support and feedback from the Happify community. The Happify Plus package gives you access to over 300 guided meditation, unlimited activity and games, and ways to measure your progress.
Free Limited Access | Available for iPhone and Happify website – Full Access $69.99 a year.
3. Yoga Studio
Practicing yoga helps relieve stress through stretching. On the physical side, the poses ease tension, alleviate discomfort and promote flexibility. Yoga is also known to clear your mind and release blocked emotions.
Are you interested in Yoga? This affordable app allows you to enjoy HD video yoga classes with teacher commentary that’s clear and easy to follow. With a library of 65 yoga and meditation classes, scheduling, and detailed advice and instructions on 280 poses, Yoga Studio is the number one destination for the health-conscious set looking to begin their yoga journey.
Priced at $3.99 | Available for iPhone and Android
4. Adult Colouring
Recreational activities like drawing and coloring have gone digital on smartphones and tablets. And coloring isn’t just for children anymore. It’s the hot new relaxation trend for adults. Adult Colouring Book allows you to indulge yourself in hours of peaceful color therapy with hundreds of designs to color, including flowers, animals, geometric designs, and other types of artwork. Simply select your color and tap to paint.
Free | Available for iPhone and Android
5. Better Sleep
Stress has a profound impact on your ability to sleep soundly.
If you’re having trouble nodding off, Better Sleep (formerly Relax Melodies) is an excellent sleep aid that can help quiet your anxieties so you can fall asleep faster.
Better Sleep allows you to manage your worries and quiet your thoughts with a customizable combination of sounds and melodies, meditation or bedtime stories, gentle exercises, and breathing techniques. Lay back, listen, and enjoy falling fast asleep. It’s that simple, and it works.
$59.99 a year / Available for iPhone and Android
Supplement for Stress Relief
Using calming apps is a convenient, effective way to deal immediately with stressful moments in your life. Another trend in the stress relief space is adaptogens. Adaptogens support your resistance to stress’s physical and mental effects and promote a greater sense of calm. (1-2)
Functional mushrooms, specifically Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Maitake, and Reishi, are some of the most researched adaptogens. Studies show these functional mushrooms may help regulate your adrenal glands, which produce the primary stress hormones of adrenaline and cortisol. (3)
Stonehenge Health’s Dynamic Mushrooms™ is an expertly crafted blend of Lion’s Mane, Chaga, Maitake, Reishi, and Shiitake mushrooms. Using Dynamic Mushrooms™ as part of an overall healthy lifestyle can help you better adapt to physical and mental stressors, support your brain and immune system health and boost natural energy.
Sources:
1. VA.gov | Veterans Affairs. (2022). Retrieved 8 July 2022, from va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/adaptogens.asp
2. Understanding adaptogenic activity: specificity of the pharmacological action of adaptogens and other phytochemicals – PubMed |pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28640972/
3. A preliminary review of studies on adaptogens: comparison of their bioactivity in TCM with that of ginseng-like herbs used worldwide – PMC | ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6240259/
