Stressed at work? These apps offer help for anxiety and trouble sleeping
Feeling anxious? You’re not alone. Millions of American adults suffer from anxiety disorders, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Anxiety disorders are actually the most common mental illness in the U.S., according to the group. And while the disorders can be treated, they said less than four in 10 people suffering from anxiety get treatment.
The association recommends that people suffering from anxiety disorders seek treatment like therapy or medication.
While an app can’t provide the same care as an expert, there are many apps that offer help with ways to calm down and get through the day. Here are some of the most popular apps to help deal with the stress:
Headspace
This app offers help in learning how to “mediate, breathe and live mindfully.” It has different exercises on topics like managing anxiety, relieving stress and breathing.
Its two three-minute “mini meditations” are perfect for a quick quiet moment alone during a stressful day.
Headspace also comes with features to help users sleep better, including sleep meditations and sounds.
The app is free but a subscription costs $12 per month or $69.99 for the year.
Here's where you can find it in the App Store and the Play Store.
Sanity & Self: Self-Care Guide
This female-focused app includes more than 800 guided audio sessions designed to help users examine their emotional health.
The creators said they want to take the shame out of taboo topics, and its sessions include topics ranging from relationships and sex to anxiety and self-improvement.
The audio sessions range from five to 30 minutes, offering something for people with different schedules.
The app is free, but a $99.99 annual subscription opens up more features.
Here's where you can find it in the App Store and the Play Store.
10% Happier: Meditation
This “Best of 2018” award-winner offers hundreds of guided meditations offering help with sleeping, being more mindful, improving relationships and generally becoming happier.
The app includes brief meditations to help users when they just have a few moments free. It also brings stories and inspiration to help with mindfulness.
It’s free, but a subscription opens up the app’s full library of content.
Here's where you can find it in the App Store and the Play Store.
Calm
Apple named this app its 2017 “App of the Year” and it boasts the No. 1 ranking in the App Store’s health and fitness category.
The app comes with guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, stretching exercises and relaxing music. Its mindfulness exercises are designed for beginners up to advanced users, and meditation sessions came in six length variables between three and 25 minutes.
The sleep stories include celebrity voices like Stephen Fry, Matthew McConaughey and Leona Lewis, plus the sounds of painter Bob Ross.
The app is a free download, but subscriptions range from $14.99 per month to $69.99 per year or $399.99 for a lifetime.
Here's where you can find it in the App Store and the Play Store.
Shine
This app, also a “Best of 2018” selection, offers users a personalized program led by a self-care expert to help work toward specific self-care goals.
Users will receive an empowering message with affirmations and advice each weekday morning. The app also recommends articles, meditations and exercises based on a user’s mood, plus a library of more than 500 guided meditations.
For bedtime, it includes stories inspired by movies.
The app is free. It offers monthly and annual subscriptions to unlimited access to its “Shine Talks,” priced at $11.99 and $53.99, respectively.
Here's where you can find it in the App Store and the Play Store.