Apps to help with anxiety
Anxiety is on the rise. Many of us might benefit from some help managing anxiety symptoms. And though apps can’t replace treatment from a mental health professional, they can help relieve the effects. From tracking your mood to beginning a mindfulness practice or meditating, there’s an anxiety app out there for you.
Just like finding the right counsellor – you might need to try a few before you find the one that best works for you. Almost all of the apps have a free trial period – just remember to cancel your subscription before the end of the trial to ensure you are not charged!
Here are some of my recommended apps:
Happy Place
Price: One Month Free Trial, then Yearly £49.99
Key features: range of experts all leaders in their field, weekly mood boost notifications, “My Place” private space to enter your intentions, gratitude, memories and manifestations.
Happy Place was the brainchild of TV personality turned wellbeing guru Fearne Cotton. This app features high quality, exclusive content from a variety of resources (a lot from her Happy Place Podcast and annual Festival) which will aid the journey in finding balance, restoration and happiness. What you’ll get: Guided Meditations, Breathwork, Sleep Stories, Sleep Advice, Soundbaths, Soundscapes, Yoga, Tapping, Yoga Nidra, Manifestations, Wellbeing Articles, Journalling
buddhify
Price: There is a free version you can use or become a member at £25 a year
Key features: Colour Wheel for you to select what activity you are doing and it offers a range of meditations, male and female English voices
buddhify is the only meditation app designed to fit into a busy modern lifestyle. While other meditation apps need you to find ten or twenty minutes of quiet time per day, we know that even that can be a struggle to fit into an already busy day. That is why buddhify focusses on mobile or on-the-go meditation, which you can do wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. We do still have more traditional formal meditations, but they are there for when you have time.
Woebot
Price: Free
Key features: Evidence-Based lessons and skills (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy), Empathetic and validating responses, Varied types of replies: text, emojis, videos, gifs
Your coach for life’s ups and downs. Woebot can help you:
-Think through situations with step-by-step guidance using proven therapeutic frameworks like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
-Master skills to reduce stress and live happier through 100+ evidence-based stories from our clinical team
-Help inform research to develop new mental health resources and treatments.
Woebot is your very own coach who chats with you and offers insights and skills to help you grow into your best self. You can chat with Woebot as much or as little as you like, whenever you like. Woebot exchanges millions of messages every week to help users with everyday stress and anxiety, as well as symptoms of depression, relationship problems, procrastination, loneliness, grief, addiction, pain management, and more. Woebot checks in with you every day and guides you through practical techniques based on tried and tested approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
Winner of the 2019 Google Play Award for standout wellbeing App!
Happify
Price: free limited content, flexible pricing plans offered, $11.67/month
Key features: activities and games, progress tracker, offers programs for grief and burnout in addition to anxiety
Happify aims to help users overcome stress, challenges, and negative thoughts through fun activities and games based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques.
During sign-up, you’re prompted with several questions to determine your goals. Then, the app will suggest a “track” with specific activities and games to help you achieve these goals based on your answers.
Some research from 2018 indicates that using Happify regularly may reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression while improving resilience.
The activities are based on evidence-based scientific research to help you overcome negative thoughts, life’s challenges, and stress. Furthermore, the app’s design is for everyday use to grow your positivity while having fun at the same time.
Headspace
Price: monthly £9.99 with 7 days free, or annual £49.99 with 14 days free
Key features: meditations for every day, sleep, stress relief, and coping
Although Headspace was originally created for guided meditations, it now includes animations, articles and videos to support your mental health. The app offers specific guided meditations for:
work
kids
sleep
focus
stress
anxiety
Headspace takes its app and seriously impacts the world (it has millions of users in more than 190 countries). Their commitment to providing users with scientifically based products includes their seven-person in-house science department and participation in dozens of research studies and numerous partnerships with research institutions.
Calm
Price: 7 day free trial then £39.99 per year
Key features: mindful minute tracker, new content added daily, various mindfulness topics offered, and family plans available
Scientific evidenceTrusted Source shows that sleep deprivation might increase symptoms of anxiety. So, if you’re experiencing stress and having trouble sleeping, using an app to improve the latter may also reduce anxiety symptoms.
Year after year, site after site, Calm rates continuously as one of the best apps for sleep. And evidenceTrusted Source backs up its effectiveness in helping people sleep better at night and feel less tired during the day.
Besides the wide variety of story styles, from fairy tales, Calm has worked with some of the world’s best-known voices. As a result, you can drift off to sleep listening to stories from various celebrities, including:
Harry Styles
Idris Elba
Mandy Moore
Ariana Grande
Plus, if you need a quick catnap to make it through the rest of your day, Calm also has nap sessions.
What’s your favourite app that helps make you feel more grounded and relaxed?