Five wellness apps that will help you with stress, anxiety, and sleep

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With lockdowns and restrictions being re-imposed across the globe, we are heading into another year of uncertainties. Many have found themselves struggling with the loss of social engagement coupled with the constant fear that they or their loved ones will contract the virus. The impact of the pandemic and its associated restrictions on mental health has been catastrophic to say the least. Increased levels of stress and anxiety across age groups have been widely reported globally. We have rounded up a list of five wellness apps that will help you de-stress, sleep better, and maintain overall good mental health.

Smiling Mind

Designed to help adults deal with the stressors and challenges of our busy lives, Smiling Mind was developed by psychologists and educators. The free app offers an extensive range of programs for all ages to tackle stress, sleep, anxiety, and more. With a focus on everyday mindfulness, the simple app is a great tool for beginners to build a daily meditation practice.

Mindhouse


This Indian app offers courses on breath-work, mind-training, modern meditation, and yoga, based on scientifically-backed techniques like visualisation and mindfulness. Being mindful is an effective way of dealing with increased anxiety and stress. The guided meditation classes are focused on specific goals, such as increasing focus, calming the mind, increasing productivity, and relaxing the body. Additionally, the app comes with nature soundscapes, calming musical tracks, and much more. Users can also opt for their live Zoom classes that include one-on-one interaction with trained instructors and work well for beginners. 


Calm

Arguably the most popular name on this list, Calm is a mindfulness app that aids in relaxation, meditation, and better sleep. Users get access to its library of guided mediation, breathing programs, sleep stories, stretching exercises, and relaxing music. Suitable for beginners as well as advanced users, the app offers guided meditations from three to 25 minutes as well as seven and 21-day mindfulness programs. The Calm Masterclass by world-renowned experts is an exciting feature of the app.

Headspace 


Aimed at making people happier and less stressed, Headspace helps in learning mindfulness and meditation skills from world-class experts. In addition to hundreds of guided meditations targeted to tackling anxiety, stress, and sleeplessness, the app's ‘Weathering the storm' collection is designed to help users cope with anger, sadness, and adapting to change. Users can also release tension and stress through mood-boosting at-home workouts. For those who need to be kept motivated with something new, Headspace offers daily-meditations on a new topic each day.

Buddhify

This app is designed to be an easy introduction to meditation and facilitate its incorporation into your daily life with on-the-go guided meditation tracks and mindfulness exercises. Buddhify includes more than 200 easy-to-follow meditation tracks that range between three to forty minutes by a range of experienced teachers. If your kids are feeling stressed or anxious because of the disruption of their daily lives, the app also offers content and solutions for the whole family.