Have you considered using an app to reduce your anxiety? We use apps all the time to shop, stay fit, do our banking, and more. Apps are an ingenious solution for managing and treating anxiety for several reasons.
Benefits of using an app to manage anxiety
Apps offer many benefits. Some reasons why you may want to consider an app to manage anxiety include:
- Apps are free or inexpensive. Most offer free trials.
- They are readily available tools.
- Some apps connect you to several services and strategies to reduce anxiety.
- Apps help you manage everyday stress easier.
- Apps can make you feel less isolated when tension escalates.
- You can use apps to reduce your overall anxiety levels to prepare for stressful events.
- Apps provide instant support if you have a panic attack.
Let’s look at some of the best apps and examine the unique benefits of each. The prices listed are in US dollars as of March 2022 and are subject to change.
iBreathe – Great for beginners
Breathing techniques have been used for millennia to reduce stress. Breathwork prevents anxiety and interrupts panic attacks. iBreathe offer the following features:
- Simple to use
- Relieves anxiety, stress, and insomnia
- Aids meditation and relaxation
- Breathing exercises are customizable
- Customizable reminders to aid breathing throughout the day
- Education about the importance of deep breathing
- Suitable for all ages
- One drawback is that it is only available on Apple products
- Pricing: FREE
Insight Timer – Focus on mindfulness and meditation
Extensive research proves meditation is one of the most effective ways to manage anxiety and stress. Insight Timer gives users opportunities to learn from top experts. Anxiety diminishes by staying in the present moment. Mindfulness training is key to staying present and grounding yourself during stress. Insight Timer offers:
- Opportunities to learn how to mediate with world-renowned experts
- 80 new mediations each day
- Interventions that address sleep, stress, and anxiety
- Mindfulness for children
- Interesting, diverse articles
- Diverse discussion groups
- Audiovisual tools
- Mediation timer
- A broad range of meditation techniques
- Lifestyle modification training
- Pricing: Free/ 9.99monthy/ 59.99 annually
Calm – Best comprehensive app
Calm is an award-winning app that addresses meditation, focus, sleep, and stress management. Features include:
- Sleep stories for adults and children
- A robust library of mindfulness topics including concentration, gratitude, mindful walking, changing habits, and more
- Soundscapes and nature scenes
- Daily and multi-day meditation programs
- Stretching and movement activities
- Breathing exercises
- Masterclasses with industry leaders
- Corporate program
- A blog that is updated every couple of months
- Daily tips on a blog calendar
- Pricing: free limited features / 14.99 monthly/ 69.99 annually/ 399. Lifetime/ Custom company plans
Rootd – Panic Attack Relief
The Rootd Panic Attack Relief Program is an excellent tool for panic attacks. The Rootd app focuses on panic relief. It is a well-rounded program led by women who have lived with panic attacks. Their mission is to help others obtain relief from panic and anxiety to end the stigma against people who have anxiety and panic. The graphics are amusing. Features include:
- The Rootr- can be used during a panic attack. The technique uses cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) that are proven to decrease the length and intensity of a panic attack.
- Education about anxiety and panic
- A journaling tool
- Guided body scans
- Breathing exercises
- Visualizations
- Nature sounds
- An emergency contact
- Short- and long-term lessons
- Blog- it appears to be updated every couple of months
- Pricing: 5.99 monthly/ 59.99 Annually/ 149 lifetime/ Custom company plans
More great apps to relieve anxiety and stress
An extensive array of tools can help you manage your anxiety and stress. Many are specialized. Here are a few more to consider:
Headspace is popular worldwide with a 4.9 rating in the Apple app store. It focuses on sleep, concentration, movement, and meditation. Student, individual, and family memberships are available.
Stress Relief Coloring has pictures that adults and children can use to color. It keeps you focused in the present moment. Many people find coloring a soothing, distracting, and almost meditative practice.
Aura provides personalized recommendations to meet your individual needs. The app employs hypnosis, mediation, coaching advice, and CBT techniques.
Happify uses science-based activities and games that relieve stress and promote emotional well-being. Benefits include improved mood and better-coping skills in all areas of life.
Using apps to Manage anxiety
Apps are a valuable part of a stress reduction program. They are suitable for managing anxiety disorders such as panic, generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, and phobias. Anxiety-reducing apps are also helpful for individuals who want to manage everyday stress better. Here are some tips for using apps safely and most effectively:
- Most apps have free versions; however, you will likely have to pay to use all the features.
- Consider your goals, the cost of an app, ease of use, and the app’s features when signing up.
- Remember that apps are not a substitute for professional mental health care.
- If you are experiencing an emergency or are contemplating suicide, call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
- Be flexible- an app may be helpful for you now, and a different app may be more beneficial at another time. For example, if you currently have panic attacks, you will likely benefit from an app that helps you manage panic. In contrast, in the future, when your panic attacks subside, you will still want to optimize your coping strategies for everyday pressures.
- If one app isn’t helpful, explore some of the others on this list.
Look at the apps we discussed. There are apps for people of all ages. Apps provide immediate relief twenty-four hours a day. Which ones would you like to try?
