It should come as no surprise that our modern lifestyles are, or can be, chocked full of stress. As we advance, we have made many strides to alleviate some of the stresses, but new ones always seem to find a way to crop up. Are we just prone to bringing stress on? Or have we not evolved enough to learn when to release the trigger finger on our flight/fight mechanism? Whatever the answer might be, there are ways both online and off-line to calm down, and find your Zen. When life gets too hectic to make you pause, there’s an app for that.
5 Apps to Get Your Calm On
1. 21-Day Meditations.
I happened upon the Oprah and Deepak Chopra free 21-day meditations a couple of years ago. There are a number of ways to access them, but my preference is with their meditation app on my iPhone. I plug my headphones in, sit quietly first thing in the morning, or whenever my 6-month-old son’s napping, and uncover a few moments of peace. I’ve never purchased a copy of the meditations, but I often find myself wondering if I should. I always feel better when I do them, regardless of the topic the meditations are surrounding; sometimes they’re about abundance, sometimes about gratitude, or even grace. While the platform really doesn’t change much, I do find them very helpful in calming my restless spirit. The only problem is that once the 21 days are over, the meditations are no longer accessible unless you buy them or wait for the next round of free meditations; which happens about every 3 months.
2. Calm.com.
This is a really cool website and app. It gives you options for taking some calming meditation breaks. You can choose your location setting, whether it’s a guided meditation or not, and the length of time you want to relax for. From what I can tell, the app is free, but there are in-app purchases to unlock all the options that you get on the website for free. Overall, it’s a great place to go when you need a break, but can’t physically get away from your computer.
3. Breathe.
This fun little app seems to be for people new to meditation. Not only does it give you a way to learn how to meditate, a list of meditations, and a progress chart; it also gives you a space to check in with yourself and determine how you’re feeling at any specific time. It dims the screen, asking you to turn inward for 10 seconds while you think about how your mind and body feel. When you do that, it even gives recommendations on what types of meditations you could choose.
4. Infinite Abundance.
During my research, I found that not only does Deepak Chopra have an app with Oprah, but he also has one of his own that seems pretty cool. There are a number of meditations that are on it for free, and the rest can be unlocked for a decent price. By clicking on the Chopra Enterprise developers, I see they have a number of other meditation apps (Conscious Health, Living in Love, Loving Relationships, and even a kids’ meditation app called My Light Shines Bright), but Infinite Abundance caught my eye most. I mean, who couldn’t use some Zen time to call upon Infinite Abundance?
5. GPS for the Soul.
Arianna Huffington created an app she says is “geared toward helping you get back on course when life gets in the way." I haven’t personally used this app, and through researching it, I’m finding it may have lost some of its functionality since the more recent iOS updates. In past versions, there had been a heart rate portion that has since been removed. Bummer, because it sounds like that was a great piece not found in other apps. Still, I’d like to continue giving it a try.
As I’m sure you can imagine, there are numerous other apps out there for distressing and meditation. The apps I’ve listed are ones I’ve personally checked out, downloaded, and used. Are there apps you enjoy and recommend? If so, leave us a comment below and tell us what they are and why you love them.
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Carissa Andrews is an passionate author and freelancer from Minnesotan with a focus in creative writing.