DALLAS — During the month of May, WFAA health and wellness reporter Sonia Azad is exploring some of the best health and wellness apps.
Last week she shared tools for anxiety, depression, and counseling. Now, in the second part of this series, she'll be diving into the best apps for meditation and mindfulness.
Some popular apps you may have heard of include Calm, Headspace, Ten Percent Happier, and Insight Timer. These all come with free features and the option to pay for advanced help.
These apps allow you to choose from a library of guided, silent, or music-based meditations by benefit or length of time.
Writing also offers a therapeutic benefit.
Whirlpost: 'Just write'
Whirlpost is a free digital journaling app for mindfulness. It's a place for your thoughts, feelings, brainstorming, or poetry.
And it's always at your fingertips when inspiration strikes. You can set a timer to 10 minutes and try flow writing, typing whatever comes to mind.
Here are some of the noted benefits of daily writing:
- It keeps your thoughts organized
- Helps you to set and achieve goals
- Relieves stress by allowing you set time to reflect
- It even boosts memory
BrainTap: 'Best meditation app for your unique brain'
BrainTap is an app where you don't have to think about anything! It offers you the chance to relax- and reboot your brain using light, sound, and vibration.
The guided meditations and sensory experiences mimic nature in the brain. These take you through full cycles of sleep to turn down the volume of the monkey mind and ease you into a deeply relaxed brain state.
"We can show that your metabolism increases, pain level decreases, stress levels go down."
You can try the BrainTap app on its own for free with the option to purchase add-ons.
Declutter the Mind: 'Meditation app'
Declutter The Mind is a meditation app that demystifies meditation, unlocks the benefits of regular practice, and helps you form the practice through an ever-growing free library of guided meditation.
All guided meditations are free for life. Besides the guided meditations, the app includes meditation courses, which you can try for the first 5 days for free. If you'd like to continue the courses, you can subscribe for $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year.
Healthy Minds: 'Meditation & Mindfulness'
The Healthy Minds app trains your mind through meditation and podcast-style lessons to develop skills - to gain focus, reduce stress, and maintain positive social connections.
The app uses neuroscience, contemplative traditions, and skill-based learning methods to help you develop the skills for a healthy mind.
Healthy Minds is free and doesn't require a subscription fee because it's funded by donations.
Namatata: 'Meditation & sleep'
Namatata app allows you to discover the basics of meditation in seven sessions. The app includes a 10-minute meditation that has been specially developed to deal with the feeling of loneliness. And there are mediation audios available for children.
You will also find positive psychology exercises to let go and develop emotions such as gratitude, caring, and compassion. The app offers a 7-day free trial period.