SALTZMAN: Take a breather with meditation, mindfulness apps

Let’s cut right to the chase – life can be stressful.

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Whether it’s financial strain due to a higher cost of living, concerns about world events, or family fights over polarizing politics, no wonder Canadians are feeling increasingly anxious these days.

But you can do a few things to improve your mental health, experts say. This includes socializing with friends, exercising (which has been proven to decrease anxiety and stabilize mood), and listening to meditative music (which studies show can decrease blood pressure during stress).

And hey, there are also apps for your smartphone or tablet that focus solely on mindfulness and meditation.

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Even if you take just a short time-out each day to hit the reset button or to help unwind for a better night’s sleep, consider these five “freemium” picks – meaning, they’re free to download and use, but will require a subscription to unlock all of its features – and all are available in both the App Store for iOS devices (such as iPhone and iPad) and Google Play for Android devices.

Note: This round-up focuses on self-help techniques and exercises, and does not include apps that provide access to therapists, like Talkspace or BetterHelp.

CALM

One of the oldest and most popular apps in this space, Calm is a meditation and mindfulness app with guided sessions from three to 30 minutes long. It has content designed for beginners as well as intermediate and advanced users, including seven and 21-day programs.

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Simply choose a topic that matters to you – such as “Reduce Anxiety,” “Increase Happiness,” “Develop Gratitude,” or “Build Self-Esteem” – and the desired length of the session. Track your progress with gamification elements, such as daily streaks, as well as a tally of time spent meditating.

Pro tip: If you have a smart speaker, such as Amazon Echo or Google Nest, ask to open Calm to be verbally guided through a quick session!

HEADSPACE: SLEEP & MEDITATION

Your “gym membership for the mind” wants to teach you how to meditate in just a few minutes a day.

And with more than 500 guided meditations, no doubt you’ll find something just for you in Headspace, which features a clean, easy-to-use and animated interface.

You’ll first choose what you’d like to work on – whether it’s something generic (“Improve Sleep” or “Beginning Meditation”) or something more specific, like “Moving Forward With Confidence,” “Politics Without Panic,” or “Life Skills: Embracing Emotions at Work.”

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There’s also a search window if you want to search for something in particular.

Available for iOS, Android, Amazon and the web, the lessons include stat tracking, rewards, and an optional buddy system so friends can motivate each other.

SIMPLE HABIT

Feel better in five minutes – that’s what Simple Habit has set out to accomplish.

“Built for busy people,” the on-demand mindfulness and meditation platform dishes up short lessons (typically five to 20 minutes) and features more than 1,000 sessions. Mindfulness teachers from around the world – including former monks! – guide the sessions.

For a more tailored lesson, you can choose the time, place and trigger of your stress. Or tap something relevant to you, such as the 10-minute “Shower Meditation” with Cheryl Brause, or “Body Positivity” mental exercises (divided into seven sessions), or the five-minute “End Your Day and Let Go” with Oren Jay Sofer.

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Other meditation series include “Drift to Sleep,” “Meditate in Nature” and “Sharpen Focus.” Or follow the teacher of your choice.

TEN PERCENT HAPPIER

Designed for “fidgety skeptics,” Ten Percent Happier offers clear and simple meditation lessons – with video.

New York Times bestselling author and ABC News anchor Dan Harris leads the app. He suffered an on-air panic attack in 2004, which prompted him to write the book 10% Happier. The app features quick meditations, which you can do whenever you have a spare moment, from many respected teachers.

When you first launch the app or website, answer a few short questions to help personalize your experience.

Ten Percent Happier offers free access to a seven-session introductory course, advice, daily meditation videos that include offline access, guided audio lessons for when you can’t look at a screen and tips for applying mindfulness to your personal and professional lives. New content is added monthly to keep things fresh.

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There’s also a free Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris podcast, which has nearly 1,000 audio-based episodes to date.

BETTERSLEEP: RELAX AND SLEEP

As the name suggests, the BetterSleep app focuses exclusively on sleep.

After all, we all know how important it is to get a good night’s sleep, as it promotes better concentration and productivity, and results in lower risk of heart disease, a stronger immune system, lower weight gain, reduced inflammation and fewer instances of depression.

While there are several factors that could impact the quantity and quality of your sleep – age, diet, stress, room conditions and alcohol consumption, to name a few – this app may be able to help you fall asleep easier. (I know, staying asleep is another thing altogether).

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Formerly Relax Melodies, Montreal-based Ipnos Software’s BetterSleep: Relax and Sleep lets you choose from myriad of soothing nature sounds (like rain on a tin roof, a crackling fire, whooshing waves or wildlife in a forest), a collection of relaxing music options (with several dozen songs, playlists and even specific instruments) – plus, you have the option to “mix and match” by creating your own soundscape, too.

The app also includes white noise options, meditation sessions, bedtime stories and a section on SleepMoves, a series of body-mind exercises and relaxation techniques.

– Marc Saltzman is the host of the Tech It Out podcast and the author of the upcoming book, Apple Vision Pro For Dummies (Wiley)

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