The 12 Best Anxiety Apps If You’re “Fully on the Brim of Freaking Out"

Help is on the way!

By Kara Cuzzone
Nov 21, 2019
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If you’ve ever told someone that you have anxiety, you’ve probably also heard “maybe you should do a tech detox?” But, excuse me, won’t leaving my phone at home just trigger separation anxiety? Riddle me that.

 

Because I firmly believe that leaning way into technology can help combat those anxious spirals, I’ve combed the interwebs in search of apps that do exactly that. Keep your phone; keep your sanity. No matter what your angst, these genius tools will have you feeling zen or at least distract you from the stuff that makes you all un-zen.

 

Let’s all calm down, shall we?

 

1. If you want to (finally) start meditating:

Insight Timer

Free or $10/month, $60/year for premium on iTunes and Google Play.

 

If you’ve tried and failed to get into meditation approx. five times already, this app has more than 30,000 free guided meditations (which are searchable by people, theme, and duration, BTW) to help you get after it. With the premium plan, you’ll score courses on how to meditate and cope with anxiety. Plus, it tracks how many days in a row you’ve meditated, which could become as addicting as your Snap streak two years ago.

 

2. If you have panic attacks:

Rootd

Free or $7/month, $60/year for premium on iTunes and Google Play.

 

When you tap and hold the red button in the Rootd app during a panic attack, you’ll get instant support and relief in the form of calming statements like “your body is capable of handling everything you’re feeling right now.” If you upgrade, you can follow the app’s guided breathing and visualization tools in times of stress and follow lesson plans on how to deal with tense feels. And because games are fun, it’ll give you five “warrior points” every time you conquer a panic attack.

 

3. If you’re a self-diagnosed insomniac:

Slumber

$8/month or $40/year for premium (after 7-day free trial) on iTunes.

 

Slumber is a library of relaxing meditations, sleep-inducing stories, and ASMR soundtracks to help you drift off. The meditation guides and storytellers use mindfulness, hypnosis, and breathing techniques to knock you out sans-melatonin. Over time, you can track your app usage and sleep quality data to find the method that works best for you.

 

4. If you love a good vent sesh:

Talkspace

$65/week (billed monthly) on iTunes.

 

Sometimes texting the group chat to spill your latest relationship drama isn’tthe best strategy, if you want legit advice that is. Enter: Talkspace. You’ll get matched with a licensed therapist in your state who you exchange texts and video messages with As. Much. As. You. Want. That’s right. Random worry at 2 am? Text your therapist. Already talked to her every day this week? Hit her up anyway. It’s included in your plan.

 

5. If you’re the queen of multitasking:

Brain.fm

Free or $7/month, $50/year for premium (after 10 session free trial) on iTunes and Google Play.

 

Always doing two things at once? This app will be your jam. Brain.fm claims their tunes are composed to relax you within 15 minutes. But you won’t be so relaxed that you can’t send out those annoying work emails. Choose from genres like “ambient music” or “night sounds” and wait for the calm state to hit.

 

6. If you want to track your mood:

Daylio Journal

Free on iTunes and Google Play.

 

If you think you need some mental health help, but don’t know how to quantify your shitty feels, this mood tracker can help you get some good data. Use Daylio daily to log whether you’re feeling “rad, good, meh, bad, or awful” daily as well as your activity. Then, check out how your mood changed over the entire month. If you notice a lot of “awful” or anxious days overall, talk to your doctor or find a therapist (or refer to slide one).

 

7. If you want to be coached:

Woebot

Free on iTunes and Google Play.

 

Download this app and Woebot, an AI chatbot, will coach you through your anxiety. The super-cute animated robot will ask you what’s bothering you via chat, and offer Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based tips and exercises for you to try. Afraid a big presentation at work is going to go badly? Woebot will prob tell you you’re “fortune telling,” a crippling (yet common) thought distortion where you predict the worst case scenario, and how to stop that.

 

8. If you like to write stuff down:

Jour: Journal for Mindfulness

Free on iTunes. (Coming to Google Play soon!)

 

This app lets you put pen to paper (or in this case, fingers to keyboard) literally anywhere. Choose a “guided journey” based on a goal like combatting anxiety or calming racing thoughts, and Jour will provide writing prompts to make it happen. If you need daily reminders to journal, the app can do that too. V helpful. And despite technically being a “journaling” app, the guided “journeys” also suggest relaxing breathing techniques and other helpful tips. You’ll get much more than just a blank page.

 

9. If you like physical activity:

Daily Yoga

$20/month for premium (after 7-day free trial) on iTunes and Google Play.

 

Your chill yoga instructor probably practices yoga every day. SO maybe that’s a thing you should do to become chill too? This app is about the same price as one class at most studios and you get more than 150 yoga programs and exclusive workshops from pro yogis. Follow these high-quality vids, and you might just feel like you just took a CBD gummy.

 

10. If you just need to some air:

iBreathe

Free on iTunes.

 

In a world full of apps that are wayyy more complicated than they need to be, this guy is refreshingly simple. iBreathe offers four breath exercises: 4-7-8, ujjayi, square, and custom. After you =choose how long you want to do the exercise, follow the breathing animation. As the circle grows inhale, then exhale as the circle shrinks. That’s it. That’s the app. And I really love it.

 

11. If you need a distraction:

Infinity Loop

Free on iTunes and Google Play.

 

Instead of scrolling through your ‘gram, open this app when for a break from your racing thoughts. Infinity Loop has two simple games: In one of them, you make shapes out of curves. In the other you have to use your fingers to keep the shapes from touching. These soothing games bring you out of your head and into the present moment. Each level gets progressively harder so TBH, you might get hooked.

 

12. If you’re into motivational quotes:

Shine

$12/month or $54/year (after 7-day trial) on iTunes and Google Play.

 

First, you’ll answer a few questions so that Shine can determine the best science-backed self-care program for you. Once it does that, you can browse five-minute meditations, courses from motivational speakers, and access Shine’s digital community where you can chat with other members. The app will also send you an inspirational message every weekday morning with a motivational quote or advice to start your day on a positive note. S’cute.

 

 

Credit: Cosmopolitan

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