The 5 Best Mental Health and Mindfulness Apps for Beginners

​

During our day to day life, we all face challenges and sometimes forget to look after ourselves; particularly our mind. Looking after our bodies and smashing deadlines at school or work are great achievements which should not come at the cost of our mental health. 

Here are 5 apps that are accessible and help you check in with yourself during the day to make sure you are keeping your mind as healthy as your body.

1. CALM  APP Calm is an excellent Application available on both iOS and Android devices to help you do exactly as the name suggests; calm your mind.

The main focus of the App is to provide you with moments during the day when you are overwhelmed to have brief meditations. If you are new to the meditation game, you don’t have to dedicate hours and can start with as little as 3 minute “calm sessions”. A new feature introduced is the ‘Sleep Stories’; where you enjoy narrations by some of your favourite celebrities like Idris Elba and Harry Styles. Imagine falling asleep to the voice of Harry Styles….. We did and it was the best sleep ever!

Upon downloading the App, you are welcomed with relaxing sounds of the great outdoors; after playing around, you can personalise these sounds from a plethora of options like pouring rain, crackling fire or rolling waves. So whether you are struggling with anxiety, stressful days or simply cannot stop your mind from going 300miles per hour, the Calm App has features to help ground you; morning or night. Start with a 7 Day free trial or just a year’s subscription for £28.99.

2.LIFESUM: If you have been struggling with keeping up your daily health and habits and would like to tackle these all in one App, this is the one for you. LifeSum is an encouraging platform to track your daily food intake, diet habits and for an overall healthier lifestyle; so you don’t skip meals or forget to stay hydrated. Remember, in addition to stress relief, your brain needs food and water to function at an optimum standard. 

In the App you can set personal goals like eating healthier, drinking more water,  getting in more steps during the day or meditation reminders. This is handy if you have very busy schedules and look after everyone else but you. 

For £39.99 a year, you will have access to all the Apps features including meal plans, which takes some worry off of you when you go grocery shopping. LifeSum is available on iOs and Android.

3. BALANCE

This is the App for you if you are ready to take your meditation game up a notch. Calm moments during the day are great for a brain reset, however, dedicating more time to meditation improves your overall mood and brain health with a longer lasting effect. 

Balance provides a very personalised meditation experience; ranging from different scenarios and durations to locations with an immersive and vast audio library with thousands of sounds. Don’t fear though, you have guided meditations to start you off. Over time, the App studies your meditation patterns from the information you input weekly and improves the following week’s structure, specifically tailored to you. 

Balance is available on iOS and Android for a lifetime payment of £41.99

4. NOTOK: “It’s okay to not be okay”.

Despite the effort we put in with our mental health and mindfulness habits, some days, we need extra help beyond breathing techniques. We usually reach out for help when we are in a crisis; with this app we can pinpoint pre-crisis stages and get the help needed before a full on breakdown. 

An App where you can set up trusted contacts who get an alert that you are not okay with the touch of a red button. Not only can you let your crew know you are not okay, you also have access to a crisis help line where you can have a conversation with a mental health professional and other external resources, tailored to the crisis you are having. 

NotOk is a free App available for download on iOS and Android.

5.REFLECTLY:

Sometimes all your mind needs is an outlet to document events and remind you of things to be grateful for/improve. Traditional journaling means carrying a book and pen around with you everywhere and taking it down to jot things down during the day; pretty archaic and overwhelming; here is where Reflectly comes in handy.

The Reflectly App which is available for a one off payment of £41.99 is available on iOS and Android uses Artificial Intelligence to provide you with journaling prompts to reflect on your day. It is like having a caring best friend in your pocket who asks  all the right questions to make you aware about the many thoughts/problems that crossed your mind during the day. Not only does it ask you about your day, you are encouraged to think and practice gratitude and self love. It is an all round best buddy if you ask us.

The evolution of digital technology has made it easier to have very helpful tools at our fingertips. We hope that this list of Apps aid you on your journey to looking after your mental health. If you are in dire need of support or in a mental health crisis and will like to communicate with a professional, contact the numbers below for support. 

• Samaritans. To talk about anything that is upsetting you, you can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call 116 123 (free from any phone), or visit some branches in person. 
• SANEline. If you’re experiencing a mental health problem or supporting someone else, you can call SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (4.30pm–10.30pm every day).
• The Mix. If you’re under 25, you can call The Mix on 0808 808 4994 (Sunday-Friday 2pm–11pm) or use their crisis text messenger service.
• Papyrus HOPELINEUK. If you’re under 35 and struggling with suicidal feelings, or concerned about a young person who might be struggling, you can call Papyrus HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141 (weekdays 10am-10pm, weekends 2pm-10pm and bank holidays 2pm–10pm).
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). If you identify as male, you can call the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) or use their webchat service.