For many people, technology and mobile devices can be yet another source of anxiety. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Technology can be a productive way for people suffering from anxiety disorders to manage their symptoms. The best apps for anxiety turn technology into a tool to help people suffering from anxiety better cope and find some relief.
Here’s 11 of the best apps for anxiety that will help you lower your stress, manage anxiety, and lead a more calm and relaxed life.
11 Best Apps for Anxiety
Declutter The Mind
Studies have begun to show that the scientific benefits of meditation include lowering of anxiety. Even if you’re not someone who practices often, or even if you don’t know where to start, a guided meditation app can help you get comfortable with meditation.
We’re biased, but we recommend our app, Declutter The Mind, as a starting point for people suffering from anxiety and anxiety disorders. Guided meditation for anxiety is a way to give you both a way to deal with anxiety while you’re suffering from it, as well as maintenance to reduce anxiety in the future.
Declutter The Mind includes many different guided meditation practices, including ones specifically tailored for anxiety sufferers. There’s also a 30 day guided meditation course that will teach you how to meditate from the ground up. Mindfulness meditation is a useful tool to learn and understand for anyone, especially people who suffer from anxiety disorders.
Colorfy
Adult coloring books have taken off over the past few years as a way for people with anxiety to calm their minds and unwind with a relaxing activity.
But adult colouring books don’t requite you to buy a bunch of books and dozens of coloring pencils. There are apps such as Colorfy that allow you to get all the anxiety relief from colouring in the palm of your hand.
You don’t need to be an artist or talented to enjoy colouring. Colorfy offers tons of unique patterns and drawings for you that are simple to color in. Just launch the app, choose a design you like, and allow yourself to experience this cathartic exercise.
Motivation – Daily Quotes
One of the best ways to get through bouts of anxiety is with a little motivation. It’s a way to remind yourself to stay positive. It’s also a way to help you frame the struggles of life in a different way. The attitude you carry through life changes how you react to the things that happen to you.
A simple daily quote app such as Motivation is a way to get you to look forward to looking at your phone. It’s a way to turn your phone from a source of anxiety into a source of inspiration and positivity.
There are plenty of motivational quote apps on iOS and Android to choose from. But the best motivation apps and the best apps for anxiety are the ones that give you options to cater it for your specific needs and the things that you’re suffering through. Motivation has enough categories and quotes to fulfill that with quotes on fear to anxiety quotes.
Reflectly
How often do you monitor or track your anxiety? When you suffer from an anxiety disorder, or even just bouts of anxiety, it’s a good idea to track your mood. The worst thing you can do to exacerbate your anxiety is to tell yourself that you’re an anxious person or that you constantly have anxiety.
When you track your anxiety by writing it down into a journal, it gives you an opportunity to reflect and see patterns in your mood. It allows you to see what might be triggering your anxiety or even making it worse.
An app like Reflectly helps you do this. It allows you to track and monitor your daily mood but also start receiving feedback based on what you input into the app. This helps create a feedback loop that can better inform you in terms of what’s actually going on in your mind.
Daylio Journal
Journaling is not only a productive habit, it’s also great for your mental health.
Keeping a journal gives you an outlet to express yourself and get things off your chest in a way that’s quite harmless. A micro-diary app such as Daylio is an easy way to log your day into your phone when you have some downtime, such as in bed before going to sleep, or when you’re commuting to work in the morning.
Open Daylio, log your mood, and start writing about your day or the day you’re about to have. It’s that simple. There’s no right or wrong way to keep a journal or mindfulness journal. Use the app in the way that works best for your anxiety.
Wysa
Often when your mental health and anxiety reaches a tipping point, it’s a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or professional. Still, many people aren’t ready for that or aren’t sure if their case is bad enough that they need it yet.
However, talking to someone about your anxiety, or just being able to talk to someone at all, can help. If you’re struggling to overcome social anxiety, talk to something instead of someone. Wysa is a therapy chatbot that gives you something to talk to.
I was personally skeptical myself about the effectiveness of a chatbot to relieve anxiety but after reading the reviews and trying it myself, I can say I was very surprised.
It’s an anonymous and safe space to express yourself, and find comfort. There’s no judgement and Wysa will even check in with you every so often based on what you last spoke about.
Wisdo
When you’re ready to talk to other people about your anxiety, including other anxiety sufferers, you can try Wisdo.
Wisdo allows you to connect with other people and communities to talk about and receive advice around anxiety and mental health. There are groups within the app to find people to talk to including PTSD, motherhood, OCD, and of course, anxiety.
Once you join a group, you’re connected with a person going through the same thing as you, allowing you to have a private conversion, motivate one another, and even make new friends. There’s also something about giving advice to a stranger that helps reinforce good ideas and behaviors back into us. You already know how to calm anxiety, you’ve done it enough times. Share that experience with someone who might need to hear it.
Cove
You may have heard the belief that art is an expression of human emotion. Some of the best music, paintings, and building designs come from the minds of people who were going through something at that time when they first created their masterpiece.
Cove is an app that allows you to express yourself and your anxiety through music. You don’t need to be a recording artist or musician to allow it to help manage your anxiety.
Just open the app, explore, tap around, and start making some music. Like games for anxiety relief, Cove is an entertaining way to relax yourself when you’re feeling a little anxious and have some downtime to occupy yourself and mind.
Stoic
Stoicism is one of the most interesting philosophies of life I’ve ever come across. Especially for people with anxiety, Stoicism gives you a toolbox that you can repeatedly come to when life throws you challenges, problems, and issues.
I like Stoic as an app because it combines the philosophy of Stoicism with journaling to create something that allows you to be more thoughtful when it comes to reflecting on your day.
Using Stoic, you can practice some of the practical exercises of Stoicism such as negative visualization to change your relationship to the stressful moments of life and prepare you for the inevitable bad stuff that comes with being a human being.
Where as other apps for anxiety we mentioned here can be a bit more open-ended, these journal entries give you prompts, making it easier to know what you should write about each day.
Sandcastles
Sometimes the best thing for anxiety is something simple, enjoyable, and relaxing.
Sandcastles is a game that’s not really like other games, being that there’s no objective. You simply make sandcastles in the sand and watch the sandcastles get washed away.
The interface and responsive of the controls make the game oddly satisfying and relaxing. There’s also pleasant beach sounds that play as you build sandcastles around the beach.
Want to stop a panic attack? Whip out the phone and start building some sandcastles. Bored and becoming lost in anxious thoughts? Head to the beach and make some sandcastles.
Noisli
There are times when we’re feeling a little anxious and all we need is something to distract our mind or bring us down to a calmer state. A little white noise or background sounds can help bring your mind to a serene state. That’s why I like Noisli. It’s a simple app that allows you to mix and match sounds to create the perfect background noise for sleep, relaxing, or even being productive.
Anxiety doesn’t only reach us when we’re trying to unwind. It can strike when we’re trying to be productive and get work done. It can paralyze us or keep us distracted. Noisli allows you to create your own environment no matter wherever you are. Create an environment of coffee shop noises, turn your bedroom into a calming beach, or suddenly transport yourself to a cabin listening to the rain fall.
Your turn
Is there an app for anxiety that you use that we didn’t mention here? Let us know in the comments below.
