21/04/2025

MONDAY | APR 21, 2025

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W E all have moments when life feels a bit too overwhelming. It is important to hit pause and find your centre. Thankfully, seeking calm can be as simple as opening an app. These eight highly rated apps, available on Android and iOS, are designed to help you breathe, relax and reset whenever and wherever you need it. Calm Calm is one of the most popular relaxation and meditation apps out there. It offers a wide range of features, including guided meditations, breathing exercises, soothing nature sounds and even sleep stories. Its daily meditation programmes are perfect for building a habit, and the serene visuals and background music add to the overall soothing experience. While Calm does offer a free version with basic features, most of its premium content, such as full sleep stories, masterclasses and exclusive music tracks, requires a subscription. Headspace Headspace is a user-friendly app that makes mindfulness feel approachable, especially for beginners. It provides guided meditation sessions tailored for various situations such as stress, anxiety, focus and sleep. There are also “SOS” sessions for moments of panic or emotional distress, as well as bedtime stories called “Sleepcasts”. Headspace offers a limited selection of free content, but to unlock the full library and structured courses, you will need a paid subscription through in-app purchases. Insight Timer Insight Timer is a standout app because of its generous free offerings. It hosts the world’s largest collection of free guided meditations – over 100,000 of them – led by experienced mindfulness teachers, psychologists and even monks. Insight Timer provides meditations, calming music and even a customisable timer for silent practice. There is a premium option for offline access and deeper courses. However, most users will find the free version more than sufficient for their daily relaxation needs. Breathwrk Breathwrk is focused on one powerful tool: your breathing. The app guides users through scientifically backed breathing exercises that can help you calm anxiety, boost energy or fall asleep more easily. Sessions are short, visual, effective and well-suited for quick resets during a stressful day. The app is free to download and includes a variety of beginner breathing techniques, though unlocking more advanced features and programmes requires in-app purchases or a premium plan. Smiling Mind Developed by psychologists and educators, Smiling Mind is a not-for-profit app that focuses on making mindfulness accessible for everyone, especially young people. It offers structured meditation programmes designed Ű BY THASHINE SELVAKUMARAN

Some apps provide relaxing ambient sounds such as ocean waves and forest breezes.

the app does include free features, access to advanced tools, coaching and therapy sessions requires a premium subscription. White Noise Lite Sometimes, the best way to calm your mind is with sound. White Noise Lite offers a large library of looping ambient sounds such as rainfall, ocean waves, forest breezes and more. You can even mix and match different sounds to create your perfect background noise for sleeping, studying or relaxing. The basic version of the app is free and supported by ads, while an optional upgrade removes ads and adds more sound options and customisation features. Aura Aura offers a deeply personalised relaxation experience by using AI to recommend content based on your mood, habits and goals. The app curates suggestions to help you feel better fast through quick meditation, an inspiring story, calming music or even a life coaching session. It also features mood tracking, gratitude journalling and bedtime stories to ease you into sleep. While the app provides limited free content to get you started, a premium subscription is needed to unlock its full range of personalised features and unlimited access to its growing library. Seeking peace and calm has never been more accessible. Each of these apps brings something unique to the table. The beauty of these tools is that they are available on both Android and iOS, and many offer valuable features for free. While some require subscriptions to access all content and features, even their basic versions can provide real, soothing benefits.

o Find relaxation, mental peace wherever, whenever Anti-stress apps for achieving calm Spending just a few minutes a day on these apps can bring profound change to your general mood.

Sanvello Sanvello combines mindfulness tools with practical mental health support. Based on cognitive behavioural therapy, it features guided journeys, mood tracking, journalling and even peer support communities. This app is a full mental wellness toolkit. While

for different age groups, including kids, teens and adults. There are also specific modules for classroom and workplace stress. What sets Smiling Mind apart is that it is completely free, with no ads or locked content, making it an incredible resource for families, teachers and individuals on a budget.

Many of these apps offer free content, making mental wellness

relatively cost-free.

An app can offer bedtime stories that can ease you into peaceful sleep. – ALL PICS FROM FREEPIK