Meditation Apps for Building a Strong Mind
July 08, 2020
By Madelyn Geier, an SIUE Senior Intern in Exercise Science
Let's face it, in today's world most of us would benefit from structured periods of calm, relaxation, and introspection. This kind of peace is often lacking in our lives and if you feel this way then it might be in your best interest to explore some of the many free meditation apps available on your smartphone or mobile device. Spending just a few minutes relaxing, meditating, or deep breathing is a great way to prepare yourself for whatever challenges lie ahead. Even if you don’t consciously feel stressed, practicing meditation and mindfulness can still be beneficial as they can also help you combat insomnia and get a full night of restful sleep.
Importance of Sleep:
Most people know that sleep is an essential aspect of health, but many don’t understand how truly important it is. During sleep, our bodies undergo REM cycles where we can fully rest, repair muscles, encode memories, and breathe deeply. These functions are critical for learning, memory, regulating emotions, muscle growth, and physical strength (1). Healthy adults require between 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night, something that many people don’t get. In fact, the data shows that 1 in 3 Americans over the age of 18 don’t get the recommended amount of sleep (2).
Anxiety/Depression:
In the past decade, the levels of anxiety and depression among college undergraduates have nearly doubled (3). With this worrying uptick in mental unwellness, it’s more important than ever to teach people ways to mitigate the distress they may be experiencing. Research has shown that 15 minutes of meditation can provide the same levels of positivity and well-being as an entire day of vacation (4). Meditation has also been found to reduce the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. (5). Taking only a few minutes a day, meditation is one of the most time-efficient and effective ways to invest in your mental health.
What is Meditation/Mindfulness?
Meditation definitions and descriptions vary between individuals, but it’s generally understood to be the therapeutic practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness means maintaining an introspective and nonjudgmental awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions (6). This can be helpful for both focusing your attention, as well as understanding your feelings. Meditation provides a sense of peace and calm that many people lack throughout their day. Just a few minutes of relaxation can make a massive difference in our mental states, but unfortunately, many of us struggle to set aside the time to make mindfulness a part of our day. Additionally, many of those that want to incorporate meditation into their lives find it challenging to begin. Luckily, there are several apps available to help guide one in their meditation and mindfulness journey.
Meditation App Reviews
Insight Timer:
This TIME Magazine Apps of the Year winner stands out because it has programs that specifically focus on stress, anxiety, sleep, and more. This allows you to target your relaxation to a specific area in your life that is causing stress. It can be used at work, on-the-go, and before bed. It also features a live map of all of its users across the globe so you can feel like you are a part of the community.
Some of its features include a meditation timer so that you can plan a short break for yourself, guided relaxation that can teach you how to keep a healthy headspace, and motivational speakers for when you’re having a challenging day.
Insight Timer is great for students because many of us need a break sometimes and it’s important to focus on yourself. There are many apps that you can spend time on, but Insight Timer is beneficial for your mental health and mood. Overworking yourself and not experiencing any calm can lead to poor performance in school and poor mental health. It is free-to-download and has a massive catalog with the option to purchase a monthly subscription for more content. It is available on iOS and Android, with 4.9- and 4.7- star ratings respectively.
Headspace:
Headspace is an app focused on relaxation that provides programs for meditation, sleep, and mindfulness-powered workouts. It is easy to navigate and is available as a free download which comes with full access to beginner meditation courses, relaxing sleep ambiance, and guided mobility workouts that focus on building your mind-body connection.
The app is very easy to navigate and has a sleek user interface with a relaxing orange color scheme that I really enjoyed. Many apps go with a basic blue/white scheme, but I found the orange very relaxing and the aesthetics made this app memorable for me. One of its features that I enjoyed is a daily feed that has “mindful moments” and community stories about user’s experiences with the app. Headspace is a great app for anyone because it can help with stress, anxiety, sleep, and inspire mindful workouts.
It does include in-app purchases that expand on the free library of content that comes with it. Headspace is available on iOS and Android, with 3.5- and 4.9-star ratings respectively.
Mindfulness Coach:
Mindfulness Coach is a free app that specializes in the practice of mindfulness. It was built by the US Department of Veteran’s affairs because the mental health benefits of mindfulness are very effective for treating the stress and PTSD that veterans often suffer from. Despite its target audience, the app is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to build on their mindfulness. The app features self-guided mindfulness programs that tools for tracking your progress and setting personal goals.
Mindfulness Coach features a calming blue aesthetic that is very low-key. This app isn’t designed to be flashy and the menus are very clean and easy to navigate. Much of the emphasis is put on the apps advertised ability to reduce stress, improve emotional balance, cope with pain, and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. This app is useful for anyone who wants to specifically focus on the practice of mindfulness. This technique is useful in virtually every aspect of your life that requires focus and attention.
Free to download with no in-app purchases, Mindfulness Coach is available on iOS and Android. It currently has 4.8 stars on the App Store and 4.7 stars on Google Play.
What to do:
As a college student, you have a lot to focus on. Making time for school, work, hobbies, relationships, and all the other aspects of daily life can be stressful. When it comes to ensuring that you have a consistently calm mental state and quality sleep, these meditation and mindfulness apps are a fantastic starting point. With a calm mind and a restful night, you’ll notice immediate improvements in your work, school, and social life.
References
(1) Mukherjee, S., Patel, S. R., Kales, S. N., Ayas, N. T., Strohl, K. P., Gozal, D., & Malhotra, A. (2015). An official American Thoracic Society Statement: The importance of healthy sleep. Recommendations and future priorities. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 191(12), 1450-1458. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.201504-0767st
(2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, February 16). 1 in 3 adults don't get enough sleep. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html
(3) Duffy, M. E., Twenge, J. M., & Joiner, T. E. (2019). Trends in mood and anxiety symptoms and suicide-related outcomes among U.S. undergraduates, 2007–2018: Evidence from two national surveys. Journal of Adolescent Health, 65(5), 590-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.04.033
(4) May, C. J., Ostafin, B. D., & Snippe, E. (2019). The relative impact of 15-minutes of meditation compared to a day of vacation in daily life: An exploratory analysis. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(2), 278-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1610480
(5) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2016). Meditation: In-depth. Retrieved from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-in-depth
(6) Keng, S., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 1041-1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2011.04.006
Categories: All Categories, meditation, mindfulness, wellness, internships
