Anxiety can be so hard to handle that it can become debilitating to some people. You can lose sleep over worrying about things and in the end it can deeply event your work and social life. But this stress we carry can so easily be relieved just by the touch of a few buttons and the download of some lifesaving applications.
Self-Help for Anxiety Management (free)
This app is from the University of the West of England. You tell the app how you feel and how worried or anxious you are. The app then suggests calming practices to help you. You can also connect with other app users without your information being public.
Amwell: Live Doctor Visit Now (free)
This app is very simple to use. With a few taps on your phone, you can be connected with a doctor on a video call to help give you advice about your anxiety. You can also sync to health information and share it with others.
I Can Be Free (Five free sessions, then $2.99 each)
The idea behind this app is the use of audio hypnosis. It can help you overcome anxieties and soothe your conscious to eliminate actions, thoughts or feelings that keep you from meeting goals. The sessions are downloadable for you to access when you need them.
Sleep Time (free)
This app is based on having restorative sleep to reduce stress and anxiety. It tells you how long it takes you to fall asleep and when you enter each stage of sleep to track your sleep cycles. When it is time to get up, the app wakes you very gently, but not in the middle of deep sleep.
Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep (free)
Many people find that when they are trying to sleep, too many things are whirling in their minds and it prevents them from falling asleep. This app lets you chose from sounds and locations, such as the ocean, thunder or jungle to soothe your mind so you can relax and dose off to sleep.
Worry Box (free)
The Worry Box app functions much like keeping a journal. You write down your worries, thoughts and anxieties and the app helps you think through them. It asks you question specific to your anxiety and directs you to relieve your stress.
GPS for the Soul (free)
The app operates on the ideology of biofeedback. You place your fingertip on the camera lens of your phone to measure your heart rate. Then it factors in your age, gender and weight to display a color chart corresponding to your emotional state. Then app then offers you to listen to calming tunes, or viewing photos to relax you and get to a less stressful state. As you breathe in and out, a darkened area rises and falls for you to breathe in sync with. When you steady your breathing, you are starting to distress.
Earthlapse ($.99 or free)
This app has new age music plus time-lapse photography taken by NASA of the Earth from the International Space Station to calm your mind. If you have a smartphone with a HD display, such as the LG G5, then this app may be perfect for you as the images are even more soothing to look at. You can touch the different views on your device to change the speed of the photos. This app also doubles as a companion on your bedside table to use as a clock.
Marine Aquarium ($1.99)
Scientific research proves that watching fish in an aquarium lowers blood pressure, reduces heart rates and calms people. It uses photos of actual fish and lets you choose from 28 species while adjusting both the foreground and background lighting.
No matter how stressed you are or how much anxiety you have, there are many apps that are either free or at a very low cost to help you to calm yourself and work through your anxiety attacks. You can afford to try several different apps until you find the one or combination of apps that works best for you.
