The Best Mindfulness Apps of 2022
Mental health has become a much-talked-about topic over the past decade. Where there was once a stigma attached to conversations about mental health, now there's an openness to discussing the issues or mental health problems we may face.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of the seven best mindfulness apps that aim to help you manage anxiety and stress. Some are free, whilst others have a one-time payment or subscription. Fitting them into your daily routine could encourage you to be more mindful of your own mental health, but also the mental health of others around you.
1. Headspace
Price: £9.99 per month
Available on iOS and Android
One of the earliest apps to the mental well-being market, Headspace launched in 2010 and now offers a wide selection of meditations and courses for you to follow, including mini sessions designed to help you focus on the present, and sleep aiders to encourage a good night’s sleep. There are also guides from Olympians offering their expertise on mindfulness.
The amount of time Headspace has been available means there is a comprehensive catalogue of tips and guides for all types of users.
2. Calm
Price: £28.99 per year
Available on iOS and Android
Calm is all about tranquillity. From the moment you open the app, a great amount of effort has been made to put you at peace and dispel those anxious thoughts. Peaceful sounds and visuals of your choice play when you start the app, designed to relax, and provide a gentle entry into the app’s courses.
Daily Calm sessions provide a regular anchoring point each day, to focus on various aspects of your wellbeing. You can then go on a Daily Trip with a narrator and meditate on your mental health in a more adventurous session.
Celebrity-narrated sessions are also available, in the form of sleep stories from the likes of Harry Styles and Cillian Murphy. Drift off with a familiar voice and build a refreshing sleep pattern.
At £28.99 per year (equivalent to £2.50 per month, although no monthly payment option is available), the depth of content on offer means there are tools suited to a whole host of people.
3. Insight Timer
Price: Free (optional premium fee of £55.99 per year)
Available on iOS and Android
Insight Timer is a combination of meditation stopwatch and social network. The timer is customisable with optional ambient sounds whilst you meditate. There are over 30,000 meditation sessions to choose from at varying levels of intensity; perfect for beginners who want to ease into mindfulness practice, and the seasoned user looking for more introspective courses.
What sets Insight Timer apart is its focus on social engagement. A world map shows where people are currently meditating and various community groups are available to join, all with different themes for you to collaborate on.
4. Anxiety Solution
Price: £5.99
Available on iOS and Android
If you want to specifically focus on anxiety, this next app can be a valuable tool. Anxiety Solution contains over 70 sessions covering mindfulness, breathing, fitness, and more, all centred around the core idea of reducing and managing your anxiety.
At the heart of this app is a comprehensive 28-session course, designed to explain the various causes of anxiety and how to tackle it. There is no time limit on the course, so it can be completed at your own pace. You will be taught techniques informed by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to help you on the path toward managing your anxiety.
5. Portal – Escape into Nature
Price: £30 per year
Available on iOS
We have in Portal a fully immersive experience, designed to aid with managing anxiety and stress via sound and sight. Presented within a beautiful, sleek interface, Portal transports you to various locales around the world, from the Slovenian Alps to the Scottish Highlands. The spatial audio used in Portal makes you feel like you are there, the aim being to take you away, even for just a moment, from your troubles.
The calming sounds of Portal can also be applied in the background of your other apps, such as podcast players, to add an extra layer of ambience to your daily activities.
6. Breethe
Price: £12.49 per month
Available on iOS & Android
Breethe focuses on something we do every day, but perhaps don’t pay enough attention to: our breathing. The sessions in Breethe are all about learning different breathing techniques to help you manage your anxiety and stress.
Each activity within Breethe is bite-sized, helping the user fit the app into their daily life.
7. Openfit
Price: £77 per year
Available on iOS & Android
If you want to combine supporting your mental wellbeing with your fitness goals, Openfit is a great hybrid option. The service has over 10 meditations to choose from, each of which can be combined with a fitness class for an all-around holistic workout.
Many of Openfit’s sessions are run by workout staff, pre-recorded to really bring the gym into your home.
Learn more about apps that can support us in our day-to-day lives; read our guides to apps that could help you learn a new language and apps for healthy living, and discover some of the top phones to make use of them on, in our Apple and Android offerings