Ever tried any of the “Mindfulness” apps? I was recently asked to be part of a trial for a new US health app and the request made me looking this growing trend of healthy ‘Appiness…
The NHS has approved this approach to helping deal with anxiety and its been proven to help sleep better and sharpen focus.
‘Mindfulness’ is all about clearing your thoughts and becoming acutely aware of yourself and your surroundings.
A leading app is Headspace. It uses winsome animations to teach you the basics of mindfulness and meditation. It’s quite interesting to note that the sessions themselves are voiced by Bristolian co-founder Andy Puddicombe, who as a 20-something, ditched his university career in sports science to travel to Asia and become a Buddhist monk. Ten years later in 2010, Headspace was born.
The free version will grant you “The basics” package: 10 days’ worth of guided meditations (you can tailor the length of each session) and a bunch of “minis”, including a calming one-minute breathing exercise. The tone is straightforward and unpatronising, it sounds like a one-sided conversation that you don’t mind listening to, rather than one that you’re being dictated to.
Another app people are raving about is ‘Calm’. There’s a range of voice-led meditation exercises for free, including a seven-day beginner’s programme to help you find your feet.
Both apps are available on Android and iOS.
