You can’t deny the facts—meditation works. You know it’s legit when Harvard University publishes multiple studies that prove meditation reduces stress and encourages the growth of grey matter. In fact, taking time for daily rituals, like meditation or journaling, that encourage mindfulness have been found to be beneficial for everything from weight loss to depression.
The challenge is, even though you know it’s good for you, it can be hard to make time (or remember) to get those little moments of mindfulness in!
At Integrative Nutrition, we teach that health isn’t just eating organic, nourishing foods—it’s taking time to be mindful and present in our bodies, and clear and positive in our thoughts. This is called primary food, and it’s the aspects of your life (career, relationships, physical exercise, and spirituality) that fill your soul and satisfy your hunger for life.
If it’s hard for you to remember to meditate or journal on your own—or you don’t even know where to start—smartphone and tablet apps can be so useful.
Here are our top ten favorite picks to boost mindfulness on the daily…
Headspace
One of the most-loved meditation apps around, Headspace breaks down a very overwhelming topic into bite-sized pieces with cute cartoons and soothing voice-overs. Based off a membership model, Headspace costs a few dollars a month in return for new, daily guided meditations. It’s great option for everyone, beginners to advanced students.
Buddhify
With Buddhify, the premise is simple: Pick your activity, and find a meditation that goes with it. Driving in stressful traffic? There’s a meditation for that. Can’t sleep? That, too! There’s even a meditation for eating.
Tide
Sometimes, mindfulness isn’t just about chanting and sitting quietly. Mindfulness is something that can apply to every aspect of our lives—even work. Tide is a soothing, focusing app that encourages users to be more productive and less distracted at work. Just turn on the app, pick the sounds you’d like to listen to in the background, and get to work!
HelloMind
Like having a guru in your pocket, HelloMind is part-therapist part-yoga instructor. Using Result Driven Hypnosis, the app helps you define whatever problem you might be going through and help you find the best solution.
Take a Chill
It’s not easy to be a kid these days. Homework, social media, regular stresses of being a teen—it’s enough to drive anyone crazy. Take a Chill gets that. Specifically created with teens and young adults in mind, it shows kids how to cope with stress and anxiety in a healthy way.
Noisli
Basic and simple, Noisli is an app that helps you block out background noise, get in the zone, boost productivity, and even reduce stress.
Talkspace
Sometimes you just need to talk to someone to nourish yourself and get your mind right. Talkspace is a unique way to connect with a therapist without having to shell out a lot of money or waste time looking for the right fit. Just text your problem to your therapist, and you’ll get a response and the opportunity to chat—if you want.
Stigma
Don’t be thrown off by the name. Stigma is a diary for your mental health. Track your moods and energy levels daily, and share with friends and other peers that you connect with online. Just like keeping a food journal, a daily mood journal is so important for tracking and acknowledging what’s working in your life and what might require change.
What are your favorite apps to use to increase mindfulness that help nourish your primary food? Tell us in the comments below!