According to the American Psychological Association, 10,000 to 20,000 mental health and wellness apps are available to the public, each designed for various uses.
From guided meditation, sleep, and breathing, to online therapy and mental health care, these apps are built to help improve your well-being and relieve stress.
There are many benefits to having a wide range of wellness apps available at your fingertips. Apps can bring mental health support closer to those who are unable to or are uninterested in traveling and paying expensive costs.
With notifications and game-like features, many apps have users returning daily for a stress-free break in their otherwise hectic days.
However, with the various apps available, it can be difficult to find the one that fits your needs. 10th grade Guidance Counselor Mr. Travis Edwards believes prioritizing your personal needs is most important when searching for the right app.
“Apps or your favorite music—it’s all about perspective. There are a ton of apps out there, but I found one that I like because it’s accessible, it helps me get what I need,” Edwards said.
Among the thousands of apps, finding a beneficial match may take some time and lots of trial and error. Edwards agrees that it is important to explore and discover many options, while considering which apps have your best interests in mind.
“Some of it is about managing your time, managing your day, but also managing your emotions and being able to decompress…It is important to try some and find one that fits your needs, and not pay for it if you don’t have to, because some of these are marketed because they want your money,” Edwards said.
Many students are stressed throughout the school year, especially during tests and finals. Junior Tianyue Wang finds herself experiencing stress on a daily basis, though she, like other students, is still opening up to the idea of using an app to cope with that.
“I’m definitely stressed out sometimes, I feel like there’s a lot to do,” Wang said. “There are times when that is my fault for procrastinating, and there are times where it is just unfortunate timing with how my teachers planned their schedules.”
Stress management apps could be an important solution for students to try. 6th-grade science teacher Mr. Michael Miller enjoys incorporating mindfulness into his class and finds that it benefits his students.
“I like to use mindfulness exercises to start class to have students ready to learn. It helps calm their brains and central nervous systems. Additionally, if they are stressed about something, mindfulness exercises force them to think about something else, like their breath,” Miller said.
Even the most simplistic stress management apps can serve as an outlet to relieve stress and give students an easy way to refocus during overwhelming times.
Freshman Roxanna Shelton finds that the Mindfulness app on her Apple Watch helps her calm down during stressful times.
“There’s breathing, reflecting, and state of mind [modes]. Sometimes if I really feel like I need to breathe, I will just click on my watch and turn it on. It has this flower-looking thing that moves in and out. People should try it,” Shelton said.
Even if students are not interested in a full mindfulness or meditation session, there are several other, more casual, stress-relieving activities to try.
Middle school German teacher Samantha Shipeck, who has used several different mindfulness techniques in the past, finds that even calming games can be helpful.
“Something that’s not actually a coached mindfulness thing is different, almost sensory, games. There are a few that are color matching games, and one of these apps is called I Love Hue,” Shipeck said.
Students are certainly not alone in their stress-management journeys. Many schools offer different resources and websites for students to find calmness in frustrating moments.
Strath Haven’s school website contains a Virtual Calming Room with links to brain games, guided meditation, stress management apps, live feeds for baby animals, and more.
Additionally, some colleges offer free stress-management app subscriptions to help support stressed-out students.
For example, as of 2022, the University of Notre Dame offers a free Calm App Premium Subscription for its students. Northeastern University also offers students free subscriptions to Headspace, another mindfulness app.
So next time you feel stressed, consider picking up your phone and downloading a stress-management app or game.
Wondering where to get started? Below is a list of some apps and websites to choose from.
