Does the phrase “work-life balance” make you laugh most days? Yeah, we get it. If you’re part of the 70 percent of moms with kids under 18 who are in the labor force, balancing your home and work life isn’t easy. You have to schedule babysitters, help with homework and in many cases serve as the primary breadwinner. Even when a woman has a spouse, she still spends twice as much of her time doing household chores as married dads do. This could be why so many mothers report that they feel stressed.
In a recent survey, when moms were asked on a scale from one to 10 how stressed they felt, the average response was an 8.5. Luckily, we’re living in a time when apps are available for just about anything — and that includes meditation, which can help reduce stress.
The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by everything being so much all the time, give one of these meditation apps a try.
Calm
The Calm app provides a wide range of guided meditations that range from three to 25 minutes. There are topics that can help ease anxiety with the use of nature sounds plus breathing exercises. If stress keep you tossing and turning at night, then try one of their more popular features, “The Daily Calm.” It contains 120 bedtime sleep stories for adults, music, meditation lessons, and soothing sounds. You can also try out its music streaming capabilities, which is organized into four categories: focus, relax, sleep, and nature melodies. Free with in-app purchases, premium subscription $69.99 yearly
Ten Percent Happier
Ten Percent Happier is for the person who hasn’t entirely signed on to the idea that meditation works. It boasts mindfulness experts, a library of over 500 guided meditations, practical teachings, words of wisdom, and videos. There is a wide range of topics to ensure that it has precisely what each person needs, from anxiety to parenting to focus. Plus, new content is launched weekly so that you will never be bored. Free, or $99 yearly after 7-day free trial.
Meditation Studio
The Mediation Studio app is well suited for the person who already has a leg up on their mindfulness practice. But beginners shouldn’t be afraid to give it a try because they do offer a starter series. The sessions are organized to suit whatever it is you need on any given day. They are “Be Healthy” (which even has a subcategory for fertility), “Be Kind,” “Be Awesome,” “Be Curious” and “Just For” which has meditations for first responders, vets, kids, earth day, special occasions and more. iOS free, Android $3.99, or premium subscription $7.99 monthly or $49.99 yearly.
Buddhify
Buddhify brands itself as being able to bring mindfulness and calm into every part of your day. You can perform your exercises no matter what your activity — traveling, walking, taking a break, or going to sleep. Its more than 200 meditations are set to bring tranquility inside of stressful and anxiety-ridden situations. Additionally, it can help you deal with pain or guide you when you’re having a hard time coping with emotions. iOS $4.99, Android $2.99, premium subscription $30 yearly
Headspace
Tibetan Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe co-founded Headspace, which has more than 54 million members across 190 countries. It features guided meditations, videos animations, and articles. If you’re skeptical about the efficacy of the practice, you can try out the “Basics” course. It encompasses 10 sessions that can help you understand the root of meditation and how to make it a part of your routine. The brand touts that after 10 days of using the app, you can reduce stress, increase happiness by 16 percent, and after four weeks, your ability to focus goes up by 14 percent. $12.99 monthly, $95.88 yearly.
Stop, Breathe & Think
Stop, Breathe & Think was inspired by the nonprofit Tools for Peace, which has a mission to teach mindfulness and meditation to inner city teens. This app is perfect for the parent of a teen because it has sessions that are specific to that age group and the emotions they deal with. It also has activities that are geared toward helping you track and get in touch with how you genuinely feel. Plus, you can queue up a guided meditation or yoga video that is matched with your mood to enhance your day. Free or premium subscription $9.99 a month, $58.99 yearly or lifetime subscription $249.
Mindwell
Mindwell has more than 350 mediations and guides and uses custom tones and frequencies that are synchronized with your brainwaves to increase relaxation, sleep, emotional balance, and focus. The app is said to support whatever your specific goals may be, such as wanting to excel at your career. Their categories are created with empowerment in mind and include, “Going Full Thrust,” ” Turning on Positive Thinking,” “Supercharging your Career,” “Understanding and Quitting Destructive Behavior,” “Coping with Fear,” and “Powering up for College.” $49.99 yearly.
Want to invest a bit more in your brain? Check out a few of these affordable mental health apps:
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