Reclaim Your Chill With These 10 Convenient Calming Apps

If you think you need help managing your anxiety, Talkspace is an app that can probably connect you with the support you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for therapy for yourself, couples therapy, therapy for your teen, or medication, you’re matched with a mental health provider via the app that can treat a range of anxiety disorders. 

Prior to sign-up, you can take one of Talkspace’s focused mental health tests, such as its anxiety disorder test, to determine if you are living with excess anxiety. If you want to jump right into matching with a therapist, sign-up begins with a non-invasive assessment designed to match you with the best provider for your personal needs. Typically, you’ll be matched within 48 hours of the assessment—though when we tested the platform, we were actually matched sooner. Once you’re matched you can begin sending messages through the app to your therapist anytime. You’ll receive a response at least once every 24 hours five days a week. 

Depending on the plan you sign up for, you can also schedule your therapy sessions right in the app as well. And if you think you might need medication for your anxiety, you can also schedule an assessment and, if prescribed, add on medication management too. If you don’t love the therapist you’re matched with, you can conveniently switch therapists anytime, for any reason, at no additional cost. The app also comes with an eight-week, in-app insomnia program.

We surveyed 105 users from Talkspace and 83% reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their therapist, with 42% saying they were likely or very likely to be seeing the same therapist in a year. Of those surveyed, 55% said they joined Talkspace seeking treatment for anxiety, while 45% joined for help with depression. Additionally, 83% reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience using Talkspace.

Talkspace offers subscription plans billed monthly. Most plans start around $65 per week for messaging-only therapy plan (which includes no live sessions) and can go up to $109 per week for a therapy plan that includes video, messaging, and workshops. 

Psychiatry is considered an add-on service at Talkspace so it is billed per session. An initial psychiatry session is $249, followed by $125 per session. 

The good news is that Talkspace does accept a wide range of insurance plans as well, so you could pay less out-of-pocket than these rates.

If you are looking for therapy, but you’re worried about how you might be able to afford it, BetterHelp is an app that might be able to help. For a flat monthly subscription rate of $240 to $360 per month, you can sign up for a talk therapy plan that includes four video call sessions with a licensed therapist and a messaging platform where you can chat with your therapist asynchronously—all accessible within the app.

Once you sign up—which consists of answering some intake questions about why you’re seeking therapy and submitting payment information—you’ll be matched with a therapist that meets your needs. All sessions and conversations take place virtually. It’s important to note, one of our testers said, that “the sign-up process for BetterHelp is actually pretty long: it took me about 20 to 30 minutes to complete, so make sure you set aside time to complete it because if you stop mid-sign-up and exit your browser, it will not save your answers and you’ll have to start all over again.”

Of the 105 users we surveyed, 77% said they were satisfied or very satisfied by the therapist options provided by BetterHelp. Seventy-two percent rated their therapist’s qualifications on BetterHelp as very good or excellent. Additionally, 65% said they had an overall good to excellent experience using the platform.

Signing up for a therapy plan through BetterHelp’s app costs roughly $60 to $90 per week, billed monthly. There is only one plan, but the rate you’ll be charged varies depending on where you live. 

BetterHelp does not accept health insurance, unfortunately. 

Sometimes, it can be difficult to manage your anxiety by yourself or even with therapy. That’s why medication might sometimes be called for, especially if you’re experiencing frequent panic attacks or you’re finding that your anxiety is getting in the way of your day-to-day life. If you think you need this kind of support, Brightside might be able to help. As a platform, it specializes in treating depression and anxiety by giving you access to mental health providers and prescribers through an easy-to-use app. 

When you sign up, you can choose from a variety of therapy and medication management plans to suit your needs; either way, you’ll be assessed to determine how severe your anxiety is by a licensed mental health care provider and have a treatment plan developed for you that can, if you’re eligible, include medication. 

In addition, the app will provide you with access to guided support, such as ongoing symptom tracking and progress tracking. You can also schedule virtual appointments with your prescriber and/or provider right from the app. One of our testers mentioned that, “While you are required to be on camera for the evaluation, you can ask your provider to turn their camera off if that would make you more comfortable.”

Of the 105 Brightside users surveyed, 71% said the medication management services they received were good to excellent, while 83% found the company to be very affordable, affordable, or slightly affordable. Ninety percent reported they had an overall excellent experience using Brightside.  

Brightside offers a variety of therapy plans to suit your needs, and all plans include a 12-week self-care curriculum.

• The Medication Only plan is $95/month, which includes one 15-minute remote psychiatric provider evaluation, medication delivery, and ongoing provider support and monitoring of your care, including any necessary adjustments.
• The Therapy only plan is $299/month and includes unlimited messaging and four monthly video sessions with your therapist. Additional video appointments can be purchased for $59 each.
• The Therapy and Medication plan is $349/month and includes everything in the Medication and Therapy Only plans.

Brightside does accept some insurance plans, so you may be able to pay less out of pocket.

Mindshift CBT is a free app that you can use to do some exercises and learn some tools to tackle your anxiety symptoms. Rooted in the evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach, which helps you identify negative patterns of thinking and replace them with more positive thoughts, the app offers guided meditations, small step exercises aimed at facing your fears at a manageable rate, coping cards, goal setting, mood tracking, and daily check-ins.

This app was developed by the nonprofit organization Anxiety Canada and it is well-organized and very user-friendly, with everything neatly and attractively displayed on the front dashboard. One particularly unique feature we liked is the fact that the app organizes its tools by anxiety type, such as "general worry" or "phobias." This helps to target your exact needs without the added stress of navigating an overly complicated app interface. Its newest feature is a community forum where you can share stories and learn from other users’ mutual experiences. The space is safe and moderated, allowing you to provide and receive peer-to-peer support as needed. Though, it is important to note that this app may not be enough for many people, and is best paired with active CBT practices prescribed by a therapist.

Since the Mindshift CBT app is run and maintained by a not-for-profit, it is completely free to use.

Circles is an online group support app where you can join facilitator-led meetings on an array of subject matters, including living with anxiety. “Meeting in a support group of like-minded individuals or people who are experiencing the same challenges you are can be incredibly bolstering for those living with anxiety,” explains Hannah Owens, LMSW. “You can talk through your symptoms with people who understand your experience and learn from others who may have developed healthy coping strategies.” The Circles app provides group support specifically in these areas that can cause and worsen anxiety. 

Once you sign up, you’ll be able to join a group—or “circle”—made up of seven to 10 people who are all there to discuss the same concern as you. If you’re a paid subscriber, the group will be moderated by a licensed therapist; if you’re using the app for free, the groups are peer-led. In addition to the groups, you’ll have access to CBT-based exercises, tools, and tips for effective healing. 

One of our testers mentioned that “after being assigned a circle, all group chats occur within the app. This is also the place where you can chat with your facilitator.” Of the 105 users surveyed, 48% felt that the app was easier to use than other similar services. Sixty-six percent reported having a very good to excellent overall experience using Circles. Seventy percent said they would recommend Circles to friends and family. 

Circles offers a free week trial. From there you have two options: a paid circle at $79 per month that is led by a licensed group therapist, or a free plan with limited offerings led by trained peers.  

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, mindfulness or meditation can be helpful. “Mindfulness practices can be added to your daily routine as a good supplement to the work you are already doing in therapy,” explains Owens. “Practicing meditation can help you deal with intrusive thoughts or anxiety that might crop up between therapy sessions.” That’s why we recommend the app Headspace, which features a library of thousands of different meditation, breathing, and movement exercises.

If you’re new to meditation, don’t worry, because a large portion of the app is dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of meditating. You can find guided meditations for beginners, a meditation 101 section, and helpful meditation techniques, as well as variety of related articles about what it is and what its benefits are. We also appreciated that you can sign up for a free trial of seven to 14 days, which is plenty of time to decide if you think the app is going to work for you or not. 

Plans are available beginning with the standard monthly ($13) or annual ($70) subscription. Headspace also offers discounts for students, families of up to six users, and teens. 

Aimed at people who have trouble calming their anxious thoughts at bedtime, Breethe is an app that helps you fight your insomnia through in-app hypnotherapy sleep sessions designed to help you overcome stress, deal with anxiety, and manifest your dreams all while simultaneously drifting into a deep, sound sleep. “Hypnotherapy is effective for some people, but just like any other modality, it’s not for everyone,” says Owens. “And while a hypnotherapy app might be useful for practicing the exercises you are learning with your hypnotherapist, or teaching you simple tricks for calming down your body and your brain, it’s always best to work with a professional in addition to an app.”

In addition to hypnotherapy, Breethe offers multiple features aimed at helping you wind down, such as sleep stories, soothing music, meditations, breathing exercises, nature sounds, gentle morning alarms, and more. ”Controlling your breathing is an immediate way to tell your body that it’s time to relax,” explains Owens, “because in fight/flight/freeze mode, you aren’t breathing slowly or deeply. So doing so purposefully naturally switches your brain from a ‘we are in the thick of things’ response to a ‘OK, we can let our guard down now’ response.”

In addition to the very basic free plan that has about 90 meditation tracks, the paid subscription offers thousands of sleep, meditation, and hypnotherapy sessions. The premium sign-up starts with a 14-day free trial period, then rolls into one of three subscription plans. Choose the monthly ($13), yearly ($90), or lifetime plan ($180). 

The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which carries signals between the brain, heart, and digestive system. Breathing exercises can stimulate the vagus nerve, helping you calm down and regain your ability to think more rationally. The problem is, many of us don’t know how to breathe in a way that will stimulate this nerve, or may need guidance with our breathing techniques if we are already in an anxious, agitated state.

If you’ve ever gotten angry or scared and noticed that your breathing changed, you’re probably right. “Experiencing anger, fright, or panic sends our nervous systems into high-alert mode,” says Owens, “which causes those telltale physical signs like a faster heartbeat, sweaty palms, and an inability to catch your breath.” But the good news is, breathing exercises might be able to help you calm down. “When you’re in control of your breathing, it’s like a signal to your overexcited nervous system that everything is OK—because if there really was something dangerous to be dealing with, the last thing you’d be thinking about is breathing slowly!”

Enter Breathwrk, an app that can teach you breathing exercises and techniques that can help you calm down. With this app, you’ll have access to a vast library of breathing exercises, making it easy to reduce stress and anxiety with immersive classes and timed breathing lessons. You can choose from 30-second breathing exercises designed to quickly control your anxiety, or learn a few different breathing techniques that help with focus, energy, and even beating your mid-day slump without caffeine. 

Breathwrk offers a monthly subscription for $14, but if you’re willing to pay upfront, you can pay $70 for the whole year. 

It can be difficult to pinpoint what causes negative thinking and mood swings, but sometimes, tracking your moods can help you better identify your triggers. “Tracking your moods can help you identify patterns—maybe in the morning you always feel down and you feel better as the day progresses. That might lead you to think of ways to make your mornings easier or be less hard on yourself if you’re having trouble functioning earlier in the day,” says Owens. “Or maybe you notice that you always feel angry right before lunch—that might mean you should be eating sooner. Noticing your ups and downs can lead you to surprising insights on what your body and brain need.”

That’s why we recommend Moodnotes, an app that gives you an easy-to-use, accessible personal mood tracker. While it is a no-frills app, it does what it needs to do and it does it well. Each day, it will ask you how you’re doing and you can choose from from one of the pre-programmed mood options. Once checked in, you will be asked for a little more context relating to your choice. You'll share what is going on by picking a sub-category relating to the source of your mood and then providing a short sentence or two describing the nature of the situation.

Over time, this record will help you visibly assess your mood patterns and, hopefully, identify thinking traps that may be triggering your highs and lows. The app will compile a timeline for your review.

Moodnotes offers two simple subscription options. Following the free trial, users can either choose a monthly subscription plan for $10 or a yearly plan for the low cost of $25. Cancel your plan anytime prior to the next scheduled payment period. 

Journaling is a respected method for improving mental health and reducing anxiety because “it forces you to consider how you are feeling right in that exact moment,” says Owens. “Being in touch with how you are feeling—and taking the time to examine those feelings—often gives you the ability to understand your responses to what is happening around you, which can lower your anxiety by making things feel less out of your control.” And Reflectly makes journaling easy and convenient because it allows you to either type your entries or talk right into the app for a voice diary. 

What made this journaling app stand out, though, was the fact that it offers personalized prompts and reminders so you don’t forget to journal regularly. This allows you to build healthy habits over time, while also making sure that you’re doing some real self-care work while you journal. For example, the app uses artificial intelligence (AI) to ask you questions relating to your entry so you can reflect deeper as you journal. 

In addition, it includes other features, like mood tracking—and rather than just choosing a “mood” you can use a sliding scale to really track your true feelings in all of their shades. It also comes with daily motivational quotes, challenges, evening daily insights, and mood correlation graphs. 

An annual subscription for this app starts at $30 for the first year, then raises to $60. Unfortunately, there are no free trials available.