Let’s face it – this time of year is pretty crazy no matter how much prep goes into it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to balance out the busy. Lately, I’ve been all about apps that assist in calming me down before bed, or even when I’m driving and feeling stressed. There are so many great ones out there, but after some trial and error, these are the four I’ve made space for on my screen.

Calm

A friend told me that she reaches for this when traveling or when she can’t sleep. And since sleeping isn’t my strong suit, I downloaded it stat. It’s amazing, you guys! It’s basically calming ‘sleep stories’ or lessons that you can listen to while laying in bed. On top of that, they have meditation sessions, relaxing nature sounds, guided breathing techniques, and more. Can’t rec enough.

Guided Mind

If you suffer from any type of anxiety or a specific stressor, this is a cool app. You can choose from hundreds of guided meditations that are focused on one thing (like ‘mindful eating affirmations’ or ‘gratitude meditation’), so it’s easy to make this experience personal. They even take on heavy topics like alcohol and anger management.

Headspace

I’ve talked about this app before, and it’s still one of my favorites for basic meditation. The British accents are not only a pleasure to listen to, but beyond calming. It’s a very user-friendly app that’s worthy of a spot on your phone.

Zen Sand

I’m not a gamer, but my mom swears by this app for relaxing her system so I tried it out. Essentially, you can play games that work to calm the mind, or even challenge it. But even when your brain is working, it has it do so in a very, very zen way – quite possibly the only game to accomplish that!

Any others I should download?