#Insight timer app review upgrade#
#Insight timer app review free#

Insight Timer bills itself as “the largest meditation community on earth,” and claims that tens of millions of people use it daily-that giant group includes Glamour editors, who have found it immediately usable and enriching.

#Insight timer app review free#

The basic version also has some free content. The calming meditations are offered in various speakers voices, including from some especially vocally gifted celebrities.Ĭost: $69.99/year or $399 for life. The graphics on Calm are different than the cartoon illustrations on Headspace-more realistic and, depending on your taste, more soothing. “My anxiety often hits at night, and the sleep stories are reliably relaxing,” says Glamour contributor Macaela MacKenzie.Ĭalm has even been the subject of a clinical study of college students who used the app over eight weeks-the study found that perceived stress was lower in the group that used Calm than the group that did not. A subscription includes a seemingly endless number of meditations, 'sleep stories' (bedtime stories for grown-ups), and nature sounds. CalmĬalm is the number two best-reviewed app in the entire health and fitness category in the iPhone app store. Systemic racism, microaggressions, and a health care system that consistently and fatally fails Black women creates an ecosystem of stressors that can have serious mental health effects (and to top it all off, Black women are half as likely as white women to get treatment).Ĭost: $9.99/month or $71.99/year, with a fund for financial assistance. Minority women disproportionately experience mental health issues. 'I’ve either been listening to that or just replicating the deep-breathing technique Headspace recommends before bed, and it has been one truly dependable thing in this scary time.” A delightful bonus: Headspace's guided meditations are narrated by a man with a soothing British accent.Ĭost: $12.99/month or $69.99/year. “Headspace has these nighttime meditations designed to help listeners relax, and they have never failed me,' she says. Glamour contributing editor Mattie Kahn is a believer. Headspace also has workouts and has even put out specific meditations for living during the pandemic. It's easy to navigate and comprehensive, great for beginners thanks to a program that welcomes you to meditation instead of just throwing you into the deep end. If you're still at the “What is meditation?” stage, Headspace is the daddy/zaddy of apps. The app is fairly simple and pleasant to navigate, with an unguided practice timer and plenty of brief practice options, as specific as “Embracing Holiday Expectations” and “Facing Financial Stress.” The theory behind the app is that practitioners should walk a “clear path” that travels from the foundations of meditation to greater awareness, then to connection, i.e., gratitude and compassion, then to insight, which is thoughts and beliefs, and finally to purpose, in pursuit of a healthy mind. Project Healthy Minds is a nonprofit that aims to guide and offer resources to people struggling with mental health challenges.

#Insight timer app review upgrade#

Upgrade to the paid version ($64.99 per year) and unlock a library of self-care courses that allow you to do a deep dive on topics like managing stress or setting boundaries, members-only events, personalized meditations, and one-on-one support through the Shine community.Ĭost: Free with the option to upgrade for $64.99 per year The Healthy Minds Program With the free version of the app, you can access daily meditations and a handy gratitude journal. Think of Shine as a fitness app for your mental health. Cost: Free with the option for in-app purchases Shine