9 Mental Health Apps for Busy Entrepreneurs
Raise your hand if you’re an entrepreneur. Now, keep it raised if you’ve said something along the lines of: “I really need to make more time for my mental health/self care/work-life balance.” Still raised?
Thought so.
All of the entrepreneurs we know are trying to squeeze in as many action items as possible; while we respect the grind, we also know how important it is for high-achievers to balance that sense of drive with overall wellbeing. To accomplish that goal, here are our picks for the best mental health apps for busy entrepreneurs. We hope these options will help you take care of yourself while you’re taking care of everything else.
1. Forest
What it is: Gamify productivity by planting a tree in your virtual forest when you want to focus. The only catch? Your tree dies if you use your phone during the window of time you set aside to concentrate.
Why we like it: Focused bursts of working with breaks interspersed are a great way to get a lot of work done while still creating time in your day for rest. We also love the team feature that allows colleagues or family members to jointly agree to focus without phone distractions for a certain period of time.
2. Happify
(Apple, Google) Free basic plan; Premium $12/mo
What it is: Science-based activities and games to help you overcome stress, worry, and other negative thoughts.
Why we like it: The app’s scientific approach allows you to choose and track progress on the mood-related goals that are most relevant to you. One key feature is the ability to choose activities that last different lengths of time, making it possible to fit mood-boosting moments into your two-minute break between meetings.
3. Headspace
(Apple, Google) Free Trial; $70/year or $12.99/mo
What it is: Headspace was officially launched in 2010 as an events company, but attendees wanted to take what they learned about mindfulness home, so the team turned the company into an app that allows people to build their own long-term mindfulness practice.
Why we like it: The combination of guided meditations, articles, and animations offers a holistic approach to integrating mindfulness into your life. Structured programs, which you can access for an extra fee, teach you how to integrate mindfulness into different spaces, including your workplace. Pro tip: Check out their Netflix show before downloading the app to see if you vibe with the content.
4. Insight Timer
What it is: #1 free app for sleep, anxiety, and stress with more than 70,000 meditation and music tracks available.
Why we like it: With new meditations added daily, there are always fresh (and free) options for a quick guided pick-me-up. You have the option to search for different types of meditation tracks, so you can find something that fits with your specific self-care goals. A newer feature includes group meditation functionality, so you can connect with others who are coming along on the mindfulness journey with you.
5. MyLife
(Apple, Google) Free Trial; $59/year or $10/mo
What it is: Meditation app combined with personalized journals, prompts, and related activities.
Why we like it: The app offers daily suggestions and activities tailored to your mood and needs. Mind/body check-ins help you see and track the impact that meditation is making.
6. Sanvello
(Apple, Google) Free; Premium starts at $4/mo
What it is: Sanvello is based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness meditation, strategies shown to provide effective relief for mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression.
Why we like it: For those who are specifically dealing with depression and anxiety, this app helps you create a holistic self-care routine by integrating features of other mental health apps, like meditations, mood checks, and access to professional therapy all in one place.
7. Self Help for Anxiety Management (SAM)
What it is: Created by university researchers, SAM guides users through understanding what causes their anxiety, monitoring anxious thoughts and behaviors, and managing anxiety through self-help exercises and private reflection.
Why we Like it: Approximately 18% of American adults suffer from anxiety-related disorders, but only 36% of those individuals seek professional treatment. This app offers a way for folks to self-manage anxiety symptoms or to work on understanding their anxiety with the assistance of a professional.
8. Shine App
(Apple, Google) Free Trial; $54/year or $15/mo
What it is: An all-in-one wellness app that helps you create daily self-care rituals, including meditation, reflection, and connection with an inclusive community.
Why we like it: Besides being a well-designed app, we dig the mission. Shine focuses on fighting for the mental health of marginalized groups and creates content with diverse representation in mind — over 90% of their meditations are voiced by Black women. Shine also offers a “Shine at Work” module for companies looking to support employees’ mental health.
9.Streaks
(Apple) $4.99
What it is: Create your custom habits list on a sleek, easy-to-use interface and track how long you can keep up your streak of completing the habit.
Why we like it: Completely customizable goals allow you to track various types and frequencies of habits, from drinking water 8 times per day to journaling once per week. Statistics nerds can geek out at the custom progress charts.
From fledgling tech companies, healthcare innovators, and nonprofits to makers, creators, services and shops, Ascender is for Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurs. We help businesses of all types in the Pittsburgh region start and build a business through education and connectivity. See how Ascender can help you.
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9 Mental Health Apps for Busy Entreprenuers was originally published in Ascender on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
