Hi friends. If you listened to my latest episode of The BigKidProblems Podcast, we talked allllll about anxiety and how most of us have or WILL suffer with it at some point or another. Some people suffer with anxiety every day. Others might suffer temporarily after a traumatic event like a breakup, job loss, etc. And while everyone deserves access to mental healthcare, the truth is, it is not always affordable or accessible.
In the Anxiety Episode this week, I shared that at one point I wanted to get therapy but couldn't afford it (WTF). But that was a long long time ago. Luckily, more and more free and cheap Therapy & Meditation Apps have become available over the last few years, and for anyone suffering, they may just be a game changer. I've done some research and am including a list below of some of the best apps available. Check 'em out and find the one that is right for you!
1. BetterHelp
This app matches you with a counselor to help with all types of issues like anxiety & depression. What's great is it offers a free one-week trial so you can see if you like it. From there the service offers various pricing plans, starting at $35 per week.
2. Talkspace
The service connects users with a licensed therapist for private text, audio, or video chat therapy.
One month of unlimited messaging therapy costs $128 (or $32 per week) and an additional live session brings the total to $172. Four live sessions plus the unlimited messaging costs $276 monthly. This service also has couples therapy for $189 per month or $499 per quarter (12 weeks).
Talkspace is a little bit pricier but compared to traditional in-person therapy, still very reasonable.
3. 7-Cups
This service has a ton of free content and allows you to pick your issue (like getting over a breakup, dealing with panic attacks or getting 'unstuck'). They also provides text-chat access to their network of healthcare professionals. On the cheaper side of the spectrum, the standard one-month subscription costs $12.95 and that cost drops to $7.99 per month for a full-year subscription. ( I say try it for a month and then purchase the full year if you like it).
4. iPrevail
This free site also offers a baseline health assessment test and uses the results to help tailor online therapy programs for each user. The iPrevail service then connects users with “Trained Peer Specialists” for online counseling (side note, the peers may or may not be professional mental healthcare providers, but they do have experience in the field of counseling over the web)
5. Calm
Calm was branded as Apple's "App of the Year" in 2017 and is designed to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, and help you to feel happier.
The FREE app delivers meditations that can help you to destress, as well as breathing programs, music, and sounds from nature to relax your mind and body and promote better sleep.
6. Headspace
Headspace uses mindfulness and meditation to help you perform at your best each day. The app's mission is to provide you with the essential tools to achieve a happier, healthier life.
Whether you need to build healthier relationships, find a place of calm, keep your mind fit, or reduce stress, Headspace has hundreds of themed mindfulness and meditation sessions to support you.
7. Pacifica
Pacifica provides a toolbox to deal with daily anxiety and stress, along with a highly supportive community of like-minded individuals.
This app helps you to break cycles of unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through methods such as CBT, mindfulness meditation, mood tracking, and relaxation. It houses audio lessons and activities that help you to cope with stress and depression AND it sets daily challenges to help you reach your long term goals.
Hopefully, you find one that fits your style! Listen, dealing with anxiety is a process and a journey (trust me, I know). But YOU are the only one who can make moves and take action towards feeling better. There is NO reason to sit alone and suffer. There are too many resources, too many things to try, and too many people who care about you on this earth to spend another day unhappy. It can take a long time and a mixture of things to work, but you will never know until you try. For me, a mix of yoga, cardio, vitamins (Magnesium to get specific) journaling and just becoming SUPER aware of my triggers has helped me gain control but hey, I still have my days. We all do, and thats ok. How you choose to handle it is up to you.
SM