13 meditation apps and self-care products to relieve stress

Headspace

One of the most recognizable apps on the market, Headspace has hundreds of guided meditations to help keep restless minds at peace. With two new features—The Wake Up and Move Mode—the app can also guide you through quick exercises to relieve stress. Headspace even has short SOS meditations for quick moments of mindfulness throughout the day.

Headspace is available on the App Store and Google Play store at $12.99/month or $69.99/year.

Insight Timer

Winner of TIME magazine and Women’s Health Apps of the Year award, Insight Timer offers thousands of guided meditation from neuroscientists, mindfulness experts, psychologists, and professors. Users can select sessions from a variety of topics including how to sleep deeply, dealing with anxiety and reducing stress, focus and concentration, leadership, and more.

Insight Timer is free on the App Store and Google Play store.

Calm

Another well-known app, Calm offers guided meditations, breathing programs, stretching exercises, sleep stories, and soothing music for users. The guided meditations are featured in lengths of three, five, 10, 15, 20, or 25 minutes, depending on your schedule. Sleep stories are bedtime stories that help anxious minds settle. Users can track their mindfulness progress by seeing daily streaks and their amount of mindful minutes.

Calm is available on the App Store and Google Play store for $14.99/month or $69.99/year.

MyLife

MyLife (formerly known as Stop, Breathe & Think) has more than 55 personalized guided meditations, as well as yoga and acupressure videos. The app provides a daily check-in so users can record how that day’s meditation went, as well as their moods. Users can track daily streaks, weekly settledness, their top emotions, and total time meditated.

MyLife is available on both the App Store and Google Play store. The foundational meditations are free, but the rest of the features are available for a $9.99/month or $58.99/year subscription.

Aura

Aura offers three-, seven-, or 10-minute meditations to help reduce stress and boost positivity. The meditations are personalized for the user and can be saved to listen to again. It also features an unguided meditation with sounds of nature for a more free flowing session. Users can track their mood to learn about their mood pattern, integrate Aura with Apple Health, and set up daily mindful breathing reminders.

Aura is available on the App Store and Google Play store for $11.99/month, $59.99/year, or a one-time payment of $399.

CalmiGo

CalimiGo is a drug-free stress-relief device. According to the manufacturer, the calming device uses personalized breathing regulation and sensory stimulation to help the user feel calm, controlled, and confident within three minutes of use. For continuous reduction in stress, three minutes, three times a day is recommended.

Asutra Instant Stress Relief Aromatherapy Mist

The light, clean mist is infused with patchouli and bergamot essential oils to help combat stress and calm your mind within minutes, according to the company’s website. It’s ideal when you just want to mist your stress away.

TouchPoints

TouchPoints use a proprietary neuroscience BLAST technology with gentle, alternating micro-vibrations to calm you in seconds, according to the manufacturer. TouchPoints can be worn on your wrists or carried in pockets, socks, or tank top straps to help “move your brain back into a state of calm at the push of a button when you feel anxious or overwhelmed.” TouchPoints offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and comes with a 1-year limited manufacturer’s warranty.

Casper Glow Light

According to Casper’s website, its Glow light is a self-dimming warm light that helps lulls you into better, deeper sleep.

Bed Buddy Neck Pillow

The Bed Buddy Neck Pillow with a moist heating pad (no water required) is scented with lavender and chamomile to provide “a soothing calming aromatherapy while also being a neck warmer, treating shoulder pain, neck pain, or a stiff neck” according to the manufacturer. The Bed Buddy pillow can be also be used as a cold therapy pad to suit your relaxation needs.

MZOO Sleep Eye Mask

The MZOO eye mask is ideal for meditation, yoga, travel, napping, or insomnia. Made with rebound memory foam and a unique heat-bonded sturdy and durable material, the mask puts no pressure on eyes, fits all size head circumferences with a fully-adjustable buckle strap, effectively blocks lights, and allows your eyes to freely blink, according to the manufacturer. The mask is available in Black, Blue, Red, and Purple.

RENPHO Foot Massager

The RENPHO foot massager comes with a rotation ball, rolling stick, heating option, and Shiatsu foot massage feature. According to the manufacturer, “The ergonomic design provides a comprehensive and comfortable massage.” With three kneading and three squeeze intensities, the foot massager can be adjusted to personal preference. The RENPHO foot massager can accommodate most foot sizes (up to men size 12).

Smart Wi-Fi Wireless Essential Oil Aromatherapy Diffuser

This addition to your smart home “is powered intelligently and Wi-Fi compatible,” according to the manufacturer, and can be used like a normal diffuser for up to 12 hours of continuous mist. The companion app can be downloaded to control LED color, mist intensity, timer settings, scheduling, and more directly from your phone. The smart diffuser is also Alexa and Google Home compatible and can be used with Echo or Dot to control the device with your voice.