This post: 7 best apps for stressed and anxious teens.
Stress and anxiety are all too common with teenagers today.
High expectations and pressure to succeed along with academic, social and family pressure can all play a role in triggering stress and anxiety in our kids. In fact, according to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 3 teens will experience some type of anxiety disorder, and those numbers are steadily rising. Yet, only 30 percent seek treatment.
We can’t brush off anxiety as a byproduct of normal teen angst. Anxiety can be extremely disruptive in our kid’s life.
It can mean sleepless nights, full-blown panic attacks, feeling physically sick, missed school and opportunities and make it difficult for them to function on a day-to-day basis.
Professional therapy should always be the first option for treatment and it can be a huge help, but on those occasions when your teen doesn’t have access to a therapist, just knowing they’re not alone and having somewhere to turn can arm them with the proper tools to face, dissolve and manage their stress and anxiety.
The fact is, more teens are reaching out for help on the internet. A national survey found that 38 percent of 14-22-year-olds experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety are delving into mindfulness and stress and anxiety-reducing apps to help them get through those hard days.
The world is a changing place…
Empower your teen with a few extra tools to help them cope on those tough days, stay resilient when life gets hard and remind them that people understand and care when they feel alone. Pass along these best apps for stressed and anxious teens.
Here are the 7 best apps for stressed and anxious teens.
Headspace
4.9 Star Rating / FREE with in-app purchases / Available on Google Play and the App Store
Does your teen want to feel happier, less stressed and sleep better? Then Headspace is for them. Ranked #13 in health and fitness, Headspace can be just what your teen needs to help them cope when they feel stressed or anxious about school or friends and help ground them so they can feel and live better. They’ll learn calming meditation and mindfulness skills from world-class experts and choose from hundreds of meditations to help them manage stress and anxiety, sleep better, focus and help them improve their overall mind-body health.
The cool thing about this app is that it can also help our kids stay resilient during tough times with their “weathering the storm” meditations for coping with sadness and anger along with tips for adapting to change. It even has mood-boosting workouts and 28-day fitness courses led by expert trainers.
Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help
Rated E for Everyone / 4.5 Star Rating / Available on Google Play / FREE
If your teen has had a panic attack then you know, they can be very scary and intense. The Stop Panic & Anxiety Self-Help app empowers your teen by offering tools to help them tolerate the unpleasant sensation of panic and help them learn to control anxiety symptoms. A diary within the app helps them become more aware of the triggers and thinking that can lead to a panic attack, while the panic assistance audio works to offer a sound voice of reason so your child can regain a sense of calmness.
Colorfy
Paint Color and Drawing App / 4.8 Star Rating / FREE
Colorfy is the ultimate app for hours of relaxation. With 1000+ images to choose from including mandalas, florals, animals, patterns, cats, gardens, famous paintings and so much more, your teen can take their mind off of all their worries, troubles and stress and delve into the beautiful designs which will distract them from their anxious thoughts and help them calm down and relax. They can even upload their own drawings to give them more life.
Stop, Breathe, Think.
4.8 Star Rating / Available on Google Play and the App Store / FREE
The Stop, Breathe, Think app is a mindfulness and meditation app that does just as the title states – it encourages you to stop for a moment, breathe and think. Whether your teen feels anxious, angry, sad, sleep-deprived or anything in between, this app will help them find their quiet place. It offers short mindful activities to help them tune into their emotions – because how they feel impacts how they respond to life, their outlook, their ability to concentrate, relationships and so much more.
7 Cups
Rated 4 Stars / FREE with in-app purchases / Available on Google Play or the App Store
We live in a world where you can be surrounded by people, but still feel lonely with no one to turn to when life gets hard. No matter what your teen is going through, 7 Cups is a place where they’ll be heard and cared for.
7 Cups, touted as the world’s largest support system, offers free, totally anonymous 24/7 emotional support and counseling from trained active listeners. They have listeners available especially for teenagers and their community forums and chat rooms allow your teen to share what they’re feeling or going through with other teens who understand and can relate.
The app also features an upgrade with an option to pay for licensed therapists as well. They have 300,000 trained listeners, 180 professional therapists and, to date, they’ve helped more than 25 million people who just needed someone to talk to. Being heard and understood can mean the world to a struggling teenager. Thanks to 7 Cups, your teen will have people they can rely on who can listen to them when they need it the most.
Moodtrack Social Diary
4.5 Rating / FREE with in-app purchases / Available on the App Store
Moodtrack is an awesome app to help your teen track their moods. (Every teen could benefit from this app.) Whether they’re feeling happy, nervous, anxious, miserable, angry or uninspired, Moodtrack will help them identify their mood and help them track their mood swings in a graph. They can track their moods over days, weeks, months or even years which will give them better insight into their emotions and feelings as well as the triggers of anxiety and stress.
Plus, teens can see what other kids are going through and optionally chat anonymously. Just knowing they’re not alone and building a support group (and maybe even a few friendships) with other kids who can relate to them, can be just what teens need to get them through those mood-swinging days.
Calm
Rated #1 for Health and Fitness / 4.8 Star Rating /There’s a limited free version of the Calm app and a free 7-day trial of the premium version, but after that, the premium costs $70 per year or about $6 a month.
Take a deep breath. That’s the phrase that greets your teen when they open up Calm. It’s both a call to action and a defining feature of this popular app’s approach to meditation: It’s okay… you’re going to get through this.
What’s also cool about this app is that it focuses on helping your teen get the proper sleep they need. And, considering the fact that the vast majority of teenagers are sleep deprived due to hormonal shifts, light exposure from smartphones and stress and anxiety, the Calm app is the perfect remedy to help them get the rest they need. The app even has a sleep button with soothing bedtime stories – some narrated by celebrities – to help them relax and fall asleep naturally.