Let’s be real; this coming semester will be unlike anything students have experienced before. With universities struggling to offer classes through Zoom, in-person, and hybrid options, students are looking at a Fall with increased anxiety, depression, substance use, and motivation issues. With this in mind, I reviewed my top 10 favorite apps I think will help college students survive and thrive this semester. I don’t get any payments or referrals if you click on these, so you can trust these are my honest suggestions.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is my favorite app. It’s a free mindfulness app out of Australia with semi-customized programs for stress, sleep, concentration, performance, and eating. Evidence-based, user-friendly, and comprehensive. (Free)
What’s Up
What’s Up is a free app that uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) techniques to help users cope with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress. Users can access the habit tracker to maintain better habits and break those that are counterproductive. The Get Grounded page contains over 100 different clarifying questions to zero-in on what users feel, while the Thinking Patterns page teaches users how to stop negative internal monologues. (Free)
Headspace
Headspace teaches the skills of mindfulness and meditation in just a few minutes per day. Users gain access to hundreds of meditations on everything from stress and anxiety to sleep and focus. The app also provides daily reminders to keep you practicing even when you’re distracted and busy. ($12.99/Month or $9.99/Year for students)
Calm
Calm provides users experiencing stress and anxiety with guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing exercises, and relaxing music. Calm offers a wide range of options designed to help new users and experienced listeners. ($12.99/Month)
Ten Percent Happier
Ten Percent Happier was created by Dan Harris. It’s designed to help users develop better sleep, find relaxation, be more mindful. Ten Percent Happier has a library that has tons of guided meditations on topics ranging from anxiety and stress to parenting and sleep, as well as videos and inspirational stories. The app is updated weekly with new content. ($12.99/Month)
Self-Help for Anxiety Management (SAM)
SAM is a good option if meditation isn’t for you. Users are prompted to track anxious thoughts and behavior and learn self-help techniques that best fit. (Free)
Betterhelp
Betterhelp is an online therapy app exploding in popularity. It’s super easy for users and clinicians alike. Once users sign up, they have several ways to find the best therapy solutions for their specific situation. BetterHelp can be used on a laptop or phone – giving users options for receiving mental health support. BetterHelp works with thousands of licensed therapists around the country to provide great, flexible treatment. ($80/week – $1820/year)
Talkspace
Talkspace is another online therapy solution. Users can text message a trained professional as often as needed and receive responses daily. They also offer services for individuals and couples, so if a significant other wants to learn how to support a user through depression, they can download the app too. Nice options for sure. ($196 – $316/month)
Happify
With its psychologist-approved mood-training program, the Happify app offers engaging games, activity suggestions, gratitude prompts, and more to train one’s brain as if it were a muscle, to overcome negative thoughts. (Free)
nOCD
nOCD was designed with the help of OCD specialists and patients to incorporate two treatments: mindfulness and Exposure Response Prevention Treatment. Users can receive immediate, clinically-supported guidance when an OCD episode strikes, take weekly tests to assess the severity of OCD and have motivational support along the way. (Free)