Here at McAuliffe Chiropractic Office, we always want to make sure we’re helping our patients stay healthy and well-balanced, even when they aren’t in the office. We know a lot of people are under a great deal of stress right now. Your routine is off, everyone’s getting under your skin, you’re constantly dealing with the uncertainties of tomorrow.
It’s a lot to deal with and this type of stress can really take a toll on your mind, body and spirit. We talk a lot about the importance of diet and exercise along with your regular adjustments, but in addition to a healthy body, you also need to maintain a healthy mind, especially in our current climate.
Just sitting on your couch binge-watching TV isn’t enough to help you “de-stress” and get your mind off things. You need to give your mind the exercise it needs right now. And you can do this through regular, mindful meditation.
There are countless benefits of regular meditation, including:
All of our doctors here at McAuliffe Chiropractic Office are big proponents of meditation. Meditation is such a simple way to help make sure you are taking care of yourself during these uncertain times. And it’s much easier than it seems. All you really need is a few spare minutes and a smart phone, which you probably already have on you right now.
And if you can carve out the time, these apps can help show you the rest. We have tried a lot of different meditation apps, and these are five of our favorite ones we wanted to share with you.
Best For: Beginners Ready to Learn
Compatible With: Apple, Android
Headspace is one of the most popular meditation apps out there right now and for good reason. This app has something for everyone and can actually grow with you as you become more experienced with your practice.
We highly recommend this app for beginners because it is simple, straightforward and super user-friendly. They even offer a free “Basics Pack” which is a 10-day beginner’s course. This course will teach you the lingo, guide you through the essentials of mindfulness and give you a strong foundation to start building on.
You can start off with a free trial and pay either monthly or annually for what Headspace calls “a gym membership for your mind.”
Our Favorite Feature: Like many meditation apps, Headspace has special programs designed to help you wind down and fall asleep at night. However, we love that it even has programs for when you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep. This is the ultimate tool for light sleepers and a great alternative to flipping on the TV.
Best For: The Whole Family
Compatible With: Apple, Android
If you are looking for a meditation app that the whole family can share, then Insight Timer is a great choice. We like to think of this the Spotify for meditation—there are thousands of sessions to choose from, no matter what you are trying to focus on, so everyone can enjoy using this app.
We love that you can filter your sessions by your needs, such as building relationships, mindful eating or reducing stress. We are particularly fond of the walking meditation programs, which are perfect for when you need to get outside and enjoy a little Vitamin D!
Plus, this meditation library is free!
Our Favorite Feature: Insight Timer is kid-friendly! In their huge library of programs, you will find special meditation sessions geared towards children. It is never too early to start teaching children this positive habit.
Best For: Making Meditation a Habit
Compatible With: Apple, Android
Starting new, positive habits can be really difficult. It takes practice, diligence and, on average, about 66 days to really make it stick. If you want to make meditation a daily habit (which we highly recommend) then give Aura a try.
The app will give you reminders on when to meditate to help you make it part of your routine. It will check in with you and hold you accountable so you can stay focused on your goal.
This app also has a huge variety of guided meditations, all in different lengths and times, and even ones targeted towards different goals and moods. We love the shorter guided meditations that help you get the hang of breathing and mindfulness as you work towards longer sessions. It really makes learning this practice much more manageable.
And you can even try it for a week for free!
Our Favorite Feature: The mini mindful meditation sessions. If you’re looking for a quick meditation you can do in the car before you head into work, this app is perfect. It can help get your focused and in the right mindset for the day ahead. Get to work early, pop on one of these three-minute meditations in the parking lot and get ready to make it your best day yet!
Best For: Learning the Principles of Mindfulness
Compatible With: Apple, Android
We actually found this app when it was voted as one of Apple’s “Best of 2018” Apps, and we’ve loved It ever since. As the name suggests, this app is geared towards helping people live better, happier lives, and instead of just focusing on teaching you how to meditate, it will actually teach you to be more mindful in your day-to-day interactions.
There are video courses, guided meditation and other resources that can not only help you learn to meditate, but that can actually help you sleep better and even improve your relationships.
We love the focus on mindfulness, which is something that you don’t necessarily get with other apps. Learning to be more mindful in everything you do will help change your perspective on things and bring a little optimism and positivity to your day.
Our Favorite Feature: This is a great meditation app for athletes. The app has a number of different teachers, including a sports meditation teacher who has worked with teams like the Chicago Bulls, LA Laker and NY Knicks.
Best For: Meditation Before Bed
Compatible With: Apple, Android
Calm is our favorite app for nighttime meditation, when you are winding down after a long day and getting ready to relax before bed. Calm has more than 50 million downloads, and nearly a million 5-star reviews (which we think is a pretty good sign).
Plus, it also has guided programs that will help while you're actually trying to fall asleep. If you are like Dr. Terence and like to fall asleep to an audio book before bed, we think you will love this app and some of their sleep programs. And there’s even more than just sleep sessions, this program is all about helping you live better and stress less.
Everything in Calm is, well, calming and its free to start with optional add-ons you can use to enjoy a more dynamic experience.
Our Favorite Feature: There are new meditations posted in Calm every day, so you can always change things up and never feel like your sessions are redundant.
There’s no better time than the present to give meditation a try. And we hope these doctor-approved apps can help get you started. Of course, if you have any questions about meditation and other ways you can help manage stress, or if you need to make an appointment, you can always give us a call at 301-776-0755.
