The world is growing ever more stressful and challenging for people of all ages. Children and teens are experiencing much higher rates of anxiety, depression, and other undiagnosed mental and emotional issues than ever before. These five apps offer helpful possibilities in the quest for comfort, health, and wellness.
The apps are not meant to be a means for parents or guardians to spy on their children by keeping track of their child’s thoughts or feelings. Instead, they encourage young people to take proactive steps to improve their comfort levels. Apps can help alleviate stress, boost emotional intelligence and control, and support an overall improvement in wellness that will affect every other part of their lives
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MindShift Anxiety Guide
In the past couple of years, as Covid-19 has changed the way young people interact with the world, levels of depression and anxiety have gone up considerably. The CDC reports that mental health experts diagnose children and teens at a rate that is almost twice what they were before the pandemic. While most mental health issues require medical and healthcare intervention, a wellness app can help alleviate some of the symptoms and stresses; this is what MindShift does.
It acts as a mental health care coach for older kids and teenagers who suffer from anxiety regularly. It educates, builds understanding of conditions, and guides them in developing healthier and more comfortable thought patterns and behaviors. The app, available on IOS or Android, is a beneficial resource to help children handle their day-to-day issues independently.
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Headspace Meditation App
Many mental and emotional wellness issues that children experience today stem from high-stress levels. Adults also experience high-stress levels but may have more coping skills to deal with them than children and teens. Individuals at different ages and cognitive levels require varying approaches to stress management.
The Headspace meditation app introduces relaxation, focus, and calming techniques in various ways, and in turn, it also teaches children how to get themselves into a lower stress state. According to Digital Authority Partners, in combination with therapeutic techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy, wellness apps can help children and teens improve and maintain their mental health.
A large part of this involves the increased access to therapeutic approaches that do not require doctor’s visits, counselor appointments, or prescriptions. The Headspace app can help children or teens find safe and reliable methods for dealing with stress and anxiety through meditation and other mindfulness exercises.
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Smiling Mind for All Ages
Topics like mood regulation, cognition, and emotional wellness may feel out of reach for young children. However, they feel the impacts of stress just as much as older children and teens. Smiling Mind focuses on helping students of all ages find release from life’s stressors. It offers easy-to-understand guidance through mindfulness and meditation, tracks progress, and helps kids stay on schedule with their mental health management goals.
Even though it offers beginner services for young people or those who have never meditated before, it does not have a lot of colorful graphics to detract from the beneficial help it provides. The app offers a way to check in, record your state of mind and feelings, and get quick bursts of relaxation throughout the day. Although apps like this can provide significant benefits, it is also essential to engage in fun activities as a family that promote comfort and release stress.
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Calm Age-Specific Meditations
Another stress-relief Android and iPhone app, Calm, offers programs for people of all ages and experience levels. Children can start with a simple three-minute or five-minute meditation, while more experienced meditators can increase their mindfulness practice up to 25 minutes.
There are more than 100 separate programs to choose from, which may be overwhelming for younger users. However, they are easy to follow and can effectively relieve anxiety and stress. One great benefit is that it offers a beginner’s tutorial for a week to get them into the habit of regular meditation practice.
The Calm app includes beautiful photo images of relaxing landscapes and vistas during the meditation process. Though not specifically geared towards children, anyone can find a sense of relaxation by visualizing the beauty of nature. It also offers relaxation-focused bedtime stories for when a favorite book read by mom or dad is not enough. It is never too early to develop a healthy nighttime routine that promotes physical, mental, and emotional health.
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The Zones of Regulation Mood Gamified
While the name of this wellness app makes it sound complicated, the intention is quite simple. The unique combination of fun games and occupational therapy engages children to a high degree. Children learn how to understand and regulate their emotions using bright colors and images. The app helps young people move through negativity into a more positive space. Rather than meditation or breathing techniques that promote relaxation, this is a more interactive program that educates and helps kids manage their wellness.
Summing It Up
Whether for economic or logistic reasons or fear of the social stigma associated with mental illness, far too many children and teens go without the mental health care they need. Mental health apps, like the ones mentioned above, can’t replace licensed professional therapy, but they may provide some help. Parents and guardians need to schedule appointments with doctors and therapists, but digital apps can improve wellness, reduce stress, and comfort children who have more to deal with than ever before.
Digital tools have become commonplace for many aspects of self-care and management. Now the same can be said for mental and emotional well-being. While they are not a replacement for clinical help, they can undoubtedly provide practices that may benefit a child between doctor visits and therapist appointments.
Mental health and wellness issues affect children and teens as much as adults in today’s stressful world. While many different treatment options and therapeutic answers are available, using one of these top wellness apps can make a considerable difference in their lives. They represent viable ways for parents and other caregivers to monitor a child’s progress and mindset and are an essential tool for a child to take control of their health and well-being. Try out one or more entertaining, engaging, and helpful apps to facilitate a shift toward greater positivity and lower stress.
