Go from Panic to Calm with Technology

College can really strain your ability to cope with all the demands that come with meeting course requirements, paying your academic bills and juggling your social life. No matter how organized you are, at some point, college will make you confront panic, frustration, and maybe even depression.

Thanks to a merging of technology and science, there is an app to help you cope with all that stress and panic. One way you can successfully deal with the rigors of surviving your college years is to apply the principle of mindfulness. According to Wikipedia, mindfulness is the psychological process of focusing your attention on the internal and external experiences that occur in the present moment. You engage the process through practicing meditation. The term itself comes from the Pali word sati, which is a significant element of some Buddhist traditions.

Mindfulness meditation helps you concentrate on breathing. Deliberate, controlled breathing has a powerful calming effect on anxiety. To get the most therapeutic results, however, you must apply a disciplined approach. Breath training helps you remap your neural pathways to achieve longer-lasting therapeutic effects.

Two website services that help you exercise your breathing prowess are Headspace and Calm. Both of these subscription services have guided programs to help you manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other life issues.

Get Some Headspace

Headspace is a personal trainer for your mind. You start with a free 10-day trial, then you subscribe to expand the training. Depending on the subscription package you select, you can plug into the service for as little as $6.24 per month.

The app gives you progress stats and a buddy feature to link up with your friends. It’s available from Apple’s app store, the Google Play Store, and the Amazon app store.

During the free trial period, you learn how to meditate for 10 minutes every day. Your subscription lets you continue the meditation coaching by unlocking unlimited access to hundreds of hours of content with 30-day packs on different life topics. You can specify the duration of the daily guidance by selecting 10, 15, 20, or 30 minute sessions.

Remain Calm

The Calm experience is a bit different. It offers an attractive website with a variety of soothing sounds and landscapes to lull you into a better mood. It also offers a range of programs themed to affect your sleep, sense of gratitude, feelings of happiness, and self-esteem. A 21-day Calm pack and timed durations are also offered.

The soothing sights and sounds (which you can access on a full computer screen or a mobile device) are free. Depending on the subscription package you select, you can get more for as little as $4.99 per month. The Calm experience also lets you go mobile via its app available for iOS and Android devices.

Both apps have countdown timers and audio players with controls. They both also have reminder functions that you can schedule.