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Five Mobile Apps for Mindfulness DAVID REBEDEW, MD Five Mobile Apps for Mindfulness Recommend these apps for patients interested in incorporating mindfulness into their care plan. indfulness interventions have demonstrated numer- ous benefits for patients with many medical conditions. A recent systematic review and meta- analysis cites strong evidence to support mindfulness in theM treatment of depression, chronic pain, tobacco use disorder, and other addiction disorders.1,2 During pregnancy, mindfulness has been shown to improve anxiety, depression, and perceived stress.3 Mindfulness has also been shown to improve obesity-related eating behaviors and help overweight and obese individuals lose weight.4 Mobile apps enable patients to practice mindfulness any- where. They also can help beginners to learn meditation and other mindfulness practices without investing significantly in time or transportation. To help you guide patients to the best apps, this article focuses on five that earned top ratings when reviewed using FPM’s “SPPACES” criteria. STOP, BREATHE & THINK Stop, Breathe & Think chooses the best meditation for the user based on his or her current, self-reported mood. Source: Stop, Breathe & Think, PBC. Platforms available: Android (http://bit.ly/1sL9ksA); iOS 10.1 or later for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (https://apple.co/ L3Hp39). Pertinence to primary care practice: The app explains how to begin meditating, the benefits of mindfulness, and even some of the pathophysiology behind meditation and mindfulness. Thirty free guided meditations help with stress, anxiety, depression, focus, compassion, and sleep. The app also includes free videos on yoga and acupressure for stress. Users can set customized timers for meditations and breathing and choose soundscapes or chimes to play during these exercises. To encourage continued use, the app tracks daily streaks of activity, total time medi- ABOUT THE AUTHOR tated, and users’ reported moods pre- and Dr. Rebedew is a family physician at Monroe Clinic in Albany, Wis., and a faculty member for the post-meditation. University of Illinois Rockford Family Medicine Authoritativeness/accuracy/currency Residency. Author disclosure: no relevant financial of information: Stop, Breathe & Think affiliations disclosed. www.aafp.org/fpmDownloaded from www.aafp.org/fpm. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Family Physicians. For the private, noncommercialMay/June 2018 use| FPM of one| 21 individual user of the website. All other rights reserved. Contact [email protected] for questions and permission requests. Downloaded for Anonymous User (n/a) at University Of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus from ClinicalKey.com by Elsevier on May 18, 2018. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright ©2018. Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. was developed by a nonprofit organization that teaches meditation concepts to chil- APP REVIEW CRITERIA dren, but it is unclear who developed the S — Source or developer of app app’s content. Numerous television shows, P — Platforms available magazines, and websites have featured the app, and it won the 2017 Webby People’s P — Pertinence to primary care practice Voice Award for Best Health App. It was A — Authoritativeness/accuracy/currency last updated in April 2018 (Android and iOS). of information Cost: The basic meditation content is free. Subscriptions of $9.99 per month or $59.99 C — Cost per month unlock more than 60 additional E — Ease of use S — Sponsor(s) A recent systematic review and empathize, and recommended. Users can meta-analysis cites strong evidence upload related photos and learn about the to support mindfulness in treatment. benefit of each task they perform. The app includes numerous infographics about hap- piness, mindfulness, and meditation. Authoritativeness/accuracy/currency meditations, eight yoga and acupressure of information: Happify has input from videos, and six additional soundscapes and psychologists (both PhDs and PsyDs), chimes for the meditation timer. individuals with master’s degrees in Ease of use: Upon opening the app, the applied positive psychology, an integra- user is asked to quickly rate his or her tive medicine physician, and psychiatrists. mood and is then directed to the most ben- Numerous newspapers, magazines, and eficial meditations. television shows have featured it. The app Sponsor: Tools for Peace. was last updated in April 2018 (Android Rating: ★★★★★ and iOS). Stop, Breathe & Think is a great app for Cost: Free. Happify Plus, with additional patients who are beginners and want to mindfulness tracks and other content, is give meditation a try. available for $11.99 per month or $59.99 per year. HAPPIFY Ease of use: The app seamlessly tran- Happify improves mindfulness sitions between pages. The games are through daily games, tasks, and fun and engaging. The infographics are meditations. grouped by category but unfortunately are Source: Happify Inc. not searchable. The content is available in Platforms available: Android 4.4 English, Chinese, or later (http://bit.ly/2cFCGEw); iOS 8.0 French, German, or later for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Japanese, (https://apple.co/1qjMaVa). Portuguese, and Pertinence to primary care practice: Spanish. The app includes 13 free meditation tracks Sponsors: discussing how to be a mindful leader, bet- TTCP, ter cope with stress, calm anxiety, conquer Marketplace negative thoughts, defeat loneliness, and Funds Venture improve relationships and friendships. The Capital, Bridge app includes games to boost mood, a news Builders feed with uplifting stories, webinars, and Collaborative, an online social community. Mangrove The “six tasks” framework is a unique Capital Partners, feature of this app that assigns tasks to Thylacine six categories: savor, thank, aspire, give, Capital, 22 | FPM | May/June 2018 www.aafp.org/fpm Downloaded for Anonymous User (n/a) at University Of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus from ClinicalKey.com by Elsevier on May 18, 2018. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright ©2018. Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. APP REVIEWS b-to-v Partners AG, Founder Collective, Eric $14.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Aroesty, Craig Kallman, Brian Bedol, David Ease of use: Videos are downloaded Kleinhandler, and Daniel Gutenberg. quickly. The app is very easy to use and Rating: ★★★★★ understand. Happify is an ideal app for improving Sponsor: 10% Happier Inc. mindfulness and happiness. Rating: ★★★★★ 10% Happier is an essential app for 10% HAPPIER patients who want an introduction to 10% Happier guides med- meditation and don’t mind paying for addi- itation and explains how tional content. and why it is beneficial. Source: 10% Happier INSIGHT TIMER Inc. Insight Timer has the Platforms available: Android 4.4 or later largest number of free (https://bit.ly/2AIxqdd); iOS 10.0 or later for meditations of any iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (https://apple. app available. co/2pC1fIJ). Source: Insight Pertinence to primary care practice: An Network Inc. introductory seven-session course helps Platforms available: Android (https://bit. the user understand how to meditate and ly/1gBQi21); iOS 10.0 or later for iPhone, iPad, provides videos explaining why and how and iPod touch (https://apple.co/1lzvVpl). meditation works to improve health and Pertinence to primary care practice: happiness. Meditations can be chosen based The app includes more than 8,000 medita- on content or tions, 1,000 music tracks, 5,000 discussion duration, which groups, and information on 500 topics. ranges from three to 20 minutes. The app includes a meditation coach, Mobile apps enable patients to advice for apply- ing mindfulness to practice mindfulness anywhere. one’s everyday life, and meditations for falling asleep, Users can pick a meditation based on building concen- topic or duration. Users can see their prior tration, focusing downloads and follow their favorite teach- on gratitude, walk- ers and topics. ing, coping with Authoritativeness/accuracy/currency pain, mindful eat- of information: Insight Timer was devel- ing, and managing anxiety and stress. oped by a group of meditators, Authoritativeness/accuracy/currency and users can connect with of information: 10% Happier is based on a more than 1,800 meditation book by Dan Harris, who took up medita- teachers in 25 languages. The tion after experiencing an on-air panic app itself is available in English attack while reporting for ABC News. and French. The app was last Harris includes input from international updated in April 2018 (Android meditation teachers and researchers, and iOS). including a psychiatrist. It was last Cost: The majority of content updated in April 2018 (iOS) and March 2018 is free. A premium subscription (Android). of $2.99 per month allows users Cost: The app’s seven-session introduc- to listen offline, repeat tracks, tory course and mindfulness meditations fast forward and rewind, and are free. Access to additional meditation pick up where they left off. courses and videos, including offline ses- Ease of use: Because of the sions, requires a premium subscription of multitude of topics and teachers, www.aafp.org/fpm May/June 2018 | FPM | 23 Downloaded for Anonymous User (n/a) at University Of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus from ClinicalKey.com by Elsevier on May 18, 2018. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright ©2018. Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. it can be overwhelming to choose a medita- Meditations are led by Andy Puddicombe, tion. Downloading takes only one or two a renowned mindfulness expert, author, seconds. and former Buddhist monk who has been Sponsor: Insight Network Inc. featured in magazines, newspapers, and Rating: ★★★★★ television shows. Headspace has been the Insight Timer is a great app for patients subject of numerous studies, which have who want access to thousands of free suggested its use can decrease depressive meditations. symptoms, enhance mood, improve out- comes, and boost employee resilience and HEADSPACE work engagement.5-7 Multiple companies Headspace is a use Headspace for employee improvement, well-known and including Google, Aetna, Delta, General well-studied mindful- Electric, and Unilever. The app was last ness app. updated in April 2018 (Android and iOS).
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