Living in today’s society is becoming increasingly stressful, especially for those of us living in the capital. Having to battle day to day stresses such as London living expenses, crowding and lengthy commuting is taking its toll upon many people’s wellness, leaving many of us strained and unable to live to the best of our potential.
However in-between escalating realities of hectic London living, technology has advanced to provide a whirlwind of apps that can help us to achieve a balanced and healthy lifestyle – within minutes!
Alongside our own app (we had to include it!) we have spotted other great downloads that help users to evade and counteract sources of stress, pressure and hassle. This week, following on from our focus on mindfulness to relieve stress (find that post here); we are putting the spotlight on an innovative app that has taken meditation mainstream and America by storm. We’ve also compiled a list of ten ‘office favourite’ apps that our London based team are finding themselves reaching for day to day. Call it Urban Massage’s very own Ten Steps to Zen!
Have a read and let us know what you think!
Launched in 2010, meditation app Head Space has flourished to completely change the way in which the world views meditation. The app’s founder; former monk Andy Puddicombe proposes that just like the body, the mind needs exercise too. Claimed to be ‘genius’ by the likes of Emma Watson, Head Space has been one of the driving forces behind the buzz word ‘mindfulness’.
Helping thousands of users achieve wellness on a daily basis. With their simple and personalised day to day plan, users at any experience level can access hundreds of hours of content, enabling them to build upon their meditation skills and become more focused, calm and happier in their everyday lives.
Unlike stereotypical meditation, Head Space helps to achieve ‘Zen’ in any environment. Gone are the days of awkwardly sitting cross legged in a silent setting… The app encourages users to sit in whatever position they feel comfortable and to embrace any background noise. The buddy system also allows users to connect with friends to motivate each other along the meditation journey.
We love the app’s friendly and upbeat interface, featuring bright colours and charming animations to demonstrate usage. Not to mention the charismatic voiceover, guiding you through each stage of the meditation process – making the journey so much more light hearted and less serious!
Head Space is an easy swap from ineffective online tutorials and the dull prospect of lugging yourself to a gym mediation class. Easy, charming and above all helpful, why not download their free ‘Take 10′ trial and see how you get on!
Head Space is available on IOS and Google Play.
30/30 An App that increases productivity and beats the procrastinator in all of us. 30/30 acts as super efficient timer, ensuring that you work productively for 30 minutes and also break for an equal 30 minutes.
Already a much loved app by most Londoners, but worth mentioning for those of you who potentially haven’t heard of them yet. Citymapper is an app that provides users with a range of transport routes to any city destination, these routes feature the time taken, any changes and even the cost of the journey. One to take at least a little of the stress of commuting across London away!
Stress reducing and hunger provoking, this app is ideal for any foodies in need of their recipe collection organising. Paprika also lets users save their favourite recipes from the web and even create shopping lists.
A ‘bit of everything’ app that provides you with personally tailored info cards at the click of a button. From the best route to take to work to the weather in your area. The app even adapts the info cards to your latest Google searches and location – Great if you want the latest updates on a company’s shares or even the top attractions in your holiday destination!
Be reminded at anytime, colloborate with anyone and sync across all of your devices. Wunderlist is the perfect app to use for any to do list junkie- whether it’s your latest super market shop or you’re managing multiple work projects!
An app that allows you to save any articles or videos for later, enabling you to read them at a time convenient for you – even when you are offline! Simple!
Famed for their original and inspirational talks, TED has now bought their innovative insights to all of our screens. Perfect for those of us in need of a little motivation or a pick me up and a great addition to anyone’s ten steps to zen!
This app enables you to follow all of your favourite blogs in one place. With a newsfeed thread of all of your favourite bloggers most recent posts, Blog Lovin’ enables you to organise them into different categories and even save them for later. Perfect for those of us who want to sift through our favourite blogs when commuting!
A massage without the need to commute. Book a treatment with a therapist of your choice and receive a massage specifically tailored to your needs, delivered to your door within the hour. aah, wellness delivered!