Practicing a few self-care and stress management techniques can help you stay calmer and more focused, which means better care for the person depending on you for their care. Apps provide easy access via your smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Some of the best apps for self-care and stress management, based on reviews, include Calm and Headspace for their guided meditations and sleep stories, Insight Timer for its extensive library of free guided meditations, and Happify for its mood-boosting and habit-tracking exercises. Other highly-rated options include Sanvello, which uses CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles used by professional therapists), and MindShift, which is free and helps users cope with anxiety.
Meditation and mindfulness
- Calm: Offers guided meditations, breathing programs, sleep stories, and music. It has a user-friendly interface and a 7-day free trial.
- Headspace: Focuses on teaching meditation skills and includes hundreds of guided sessions, quick exercises, and sleep and anxiety-focused content.
- Insight Timer: Provides a large collection of free guided meditations, with options for creating personalized sessions and includes ambient sounds.
- Buddhify: Features meditations designed for specific situations, like commuting or being at work.
CBT and thought-based exercises
- Sanvello: Integrates tools based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and mindfulness, including guided journeys and mood tracking.
- Happify: Uses science-based games and activities to help you build emotional resilience and manage stress.
- MindShift: A free app that uses CBT and practical strategies to help users cope with anxiety and worry.
- Wysa: An AI-powered chatbot that offers a safe space to talk and provides evidence-based techniques for managing stress.
Tracking and habit-building
- Finch: A gamified app that combines a self-care pet with mood tracking and habit-building features.
- Bearable: A highly customizable mood and symptom tracker that allows you to monitor mood, sleep, habits, and more.
- Daylio: A simple mood and activity journal that helps you identify patterns between your mood, sleep, and other habits.
Sampling of Other Lists
- Best mental health apps of 2025. (Choosing Therapy.com)
- 13 meditation apps and self-care products to relieve stress
- Best mental health apps of 2025 (CNET)
By Zanda Hilger, LPC, Founder, Family Caregiver & Program Manager for Family Caregivers Online (Updated November 2025)
We hope this information is helpful to you in the important work you do as a family caregiver.
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