There are plenty of apps out there to meet all of your social media and gaming needs. But when daily stress begins to take its toll on you, you may find yourself even more frustrated that friends aren't sending you anymore lives on Candy Crush. If your plan is to be as stress-free in 2015 as you possible, then you might want to consider these tech tools to keep your inner cray at bay.
Check out the best apps to help you de-stress this year.
Manage Your Money
Money may be the number one stressor in your life, especially after the holidays. Sure you may have the mobile app for your bank account, but that doesn't help you stop worrying about your cash funds. Better at balancing your budget can help you sleep better at night. YNAB, You Need A Budget, is one of the best apps to help you do so. The app helps you save money and pay off debt while providing flexibility to help you overcome overspending.
You can view all accounts and transactions, while seeing how much money you spent on things like groceries, gas and fun money for a rainy day. Other features include Cloud sync, geo-smart payees and balance updates. The app is available for iOS and Android.
Learn To Whoosa
There are times when so much stress and anxiety builds up that we forget to simply breathe. Need to whoosa? There's an app for that. Breathe2Relax (4.5 stars on App Store, 4.1 stars on Google Play) allows users to take a deep breathe to calm them down. Exhale all your bad energy with each breathe to make you feel more centered and at peace. The app guides you through breathing exercises to learn diaphragmatic breathing, and provides information on the effects stress has on the body. Go ahead and take that deep breathe. Whoosa.
Rest Easy
Sleep is one of the best ways to combat stress and anxiety. A good night's sleep can make you feel more relaxed and allows you to start the day off on a fresh note. But whether its money, work, family life or just plain ole' distraction keeping you up at night, sleeping seems easier said than done. Rest easy, because there are plenty of apps to help you track and better manage your realm cycle.
SleepBot is a free app for iOS and Android that tracks your sleep cycles, breaking down your history by date, sleep time, wake time, hours of sleep and the amount of sleep lost. The app records your movements and sound, and wakes you up gently each morning.
Find Your Happy Place
A recent study found that optimistic people are healthier, especially when it comes to heart health. Conversely, stress and anxiety can be harmful for your health, so focus on 2015 being the year of a happier you. The app Happify can help you increase happiness by setting specific goals. The app provides tips to achieving that goal, as well as games to help end negative thought patterns. This app was named one of the best apps to train your brain by CNN, and will help you better cope with stress. Go on and get happy!
Be Mindful
Between work and family, you may be focusing on others rather than yourself. It's easy to get swept away in the stress if you are not mindful to your own needs and health. Meditation can reduce stress, blood pressure, and improve the immune system. Research has found that 20 minutes of meditation each day can increase your overall well-being, as well as these health benefits. The Mindfulness App, which is one of the top apps in the App Store, gives users the choice of different types of mediation including guided or silence, and lets you decide how long you want to reflect for. Try using this app as soon as you wake up or before bed to relieve unwanted stress.
[Photo Credit: Bhernandez/Flickr]
