5 of the best calming apps

The PORTER beauty team was first introduced to this app by ‘Queen of Green’ Tata Harper, who credited it as being a complete game-changer. And we have to agree. Mindicine plays different sound frequencies to stimulate the five main types of brain waves – alpha, beta, gamma, delta and theta – which can help with everything from focus and anxiety to sleep and lack of creativity.

Create moments of calm in your day with the Pause app. You are encouraged to place your finger on the screen to touch a small blob and gently move it around. As it moves, it satisfyingly swells in size until it fills the screen. It might sound strange, but it’s soothingly hypnotic. Carine Roitfeld tells us she starts every morning by using it for 10 minutes and that it helps her center herself, making a real difference to her day.

We’ve exhausted the whale music and birds chirping when trying to meditate – but what about trying thunder? It’s becoming this year’s wellness trend – and for good reason. Researchers at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the UK found that certain sounds from nature – such as thunder, rustling leaves and babbling streams – can physically alter our brains, helping us to reach calmer and more focused states of mind. Noisli lets you mix a custom blend of these sounds, whether for focus or relaxation.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for something a little more structured, the Calm app greets you with the gentle sounds of the outdoors. It also provides guided ‘Daily Calm’ sessions, relaxing music tracks, mindful meditations and highly effective Sleep Stories – think bedtime tales for grown-ups with celebrity narrators.

For those seeking something a little more interactive to slip into their daily lives, this is the app for you. Developed by a broad team of ‘guides’, including a neuroscientist and a psychotherapist, it provides each user with a daily routine, tailored to their mood and situation, that helps them to relax, release and find more peace in the day. Think mini games, quick techniques and breathing exercises. It’s like a workout for the mind.