How beneficial is Thrive’s Feel Stress Free Mobile App?

After a fellow blogger sent me an email inviting me to try out an app, I decided to check it out and see how beneficial Thrive’s Feel Stress-Free Mobile App can be.

The new Feel Stress-Free app released this year is the second mindfulness app I have tried as a therapist recommended Headspace.

In a world where people are working 24/7 and with many of us constantly stuck to a computer screen, tablet or mobile phone, it’s essential to have some time away from our emails and social media.

This is why mindfulness apps that offer meditation and yoga are a great idea, as they provide an escape from the stresses of modern daily life.

I suffer from a mood disorder which is why I jumped at the chance to try out this new app when I was offered a free trial from a fellow blogger.

The app advises you to use it in a quiet and peaceful environment with headphones and no distractions.

When you first log in, you will find an animated picture of a desert island featuring a palm tree, a deck chair, a beach ball and a rocking rowing boat, along with a floating robot assistant who helps advise you where to go when you log in.

It’s best to wear headphones to give a more personal feel to the background music. You can listen to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, with seagulls flying overhead and pleasant calming instrumentals that create a therapeutic atmosphere.

The app features four different interactive relaxation activities: meditation, breathing, deep muscle relaxation, and self-hypnosis.

All these techniques are designed to help you to feel stress-free.

Take a browse around the island before you start an activity, as this will give you an idea about how the app works. Some of the exercises may not be for you, as they aren’t for everyone.

Self–hypnosis takes practice, and the app even tells you this before starting.

One of the benefits of seeing how beneficial Thrive’s Feel Stress-Free mobile app can be is that you fit it into your busy schedule by downloading it onto your tablet or mobile phone whenever you feel like you need to escape from the madness.

You can even choose how long you do a technique for. For example, the app gives you the choice of 3 minutes, 7, 10, up to 15 minutes if you feel you need to get more out of the experience.

My favourite exercise was deep breathing, especially alongside the calming music and waves, because I find this helps me in stressful situations, and I had a therapist who used to teach me deep breathing exercises.

The app features an island called the Zen garden, which caught my eye because it allows you to build your tranquil garden where you can build sandcastles and add your water features, and for those of you who are artistic, you can rake patterns into the sand.

There’s also a message in a bottle feature that allows you to send encouraging messages to others using the app.

I tried out the mood metre, which allows you to enter how you are feeling on a scale and recommends an activity routine in the app based on the results.

We can never tell how accurate these things are. However, I found this helpful, and I’m yet to try an app with this feature built-in.

So, how beneficial is Thrive’s Feel Stress-Free Mobile App?

The techniques are suitable for everyone, both young and old, and it doesn’t require too much physical activity, which is also great for those with disabilities.

Overall, it’s an excellent app to try, especially when you have a stressful day or feel a bit low. It won’t work if you have anything more than mild depression as it advises you to go to your GP, but it works well for some short-term relief.

Be Stress-Free is available to download for iOS and Android.

You can download the app for free.

It works on a subscription basis, purchased for one month, three months or a year.

For one month it will set you back £4.99, for three months it will cost £3.33 each month, and for a year it’s £1.99 each month.