{"id":18093,"date":"2025-02-28T14:04:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T14:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/?p=18093"},"modified":"2025-02-28T14:04:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T14:04:56","slug":"mindfulness-apps-every-cardiff-uni-student-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/mindfulness-apps-every-cardiff-uni-student-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness Apps Every Cardiff Uni Student Needs!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being a student at Cardiff Uni is great\u2014between deadlines, nights out, and endless society events, there\u2019s always something going on. But let\u2019s be real, juggling everything can be <\/span>stressful<\/b>. Living in Cathays, I\u2019ve had my fair share of sleepless nights over assignments, messy house shares, and the never-ending Cardiff rain.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where mindfulness apps come in. Whether you need help focusing, sleeping better, or just chilling out after a long day, these apps have made a real difference for me. And the best part? <\/span>Most of them are free (or at least have decent free versions).<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Insight Timer \u2013 Best Free Option<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Cost:<\/b> Free (with optional paid extras)<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Why it\u2019s great:<\/b> Tons of <\/span>free guided meditations<\/b>, relaxing music, and breathing exercises.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a <\/span>completely free mindfulness app<\/b>, Insight Timer is a lifesaver. I use it most nights for sleep sounds (the rain noises are great when the actual Cardiff rain isn\u2019t helping). There are meditations for <\/span>stress, anxiety, focus, and even procrastination<\/b>\u2014basically everything a student struggles with.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Student Hack:<\/b> If you\u2019re new to meditation, try the <\/span>5-minute \u201cDaily Calm\u201d sessions<\/b>. Super quick and actually helpful.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Headspace \u2013 Best for Beginners<\/b><\/h2>\n

Cost:<\/b> Free basic version, full access is <\/span>\u00a35.99\/month with the student discount<\/b>
\n<\/b>Why it\u2019s great:<\/b> Simple, structured meditations and focus tools.<\/span><\/p>\n

I tried Headspace during exam season last year, and it genuinely helped. The <\/span>\u201cFocus\u201d playlists<\/b> are great for studying (they even have lo-fi and nature sounds). The free version has a good selection of <\/span>basic mindfulness exercises<\/b>, but if you want sleep stories or full-length meditations, you\u2019ll need to pay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Student Hack:<\/b> If you have <\/span>Spotify Premium Student<\/b>, you get <\/span>Headspace included for free<\/b>!<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Calm \u2013 Best for Sleep & Anxiety<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Cost:<\/b> Free basic version, full access <\/span>\u00a329.99\/year<\/b> (but there\u2019s a free trial!)<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Why it\u2019s great:<\/b> Relaxing sleep stories, stress-relief exercises, and nature sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have <\/span>anxiety or trouble sleeping<\/b>, Calm is worth a go. The sleep stories (especially the ones narrated by <\/span>Harry Styles or Stephen Fry<\/b>) knock me out faster than a 9 AM lecture. There\u2019s also a cool feature called <\/span>\u201cDaily Check-Ins\u201d<\/b> where you can track your mood, which is handy if you\u2019re trying to be more mindful of your mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Student Hack:<\/b> The app <\/span>sometimes offers discounts<\/b> to students\u2014keep an eye out!<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Smiling Mind \u2013 Best for Exam Stress<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Cost:<\/b> Completely free (no hidden fees!)<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Why it\u2019s great:<\/b> Designed for students, with stress and focus exercises.<\/span><\/p>\n

This app was actually created for students, so it <\/span>gets it<\/b>. The <\/span>exam stress program<\/b> helped me stay sane during my dissertation, and the \u201cMindful Break\u201d feature is perfect for a quick reset between study sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Student Hack:<\/b> It\u2019s totally <\/span>free<\/b>, so even if you just use it once in a while, you won\u2019t feel like you\u2019re wasting money.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. UCLA Mindful \u2013 Best for Short Meditations<\/b><\/h2>\n

Cost:<\/b> Free<\/span>
\n<\/span>Why it\u2019s great:<\/b> Super simple, with <\/span>basic guided meditations<\/b> that are quick and effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re completely new to mindfulness and don\u2019t want an overwhelming app, this is a good place to start. The <\/span>\u201c5-minute breathing\u201d exercise<\/b> is great for calming down before a big presentation or exam.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Student Hack:<\/b> Download the <\/span>offline meditations<\/b> so you can use them without WiFi (handy if you\u2019re stuck in the library with no signal).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Final Thoughts: Which One Should You Get?<\/b><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • If you want completely free meditations:<\/b> Insight Timer \/ Smiling Mind<\/span><\/li>\n
  • If you struggle with sleep\/anxiety:<\/b> Calm<\/span><\/li>\n
  • If you want guided sessions for beginners:<\/b> Headspace<\/span><\/li>\n
  • If you need something super simple and quick:<\/b> UCLA Mindful<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Honestly, <\/span>just try a few and see what works for you<\/b>. Mindfulness isn\u2019t some magic fix, but taking 5-10 minutes a day to breathe and chill out can make a huge difference\u2014especially when uni stress hits hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Got any other mindfulness apps you swear by? Drop them in the comments!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Being a student at Cardiff Uni is great\u2014between deadlines, nights out, and endless society events, there\u2019s always something going on. But let\u2019s be real, juggling everything can be stressful. Living […]","protected":false},"author":6946,"featured_media":18096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[693,694,692],"tags":[575,457,151,307],"class_list":["post-18093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardiff-university-experiences","category-student-life","category-top-tips","tag-cardiff-student-advice","tag-cardiff-university-accommodation","tag-student-life","tag-university-life"],"meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6946"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18093"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18113,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18093\/revisions\/18113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/insiders\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}