Calm: My Favorite "Slow Down" App

Believe it or not, there’s an app for keeping me sane in a digital world. Although it’s accessed through my phone, it’s something that I have grown to need to get into my best night’s sleep and calm all the swirling thoughts in my head.

Meet one of my all-time favorite apps, appropriately named Calm. I know there are plenty of meditation apps out there, but without trying all of the others I can tell you that this. one. works. I’m one of those people that takes over an hour to fall asleep because I’m rehashing everything in my brain that happened during the day, organizing my thoughts for tomorrow, and just plainly worrying about everything on my plate. In an effort to make my bedroom the most tranquil space in my house, ditching the TV in my room and committing to meditations when I can’t concentrate has made a world of difference.

The meditations are great on their own, but my favorite part about the app are the adult sleep stories. Yes, you read that right, story time for adults. It seems silly and even childish until you listen yourself and realize that there’s really no age limit to enjoying a good story that lulls you to sleep. The app flashes me back to my childhood days of going to lunchtime story sessions at my local library with my mom and older sister, where all of us kids would go with the librarian to a quiet room, sit on little carpet squares and listen to her tell a story with expression, zest and excitement. Some of my favorite stories for you to try out first on Calm? The Magic of Yurts, View from Above (probably my all-time fave), and Floating with Florida’s Manatees.

How do the stories go? They are real adults (in some cases, celebrities) detailing an interesting part of their life or a unique experience. For example, in the View from Above, an astronaut gently explains his experience orbiting Earth, detailing all of the colors he remembers, explaining how he felt and toward the end in every story, the narrator starts to talk slower…and slower… and I am usually fast asleep by then :)

Meditating or listening to Sleep Stories is a great way to slow down, let yourself drift off to sleep, and transition from day to night smoothly. On most occasions, my sleep is uninterrupted if I used the app.

Since I first downloaded Calm a few years ago, I’ve logged over 100 sessions and over 30 hours total. Give it a try and tell me what you think! I hope you find it relieving and helpful for your stressors.