Meditation is a lifesaver for people with anxiety and depression, but additionally, it's a great way to stay mindful, alert and find your zen (especially when circumstances don’t want you to!) With every other recent study raving about the benefits of meditation, we were not falling behind. However, meditation is a lot more than just deep breathing and concentrating. So if you’re curious to try it out, but don’t know how here are some smartphone apps that will help.

Yoga has many healing benefits for the mind. One asana can work effectively to help you manage stress and put you in a calmer state of mind. Pocket Yoga offers 27 different sessions that vary in duration so that you can practise a range of yoga positions to help manage your emotions. This is an ideal app if you like to use physical activity to deal with stressful times.

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If you are going through a really stressful time, My Mood Tracker will help keep track of your mood all day long. This will help you identify what triggers an emotional reaction so you can help manage it better. Not only does it monitor your emotional state, but it also monitors other factors -sleep, exercise, medication, menstrual cycles, stress, pain - to help you betters understand what affects your mood.

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Love games? If the answer is yes, then Personal Zen just may be the app that can help you stay zen. The user plays a game to help calm anxiety and de-stress. In the game, you will see an angry and friendly sprite. Users are instructed to focus their attention on the friendly sprite as he helps you navigate through the game.

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Mindshift helps people develop coping strategies to deal with stress and anxiety. It is specifically designed for teenagers and young adults. This app has a range of methods to help people identify their symptoms and change their behaviour. It also offers relaxation tasks to help calm the mind. You can even set a password on the app so your information you have disclosed remains private.

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Pacifica helps you track your health, daily goals and mood. It uses behavioural therapy and meditation techniques to help tackle stress and anxiety. It includes guided deep breathing practises. Pacifica also helps you to remember the positive and good moments in your life. There are many activities on offer to help you tackle depression and stress at your own pace. Some users have noticed what a difference it can make within a week.

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The creators of Happify used a combination of positive psychology, mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy to help users achieve their wellness goals. The intention of the app is to help people feel emotionally fulfilled and happy. It can help put the mind in a state of calm during times of anxiety and stress. This app can also help keep you on track towards your bigger goals so you don't sweat the small stuff.

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Smiling Mind is a meditation app that is designed to help adults and children. Each program is created specifically for different ages. It primarily focuses on helping you tackle daily challenges and stress. You can also choose from numerous meditation practises that are both short and long.

Meditation Studio was designed to help you get to a state of calm, as well as cultivate energy and compassion. It will help you practise the art of staying focused on your breath in order for you to achieve your goals. It can also help you tackle specific issues like anxiety, sleep issues and negative thoughts. Each session lasts up to around 30 minutes. You can also choose the type of background music you would like if you opt for a meditation session that is unguided.

This app has a variety of options for people who are at a more advanced stage in their meditation practise. It has a timer that is set with bells in order to keep you alert at various intervals. The practices are soothing and perfect to try on those hectic and stressful days. Most of the sessions on offer are free.