Health and wellness apps offer free services to help those coping with coronavirus

Jazmin Goodwin | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Americans are swapping mental health clinics for apps Mental health patients are ditching the couch and picking up their phones. Millions of Americans are turning to online apps for therapy treatment.

As uncertainty continues to grow around the coronavirus pandemic and life in seclusion mounts, so has the level of stress and anxiety for many consumers.

Popular health and wellness apps are now offering free services to help people cope in the midst of unprecedented times.

Meditation app Headspace announced it is offering free premium services to all U.S. health care professionals working in public health through 2020. The app's premium membership, used in nearly 190 countries, usually runs for $12.99 a month. Headspace says it hopes to address the rising levels of stress and burnout faced by healthcare workers.

"Healthcare providers are on the front lines of this public health crisis, making sure our communities receive necessary and critical care," said Dr. Megan Jones Bell, chief science officer for Headspace, in a news release. "That's why it's crucial for us to find ways to support their mental health and provide them with tools for managing the very real personal toll this crisis takes on them in particular."

Headspace also ushered in a new collection of content to help manage stress and anxiety, called "Weathering The Storm." The service is free for everyone.

"It includes meditations, sleep, and movement exercises," Headspace shared on its website.

Simple Habit, a mindfulness app with nearly 4.5 million members, shared Wednesday that it is offering free premium memberships to "all people who are financially impacted by this difficult time and can no longer afford to pay."

"We recognize that many people are now being required to stay home, resulting in loss of income and financial uncertainty," said Yunha Kim, Simple Habit CEO and founder, in a news release.

Eligible users can email help@simplehabit.com noting extenuating financial circumstances due to the pandemic to receive free access until April 20.

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Personalized meditation app Balance is providing free one-year subscriptions throughout the month. The company shared in a tweet that any individual who wants to use the service is eligible. Those who are interested can email access@balanceapp.com for instructions to redeem the subscription.

These are challenging times, and we’d like to do what we can to help. This month, we’re offering a completely free one-year subscription to Balance to anyone who wants it.



Email access@balanceapp.com for instructions — and please share with others who might benefit. pic.twitter.com/fVz2s8p48N — Balance (@balanceapp) March 15, 2020

Sanvello, a digital care delivery platform, is also offering free premium access, the company announced Friday. The app with more than 3.2 million users offers daily mood tracking, assessments, peer support and coping tools.

More than 2,500 meditation mobile apps have launched since 2015, says AppInventiv, a global app development firm.

According to Google search data, the number of searches around yoga and mediation apps, such as "mindfulness apps" or "yoga for beginners app" increased 65% year over year.

"People around the globe are grappling with how to navigate this difficult time and manage their mental health," said Brian Sauer, CEO of Sanvello Health.

Follow Jazmin Goodwin on Twitter: @jazminkgoodwin.