I’ve been using Headspace for just under a year so I thought I’d share with you how I’ve found it and whether it’s worth the subscription fee.
Headspace is a mindfulness mediation app that has one mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world. It offers loads of guided meditations on a variety of topics including sadness, acceptance, focus and self esteem. There’s meditations for you and kids too.
My experience
I’ve been using Headspace for a little under a year now and my membership expires in a few days. I downloaded the app about 2 years ago and it took months to just do those 10 free sessions. I wanted to do it but my mind wasn’t ready. The this time last year, just before my maternity leave was going to end, I realised I was ready to take meditation and mindfulness seriously.
I’ve battled with anxiety for years but it got a lot worse after my daughter was born. I needed something that might help and I turned to Headspace. I try to do it daily but that doesn’t always happen.
I don’t beat myself up about it. At the beginning I would get angry at myself if I missed a day and that’s really not productive at all!
I do it most days, either first thing in the morning or straight after yoga. I was doing it in the evenings but I kept drifting off!
The Headspace app
I found the app so easy to use – except managing my account, which I found I had to do on my computer.
I like the animations and how the app is laid out. I find Andy’s voice really calming and all the packs are recorded by him.
Some of my favourite packs have been kindness, happiness and acceptance. I also really love the Sleeping single which helps me go to sleep at night if I’m feeling a bit wired.
Pros
- There are 10 free sessions
- You can pick from 10,15 or 20 minute sessions
- Bedtime singles e.g. Falling back to sleep
- Clean design and animations
- Clear and concise instructions
Cons
- There’s no unguided meditations with music
- It’s quite pricey for the subscription
Costs
At the time of writing it costs £71.88 a year (paid annually) or a monthly subscription of £9.99. So it is a lot cheaper to buy it as one payment, but look out for discount codes as I bought my subscription last year with one and it was around £50 or so, I can’t remember exactly.
Will I renew my subscription? Probably not. I’ve done a lot of the packs on offer and I honestly can’t afford the expense at the moment.
Have you tried Headspace and does it work for you? Let me know what you think of the app.