I’m A Therapist And I Tried The Calm App For 7 Days

I heard that every time you blink there’s a new mental health app that promises to cure just about everything (I made that up, but it feels true).

So, I am on a quest to try a lot of them and let you know what I think. I am not being paid or sponsored for any of these reviews (must be nice people!!) and I signed up for the Calm app like everyone else.

I tried the Calm App for 7 days and here are my thoughts

If I’m being honest, I go into every “mental health” or “meditation app” with a lot of skepticism. This time was no different. I downloaded the Calm app on my phone and committed to using it for 7 days. I had to sign up for their Premium feature because the basic comes with…basically nothing. (It includes some music, mood/gratitude check ins, and their “sleep stories.”) I didn’t feel like I could give an accurate review with the Basic plan, so they earned another subscriber.

Calm says that their goal is to help you “improve your health and happiness.” They have tracks to help improve sleep quality, reduce stress or anxiety, improve focus, improve yourself, or “something else.”

I really only felt compelled to use the app at night. I found myself feeling overwhelmed by having another app on my phone and let’s be honest, Instagram is my boss at this point. But at night, I really enjoyed it!

What I Loved About The Calm App

• The sleep and relaxation music was great. I listened to this Hygge Suite, Op. 1 several times while trying to get my baby to sleep. It worked pretty well and helped me not lose my mind with a screaming child. Hygge is apparently a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” It did in fact make me feel comfortable and cozy. Mission accomplished.
• I liked how easy it was to find sleep/relaxation oriented music. I have a lot of trouble finding songs like this on other apps and I often need to find it quickly…like when I’m putting that baby to bed. It was nice to have a specific app for these moments and not have a random Britney Spears song come on when I’m trying to relax.
• The app is very easy to use and navigate. I felt like I understood the app very quickly.
• I liked how it wasn’t trying to sell you something it couldn’t do. I didn’t see any language about “curing” people or promising “happiness.” It wasn’t pretending to be a form of mental health treatment or a therapist in your pocket and I appreciate that.

What I Didn’t Love/Didn’t Use On The Calm App

• I’m not a big gratitude list writer and I don’t love daily mood check-ins personally (at this time in my life). However, I often recommend them for my clients and I used mood check-ins a lot when I was dealing with postpartum depression. Not a bad feature, just not something I’m using right now. Gratitude lists have never done it for me and I don’t prescribe them as a therapist. They just give me the ick and I’m sorry!!
• I’m also not a huge *sit down and meditate fan*. I often “meditate” while walking or doing some other type of movement.

A Therapist Rates The Calm App

Overall, I found this app helpful and useful. I give it a 8/10.

You can try it out for yourself here and they’ll give you 7 days free!

I’ll be reviewing more mental health apps soon (are there any you want me to review?! lmk!). And if you like my style, don’t forget I have an email list (so you never miss anything!) and a book. You can also find me on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!