The Problem with Mindfulness Apps

[@dazedneptune]

For those who don’t know, there are many different types of meditation and the goal of meditation isn’t necessarily to feel calm. Generally it is to bring present awareness to something, and all emotions are valid. Don’t judge yourself if negative feelings come up. Sometimes those negative feelings are the most insightful to meditate on!

[@laurachristianson1688]

Meditation is not just quiet and trying to think about nothing…sometimes just doing something that relaxes you and doesn’t require concentration of any kind, as easy as weeding a garden, floating in a pool etc…

[@FutureProofHealth]

Big time! And sometimes all you need is to be mindful of your surroundings and be present ☺

[@SamanthaStew]

I can't speak for others but I received a free subscription to Calm during the pandemic and I'm still using years later. The app 100% helped me slow down and helped me meditate in manageable ways. I started at 3 minutes and now I'm up to 10 minutes which is huge for me. It's been beneficial for anxiety and stress relief, I also listen to the Daily Jay for a bit of inspiration and I love the sleep stories. It's like a fitness app, you get out of it what you put into it.

[@FutureProofHealth]

Love this! If it works, it works 🙌🏽 ♥️Sher

[@lavarad]

That awkward moment when you get an ad for the Calm app right before watching the video 😂😂😂

[@FutureProofHealth]

Gotta love the algorithms 😅♥️Sher

[@bullydungeon9631]

Medito is free, zero pressure, and helped me get sober. I don't think I could have stopped drinking without it.

[@misterhoeflak]

Love this channel guys. Also, just threw out my Brita jug. ❤️😄

[@thebowandbullet]

This is just one of many examples of subscription services. There are so many of these and it's so easy for people to lose track of how much they spend on these, or forget to cancel them. I try to keep my subs to a minimum and only pay once per service/product.

[@stefromfortworth]

It would be great to cover the topic of Finasteride & minoxidil as there are now companies EVERYWHERE selling the stuff as a cure for baldness/thinning hair. It would be great to know how much of this is legit, what’s not and how to tell for ourselves.

[@lethabobalang7521]

I'd also LOVE to see this!

[@MasterMS1123]

Since the video didn't mention it I'd like to point out there are free meditation apps. In addition to the free tier of something like Insight Timer, Plum Village is non-profit, free, and based around the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh. Medito is a non-profit and open source app. Both are very good

[@FutureProofHealth]

Yes! Love this! I'm sure there's lots of free options out there 👍🏻

[@chronophagocytosis]

Oh, the manipulative tactics are definitely real. Seeing your streak grow can be encouraging, but having it come crashing down to zero can also be devastating. These sorts of tactics tend to push people doing things more often than they really want to, which I find highly problematic.

[@ourfamilyaccount]

I get annoyed anytime an ad suggests to the viewers to install a new app on their phone. I want less apps not more. Haven't done mediation however I do find listening to rain sound effects helps calm me. If a thought is rattling in my brain, I'll write in my journal typically before bedtime.

[@FutureProofHealth]

Journaling is a great tool. We actually have a video about it coming soon if that's of interest to you?

[@ourfamilyaccount]

@@FutureProofHealth I'll check it out when it's released. Thanks

[@snakedoktor6020]

I like to take my dog for a walk around my neighborhood. It's quite relaxing to just watch him do what he does, and everything else just seems to disappear for a while. Plus, it can be quite humorous. There are lots of people I see doing the same thing around here, with one major difference. Every single one is staring at their damn phone! Such a missed opportunity 😮

[@FutureProofHealth]

Right!? Our thoughts exactly! 👀

[@hawkatsea]

I think you hit the nail on the head. Tho I'm glad I explored some apps (fitbit premium and headspace), they made me feel even more isolated, led to more anxiety that I wasn't "doing it right", and felt too pressured to pay $$.

[@nobrainerneeded4229]

I used headspace however I wasn’t a fan of constant reminder to pay up or app won’t work. Thankfully my company got a corporate subscription to Calm and it’s pretty ok. I use it more as white noise machine before going to bed. Put rain on the window sounds, put it for 30-60 mins timer, get my breathing to 4-7-8 and usually knocks me out in 20 mins depending on the day. Would I get invested into scores, metrics etc not really, but is it handy to have yes. Can it be done for free? Absolutely. There are podcasts of just sounds playing for 10hrs at time.

[@maenad1231]

Had a calm ad before this video

[@SNSDisLife]

I find it odd that an ancient non monetary practice is now being used for profits. I found Medito which aims to go against the capitalization of mindfulness; it’s a completely free app and it has been a great alternative. I used to have Headspace but the price is out of budget, and for Calm and Insight Timer, full programs must be paid for. I was getting annoyed at how hard it was to get an app free until I found Medito.

[@bullydungeon9631]

Medito helped me quit drinking I couldn't praise it enough

[@FutureProofHealth]

That's a great recommendation! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this here. something different will work for everyone 🥰

[@JeffreyGreeb]

Keep up the good work, Sher 🎉

[@FutureProofHealth]

Thanks, Jeffrey! We’ve got a solid team 🙌🏽♥️Sher

[@noodles.dumplings.kimchi2878]

I used to use Calm when it was still free. Now I use sleep podcasts to read me boring books to sleep.

[@FutureProofHealth]

Nothing like a good book to put you to sleep eh? 😂

[@kellyro77]

I've been using Insight Timer for years and signed up to it back when it was 100% free. Yes, they have a subscription platform now, but they don't block out all the quality content behind a paid wall. They've got lots of great music and guided meditations still for free and they continually add free content. I'll remain a user so long as they keep this setup. If you really want to get into ironic health discussion, I'd love to see you do a deep dive into the American medical and insurance mess. I still don't see how it's considered completely legal to charge people tens of thousands of dollars for live-saving medications and procedures. Yes, our doctors deserve to be paid well, but insurance companies have inflated prices so much it's unbelievable. It feels more like extortion than health "care".

[@samcalvert4799]

I'd like to offer a bit of a different perspective on mindfulness apps. I used headspace for a couple of months and found it to be a wonderful catalyst for self exploration. Obviously everyone wants something easy and simple, but I found this increasingly antithetical as I continued my practice. The value headspace provides is being an absolutely tiny but ultimately meaningful step towards some self awareness. Headspace's CEO Andy projects a very positive and what I believe to be truthful goal for his company along these same lines. I really enjoy future proof/ future proof health's videos but find there's generally a deep mistrust of any business's motives baked in to every video. I don't necessarily think this is the wrong approach, but it always leaves me feeling a bit cynical. Do you feel this way?

[@Reuben_hikes]

I see how you can feel that way. Great thoughts and a great opener for conversation. Headspace may be a genuine app but when looked at as a whole, most apps/companies are only in it for the money. So a bit of mistrust (caution) is always good in moderation. I agree that it can seem like they approach their videos with mistrust but they are generally spot on. Most of it has to do with the topics that they choose. The topics are pointing out why you should rightfully be skeptical. In this case, they are pointing out the irony of needing to disconnect while being connected to disconnect, paying for something that is free, and being along when you need to be around others. Nothing wrong with any of the choices if it works for you. Future Proof is one of the few channels that try to show both sides instead of just being completely and utterly biased to one opinion.

[@lostboy8084]

​@@Reuben_hikesI have used Calm and haven't had to pay for anything. If you have to pay for something then that would defeat the purpose of meditation app as it supposed to relieve stress not cause it. I would understand if it offered a payment option for say one on one coaching or Advanced courses or Ad free version or if the app had a merchandise store selling items to help with meditation Because yes they are trying to make money.

[@kachnickau]

Late to the comment party, but I use Waking Up App and I swear by it. I am happily paying the yearly fee, but it accessible to everyone and its much more than just meditation app. :)

[@RyaThoughts]

I understand what you are trying to say. I have try those apps. But those don't work and i don't like subscribe with my money for no reason, When meditation is free in my culture and all you need a place to sit or a risk free place where you don't get accident so even you walk you can do breathing, even sleep is meditation itself. I believe to keep my mobile screen off when I do meditation no noise is better for me now, i used to get fear when there is no noise with my eyes close. We can do it. Marketing can't get us.

[@RyaThoughts]

I do have a app called medito i like his philosophy.

[@notme123123]

Nice balanced video. Thanks!

[@ofershragay]

My wife medidates a lot, she repeats these 2 mantras: do you want to do this!? Do you want to do that!?

[@validiktorian]

Yayyyy! Future proof health uploadedddd

[@tanjaguldbrandsidor6477]

The iPhone can be used as a sound machine and works amazingly for calming the mind + it’s free 👌🏻

[@FutureProofHealth]

Can't beat free! haha

[@amandagracew]

I get the Calm app for free from my insurance! But I wouldn’t pay for it. The most helpful part for me has been the flight anxiety meditation.

[@simbiat]

My meditation routine is that some times I go under a blanket on my bed and then "sleep? don't sleep? noodles!" BTW, is it me or the camera's focus was not playing well through-out the 1st part of the video?

[@FutureProofHealth]

It's not just you! We're still learning how to get everything dialled in and we make mistakes sometimes 🙈🙈🙈

[@icyjaam]

Love your videos

[@FutureProofHealth]

They love you back!! Thanks for the support ♥️Sher

[@firecracker3911]

💯 Free works better

[@bryangrunauer]

First time that I disagree with the conclusion... somewhat... maybe. It seems to me you're comparing "getting no help at all" to "only getting help from an app". If that's the case I agree 100%, it's not the way to go. I personally see a therapist weekly AND a a year later started to use the Headspace app - mainly for the sleeping meditations if I'm being honest - and it helps me immensly. I might be wrong but I don't think most people see these apps as the foundation of a good mental health, but more of a bonus to the whole thing. And that works wonders for me.

[@FutureProofHealth]

Absolutely, balance is key and expecting an app to change your whole life is unrealistic.

[@snowymuffin]

i love ur videos 🥰

[@FutureProofHealth]

Thanks for being here! 🥰

[@Fauxglove]

I've tried several mindfulness apps, one even had a special reminder of "draw this symbol on sticky notes around the house so you see the symbol and remember to meditate" but even with the incentive of a streak i fell out of the habit. game-ifying works but only for so long.

[@FutureProofHealth]

Sounds like your brain wants to move on to something else and that's ok too right? Hopefully you're finding what works for you ☺️

[@ropro9817]

Wake me up when mindfulness comes in a pill. I don't even have the attention span for an app. 😆

[@FutureProofHealth]

It's definitely not easy!

[@snailgirl6]

If you name it, there's probably an app for it, regardless of quality....

[@FutureProofHealth]

the classic "there's an app for that!"

[@foxgloved8922]

Got a calm add on this lol

[@FutureProofHealth]

Damn, did this backfire?? Lol jk, people seem to have a good time on them so maybe not the worst thing 🤷🏽‍♀️♥️Sher

[@ericsleeth]

Nice Fuc Boi look. Looks really intelligent

[@davidhere3695]

I use balance. I got a year free. It is helpful.

[@FutureProofHealth]

Good to hear that it's been working out for you!

[@cassieoz1702]

Yes but there arent many free guides that dont have oily american accents or impenetrable asian accents. I live in a remote area so your urban recommendations arent helpful. So i choose an original english guide on headspace

[@TheOnlyTaps]

🙏🏿

[@apulaz]

Problem with clickbait headlines. I am disgusted and unsubscribed

[@NoamLeon100]

Medito is the best app, and I've tried them all. It's totally free! I donated them couple of 💵 but it's free.

[@MasterMS1123]

Plum Village is also run by a non-profit and free, but Medito is also very good

[@Margaret1549]

if you find meditation really challenging try breath work in the beginning, it really helped me, I really like this channel @BreathworkBeats

[@thegrumptastic]

My partner uses Abide and swears by it, I've not really caught it on to any and use @theescapist zero punctuation long content to sleep Yahtzee is the best