Headspace review (Up to date)
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The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this guide, we will discuss “Headspace review: (Up to date)” and what users think about it.
Headspace review: (Up to date)
If you are looking for “Headspace review: (Up to date) in google, this means either you have started using it, knows someone that is using it or you are considering using it and want to get some honest reviews before you do.
Here we will talk about what people think about the Headspace app and some reviews from their users.
According to the Business Insider, while using the Headspace app “I’ve been much more aware of my thoughts and emotions, and with a few exceptions (including a rough day at the airport) I’ve been much calmer and more collected in times of stress.”
Additionally, they add how “The company reports it has 8.5 million active users, and this includes Wall Streeters, Olympic athletes, and celebrity executives like Arianna Huffington and Richard Branson. Companies like Goldman Sachs and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have bought package subscriptions for employees. The app is free to download, but a subscription unlocks full access to all of its lessons.”
What is Headspace and what is it for?
With this being said let’s talk a bit more about what headspace is and its main goal. Headspace was founded by Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe in 2012 and they had one mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world, with millions of users in more than 190 countries.
Andy Puddicombe was trained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk during an excursion that lasted 10 years in his 20s. Meaning, Headspace’s lessons are based on the philosophy and exercises he studied. When you start using Headspace you have access to the 30-day foundation pack that will introduce you to the basics of meditation.
However, after the 30 days, you can access the rest of the content by subscribing to Headspace.
Headspace aims to promote living a happier, healthier life with just 10 minutes of meditation a day on the Headspace app, making meditation accessible to everyone. Headspace has over 40 millions users, on the app you are able to map out your journey, what you aim to achieve and track your progress.
You can also buddy up with friends and family and motivate each other to mediate. The best thing is that you don’t actually need to know anything about meditation because they make it simple, easy and promises to guide you every step of the way.
Additionally, Headspace has received many reviews all over the internet, below is a glimpse of what people think and are saying about this app.
How does Headspace work?
As we have discussed, Headspace is an app that teaches you how to meditate step by step through guided meditation. So why should you meditate? Well according to them, “Meditation has been shown to help people stress less, focus more and sleep better. Headspace is meditation made simple, teaching you life-changing mindfulness skills in just a few minutes a day.”
The best thing about the app is that you can use it on the go! “Any time, any place and anywhere”. You can use your tablet or smartphone to download sessions to use offline so it won’t consume your data (very thoughtful) and if you use your computer, then you can play any session at any time.
However, the initial version if you would like to give it a try is limited so you need to subscribe to continue and unlock the entire Headspace Libary and content which they have stated has Unlimited access to hundreds of hours of content”.
According to their website, Headspace if able to reduce stress in 10 days, using it for 4 weeks can improve focus by 14% and in 10 days it can increase your happiness by 16%. However, it is not that simple to quantify your stress levels or how happy you feel right?
Categories of Headspace
When you open the app and sign in for the first time it will ask you to choose between several options such as stress and anxiety, sleep and wake up, personal growth, work, and productivity, among others.
As soon as you choose one of the options you are interested in, for instance, “sleep and wake up” category has videos to disconnect, to go back to sleep, deep breathing, deep resting, among others. Then you just need to pick the one that interests you and start your meditation journey.
In addition, the guided meditations (audio sessions) use the co-creators voice that guides you through a journey of contemplation. Also, if you forget to meditate then the app will send you a notification reminding you to meditate.
How much do I have to pay for a subscription?
There is a 14 day or 2-week free period for Headspace Plus. However, you can also find:
- Annual- first 2 weeks free for $69.99 or $5.83 a month (where you can save up to 60%).
- Monthly – first 1 week free for $12.99 a month.
After you have started your free trial, you will auto-enroll in their $69.99 annual plan, however, you can change or cancel at any time during your trial to not be charged.
Additionally, there are some student and family plans too.
- Headspace student plan is just $9.99 a year.
- The family plan (6 accounts) is for $99.99 a year.
Headspace reviews
Here are some of the most recent reviews about Headspace users from trustpilot.com:
Headspace is it ethical?
“An app that is meant to help your mental health but without asking will annually deduct just under £100 from your account. It feels odd that a company priding themself on benefitting the users and encouraging mentally stability is so expensive. I guess positive mental health should only be for ONLY those can afford it.”
I need a therapist now !
“My son sent me a 1 month free subscription. The website is terrible and the help desk is even more terrible as it has been 6 days since contacting them and still no reply. This company should be shut down, based on the reviews I have read.”
Terrible app
“Terrible app. Don’t install or buy it. Very expensive fees which they don’t advertise about and all content on the app can be found for free on YouTube. Always need phone screen to be unlocked otherwise it turns off, which is not ideal for long meditations. Uses all your battery.”
Invaluable
“I have found this app to be invaluable. I’ve never had any issues that the email service hasn’t sorted for me. They ARE slow to respond to emails, but they get there eventually. As long as you make sure to unsubscribe from the automatic renewal (which you can do immediately on a year’s subscription and still enjoy the whole year you’ve paid for, otherwise set a reminder in your calendar), then you won’t be billed again and can make your own decision when your year ends. I’ve been doing this for years now. Highly recommended.”
Great Guidance
“I downloaded this app as part of a bundle I got with Spotify. Having being using it alongside other changes in my life (such as quitting smoking and being more active) I have definitely noticed a difference when it comes to mindfulness, I find it easier to be more present which is paying off in other areas of my life, and I have felt a lot calmer (I’m usually a massive over thinker and put myself into anxiety thought loops). I’ve also noticed an improvement in sleep quality, the sleep casts are really useful and I have an easier time ”switching off’.”
Why is this blog about headspace review: (up to date) important
First of all, let’s say most of the reviews we have seen so far (and many others that are available online) have many complaints about the high fees and them not being able to cancel as it is promised when you purchase the subscription, they still get deducted even after apparently requesting to cancel their subscription which obviously can make anyone angry. Additionally, they seem to have poor customer service.
In contrast, some other people have said they have found the app to be very useful and if you ask me it is visually attractive, user-friendly and Andy’s voice is very soothing and calming. However, this is not supposed to be a “miracle pill” and it is not going to solve your problems, you need to shift to your mindset and be willing to make changes.
However, try before you decide to subscribe and be very mindful that you can get troubles while attempting to cancel the subscription so you can avoid having a massive headache.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Headspace review: (up to date)
Is the headspace subscription worth it?
Some people consider the Headspace subscription very pricey and for some (as it is the case of students) it is very accessible. At this moment, the Annual- first 2 weeks free is priced for $69.99 or $5.83 a month (where you can save up to 60%) and Monthly – first 1 week free is priced for $12.99 a month.
Can you use headspace for free?
You can use headspace for free during a limited trial version, then you have to buy a subscription to keep using it.
Is headspace free with Spotify?
Free Headspace app for students with Spotify Premium. Students with a valid NUS Card or Unidays registration can now get full access to the Headspace app for free with Spotify Premium (£4.99 per month – get it here). Registration to the Headspace app is available via the ‘get deal’ link below, this according to savethestudent
Can you share a headspace account?
Yes, at this moment you can share the app with up to 6 people under the “family” plan. However, it is said that Family Sharing does not let you share purchases made through the app, without which Headspace can have limited functionality.
What is the difference between headspace and headspace plus?
Headspace plus is the new name of their paid membership experience, what you can get with a Headspace Plus subscription is over 40 courses of themed meditations on specific topics, dozens of one-off exercises designed to add more mindfulness to your day, short mini-meditations so you can do them at any time, access to sleep by Headspace which helps you to ease your mind into a truly restful night’s sleep, animated content to guide you through the essentials of meditation and continued guidance from Andy Puddicombe (Headspace co-founder) through the audios.
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References
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