Let's face it. Freelance work can be stressful. If you are trying to manage everyday stresses of contract work or just want someone to talk to, a mental health app can help. There are plenty of options out there, and here are our five personal favorites for freelancers:

Pacifica: The meditation mental health app

What it does
Pacifica is a mental health app that primarily provides meditation and mindfulness tools to manage stress and anxiety. Because it is based upon Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques, it may be particularly helpful for anxiety. It allows you to track your mood over time and provides deep breathing exercises. After rating your current mood, Pacific provides relaxation exercises under "Relax Now" and four tool categories: Health, Thoughts, Goals and Guided Paths.

Why it’s great for contract workers
If you work odd hours, Pacifica’s short exercises are easy to work into your day. The ability to set daily challenges can also be helpful in maintaining the discipline to reach your long term goals.

Cost: Free / $5.99 per month for premium or $35.99 per year
Platform: iOS, Android, and Web (thinkpacifica.com)
Best for: Stress, Anxiety

Stop Breathe Think: The check-in mental health app

What it does
Stop Breathe Think is the mental health app all about mindfulness. It guides you through more than 30 thinking and feeling exercises, and lets you check in with your current emotional state. Based on your current emotions, it recommends the best meditations for your needs.

Why it’s great for contract workers
While you’re going about your day, you are reminded to take a moment to meditate. Even if you’re behind on a big freelance project, the short modules will be a welcome break. Taking a mindful minute will help you refocus and increase your productivity in the long-run. 

Cost: Free
Platform: iOS and Android
Conditions: Stress, Anxiety

Talkspace: The full-service mental health app

What it does
Talkspace is the priciest of the bunch, but it also gives you the most personalized support among the mental health apps. Their text therapy service matches you with a trained therapist for on-demand support. Text your therapist whenever the mood strikes you, and he/she gets back to you within a day or two. Think text therapy may be for you? You can get a discounted trial see if it works for your lifestyle.

Why it’s great for contract workers
Therapists are available on-demand. If you can’t make it to traditional therapy sessions, Talkspace can be a great way to speak with a therapist – on your time. Many of them are also freelancers like you; therefore, they’re more likely to understand your needs and lifestyle!

Cost: $32 - $99 / week
Platform:  iOS and Android
Best for: Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Addiction, and many other conditions

Happify: The game-based mental health app

What it does
Finally, a mental health app that has some fun! Happify turns mental health into a game. It measures your emotional well-being with a “happiness score” that you can track and try to improve by playing games that are designed to train your brain to overcome negative thoughts. The app has something for everyone with articles, guided meditations, mindfulness games, and a community forum.

Why it’s great for contract workers
The mindfulness games are quick and fun. You can fit them into your work day any time you need it! The forums are also a great way to connect with other freelancers like you to share your experiences.

Cost: $6 - $15 / month
Platform:  iOS and Android
Best for: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Self-confidence, General Well-being

Breathe2Relax: The take-a-breath mental health app

What it does
Breathe2Relax was developed by the National Center for Telehealth & Technology to help teach "belly breathing". Also, it's darn good tool for coping with stress. Research shows that deep breathing helps manage anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder. The mental health app tracks your personal progress and gives you resources to read in your free time to incorporate deep breathing into your daily routine. Its customization features also allow you to change the pace of the breathing exercise to match a pace that is comfortable for you.

Why it’s great for contract workers
Deep breathing techniques should be practiced as often as you can, and you can take a minute to breath whenever you want. Take a minute at your favorite coffee shop, in the car, or wherever you happen to be! 

Cost: Free
Platform:  iOS and Android
Best for: Anxiety, Stress, PTSD

Which mental health app is your favorite?