Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
LA County Still Gets The Headspace Mindfulness App For Free — Plus, More Mental Health Help
A screenshot from the Headspace signup page for L.A. County residents.
(
Via Headspace
)
L.A. County renews Headspace partnership
-
L.A. County renewed its deal with the mental health app after it expired in September 2021 (according to the L.A. County Mental Health Department), making Headspace free for L.A. County residents once again.
Our minds have been on our minds a lot lately — specifically, mental health. Here’s everything you need to know about how popular meditation apps are addressing the pandemic, including how Los Angeles County is continuing to offer one of the biggest ones for free.
We’ve also got info on deals for the most popular apps, links to other apps (including some free ones), and more.
You can find more free mental health resources from Los Angeles County here. (May also happens to be National Mental Health Month, with the L.A. County Department of Mental Health providing free events both online and in person.)
Support for LAist comes from
Headspace
Early in the pandemic, L.A. County’s Mental Health Department made a deal with popular meditation app Headspace to provide its Headspace Plus premium service to L.A. County residents for free. That deal was set to expire at the end of last year — but then again, most of us didn’t think the pandemic was going to last this long.
But that means those Headspace subscriptions are still available. We’re unclear on when exactly that will last until. But the service itself is currently being discounted by 30% for everyone, even if you’re not in L.A. County. Headspace is also offering a selection of sample meditations, sleep experiences, and guided walks meant to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Plus, certain health plans and employers provide a subscription for free — this includes Kaiser Health, as well as free subscriptions for L.A. County employees.
The app’s offerings include a wide variety of meditations, including ones designed to help you sleep, meditations specifically targeted toward certain mental health issues, music to help you focus, and even mindful workouts. Headspace was declared the best meditation app by the New York Times' popular Wirecutter site.
Calm
Calm has some free content meant to support your mental and emotional wellness during the pandemic, available here. While not quite as well-reviewed as Headspace, Calm was listed as an “also great” meditation app by Wirecutter. Wirecutter noted that Calm’s meditations are more open-ended, which could be good for experienced meditators, but may mean less guidance for newbies.
Calm doesn’t have as many readily available discounts, but beyond the free trial, you still have some options. First off, you can get 25% off at this link. You may also be able to get a discount from your work — a number of companies offer this as a perk for their workers. Or you can bug your boss to sign up to get your workplace covered (at a discount) here.
Support for LAist comes from
You can also see other potential discounts at the RetailMeNot website. It’s available for free to Kaiser Health members — check with your own health provider about mental health and meditation resources. (American Express cardholders could get a free year with Calm, followed by a year at half-off — but that deal expired at the end of 2020.)
More App Options
Beyond these popular meditation apps, some others that have received positive reviews include:
- UCLA Meditation: UCLA has its own free meditation app, though the school also offers mindfulness classes that you can pay for to explore the practice in more depth.
- Insight Timer: This app includes some of the most free content available in a meditation app, while also having higher-level courses available with a paid subscription.
- Ten Percent Happier: This app puts great emphasis on classes from meditation teachers, beyond just the meditations themselves, so you can understand a bit more of the philosophy behind those meditations. They also offer the option to connect with your own meditation coach.
- Buddhify: This service emphasizes their mobile/on-the-go meditations, with less of an ask for your time than many other apps. They also have a low one-off fee to get started, along with an extra premium subscription option that runs less than their more well-known competition — $30 a year, versus the list prices of around $70 for Headspace and Calm.
- The Breathing App: This is a free app, available for both Apple and Android devices. It’s simple — but, well, it’s free.
- Your smartwatch: A number of smartwatches have simple mindfulness apps built into them, such as the Apple Watch’s Breathe feature or Relax on Fitbit. They might not be as fancy as other apps, but they’re with you all the time — and might be a chance to jump in a little more quickly, as well as enjoying mindfulness on the go.
How are you protecting your own mental health this year? Let us know.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist