When was the last time you downloaded an app for your mind? Perhaps, something that helps you stay calm during stressful times, or see the silver lining in a hopeless situation. How about exciting games that inspire critical thinking, or simply nurture positivity?

There are apps today – and many are free – for all that and more. Based on content, reliability and user reviews, here’s our pick of the top five apps that can work wonders for your mental health:

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Headspace

When you are overwhelmed by anxiety, stress, insomnia, or merely a cluttered mind, meditation helps. And Headspace, an easy-to-use meditation app, offers a great way to practise guided breathing and mindfulness. Depending on your specific needs, you can choose from a variety of guided breathing exercises, visualisation sessions as well as SOS exercises in the event of an emotional crisis.

You can download the app on Google Play. The Take 10 intro sessions are free, giving you a chance to meditate for 10 minutes per day over 10 days. Subsequently, you can opt for a monthly or yearly subscription at a pretty reasonable price. What’s more, the app is compatible with the Apple Watch.

Happify

The next time you struggle to find a reason to smile, play a game on your phone. Not just any mindless game, but a science-based activity designed to reduce stress and nurture positive thoughts. Happify is a fun app that caters to your emotional wellbeing in effortless, yet profound ways.

Armed with scientific research on evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy interventions, the app offers daily activities, including engaging games, mindful meditations, and gratitude prompts to help conquer negative thoughts. Once you try the free version of Happify, available on iOS and Android, you can decide on a monthly paid plan that works best for you.

Lumosity

Just like your body needs to move, your mind needs exercise too. Beyond the crosswords and Sudoku puzzles, there are brain games that work on your grey cells to improve memory, attention, mental agility, speed and problem-solving. Lumosity is arguably the best app to help keep your brain sharp.

Free with in-app purchases on iPhone and Android, the popular brain-training programme encourages a daily habit of challenging your mind, learning and acquiring knowledge. And all it takes is a few minutes of your time to get a new mental workout every day!

Waterlogged

Sometimes, it is the simplest things that are the most difficult to accomplish. Drinking adequate amount of water through the day, for instance. Research shows that hydration can make a world of difference to one’s physical and mental health. In case you are among those who forget to sip on the healthiest beverage, don’t worry, there’s an app to help you out.

A personalised water intake monitor, Waterlogged is designed to help you track the amount of water you gulp down each day. You can record your hydration levels using photos or basic metrics. The premium version of the free app, available on iOS and Android, also lets you view progress graphs to show how close you are to completing your daily goal. You can set sipping reminders too.

Habitica

Old habits die hard, they say. Well, healthy habits are not born easily either. What if you could approach the situation like a fun game? Say, you could turn self-love into a grand adventure. Habitica, a free app on iOS and Android, helps you do that in the most enjoyable, yet effective way.

Once you list the healthy habits you would like to start or the damaging ones that you want to stop, Habitica get you a cool eight-bit avatar. Enjoy collecting gold coins and health points for each positive step; be ready to pay the virtual price for every misstep. It’s a fun way to cultivate new habits and do away with old ones that don’t serve you.