I used the Calm app for a month; here’s my unbiased review

When it’s good, it’s going great — and anyone who has had an episode with mental health can tell you that. No two days are ever the same. Endless hours of ‘self-care’ can only take you so far, and therapy is, of course, often only for the privileged.

While on most days, I seemed to hold myself together just fine; there were times when intrusive thoughts got the best of me. Volumes of studies and research told me that meditation is the key to a stress-free life. But who was I really kidding? I was far from consistency, even when I decided to take it up a handful of times. 

It was endless hours of doom-scrolling and copious amounts of internet time that introduced me to the Calm app. Whether it was the algorithm that led me to it or the targeted advertisements, I saw no harm and decided to wing it. Having used it for a month, here’s my Calm app review.

What does the Calm app do?

In 2017, the Calm app bagged the title of the ‘App of the Year’. Today, it still holds the rank as the #1 App for Meditation on the iOS App Store. The concept? Pretty simple: A mobile application that puts the right tools to combat mental health issues in your back pocket. These include guided meditation for stress, white noise for sleep, and daily mindfulness podcasts with well-known life coaches.

Calm gives you a 7-day free trial like any other app and allows you to choose a plan of your choice at the beginning of it. But the trial still leaves a lot unexplored and doesn’t give you access to what the app truly has in store for you. Of course, the price you pay is quite hefty. It costs about Rs 3,999 a year (roughly Rs 333 per month); alternatively, you can choose a plan that bills you Rs 1,199 every month. Subscribing gives you access to over 200 sleep stories, masterclasses with experts and exclusive music to help you fall asleep. In contrast, the free version has a limited collection but with more or less the same offerings.

Calm app: First impressions

Calm did a fairly good job at convincing me to purchase its premium plan. To begin with, you don’t have ads disrupting you even when you’re using the free version, which is you will really appreciate. 

The app greets you with a ‘take a deep breath’ each time you open it, bringing the focus back to ‘you’. I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the gentle hum of cicadas that are always playing in the background whilst using the app. The app interface is a soothing shade of blue, and Calm allows you to choose a background ‘scene’ of your choice. 

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You can choose from a vast library of sceneries that will play in the background, including majestic waterfalls, pattering raindrops or even thunderstorms, if that’s what you prefer. The Fireplace grew to be a personal favourite, owing to the soft, warm glow and the crackling sounds of the flames. 

The homepage begins with a Good Day greeting, and you have a list of suggestions based on what your mood is for the day. You can choose among Calm, Sad, Tired, Anxious, Panicked, and Unsure. Based on your selection, you can pick between exercises ranging from a minute to an hour.

The first two weeks: Sleep feature

Of course, my first few days were fuelled with motivation. But since I’m not great at disciplining myself, I set an easy-to-meet goal of tuning into Calm for five minutes before I go to bed. As a light sleeper who often requires a pitch-dark room with the comfort of the ceiling fan white noise, it didn’t come as a surprise to me when I chose the Sleep feature for the initial days. And, let’s face it, the idea of Harry Styles reading me a bedtime story was hard to pass. 

The story interface resembles that of a music streaming app, which gave me an option to like or favourite a story of my choice. Calm lets you either switch your smartphone screen off or leave the app on in the background, which is a thoughtful touch for when you want to nap or work simultaneously. If you’re the kind who prefers crashing waves in the background or relaxing ASMR, you also have the option of picking those. 

Listening to Calm stories could take a little getting used to, especially if you’re not used to the concept. While I couldn’t entirely fall asleep with narration in the background, I certainly found that my thoughts had no place to stray during the course. But, there’s no denying that in a lot of instances, the voice modulation felt over-engineered to make you feel ‘at peace’. 

Of course, using the Sleep feature was the easy way out. 

The last two weeks

While the app encouraged me to meet my streak, there were misses where I couldn’t log in or pushed it to later. That’s when I decided to try and explore exercises that don’t have to wait till the end of the day. 

On one such day, when I was edging too close to an anxiety attack, I tuned into Emergency Calm by Tamara Levitt, head of mindfulness at Calm. The narration was simple to follow and drew my attention back to breathing within 10 minutes. 

However, I didn’t see myself whipping out my smartphone and hurriedly looking for the right exercise every time I’d panic. Calm certainly gives you a holding hand when you have enough time to sit in your thoughts and think yourself to a frenzy, but on some days, that’s pretty much all it does. 

Amidst the hits and misses, I managed to find myself towards the end of my 30-day challenge. By then, I had tried just about every possible exercise on the app by a variety of voice artists. Some were undoubtedly more comforting than others, and there were a few other recordings that I couldn’t bring myself to finish. 

What did using the Calm app for a month do for me?

Pros: Calm has an excellent library of sounds for those who have trouble falling asleep. I found myself leaning towards this feature a lot more prominently than its guided meditation techniques. 

Calm‘s collection of sounds, ASMR playlists and sleep stories make a phenomenal amount of difference. I also loved how the interface was no-nonsense, de-cluttered and easy to navigate, something which most mobile applications today fail to offer. 

Cons: I wouldn’t say I was hooked to the app at the end of 30 days. There were plenty of misses, and the app certainly doesn’t discipline you enough to have you coming back. There are no interrupting notifications reminding you of your streak; there are no prompts during the day that remind you to stay ‘Calm‘. Perhaps the idea is to use it only when you feel the need. Though guided practices help, it isn’t something entirely out of the box. 

While some may find switching coaches more comforting, I certainly found it easier to listen to one voice every day. The subscription plans may also seem a tad expensive if you don’t enjoy a 12-month-long commitment. A little more, and you might probably be able to afford an hour-long session with a licensed therapist. 

Lastly, the app lacks features that it should ideally be providing within the price range. However, owing to its success, there’s a good chance we might see them in the near future. Until then, I can’t wait to explore more for as long as I can.