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Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#11

Post by thenerdhead »

I feel like these apps are much like 24-hour gyms. The profits are because nobody uses them but says they will use them one day.

I love the headspace story and the founder Andy Puddicombe. His mission is a real one of literally "spreading awareness" to everyone.

I've had a subscription to headspace for over 3 years now(corporate discount) and used it tons when I first started to learn about meditation. However 3 years wiser, I realize that I don't need a guide and do it all myself. I forgot I was subscribed until I saw this!

Much like exercise if you don't do it everyday, you get bored of it quickly. I really enjoyed the NBA series on headspace that I would use to kick-ass at work for awhile before I finished it and nothing else seemed interesting.

I also used their sleepcasts for awhile when battling insomnia. I enjoyed them but then found myself able to fall asleep naturally because I changed my habits to work out more and would be physical tired by the end of the night.

All in all, I think headspace can truly change your life. It just depends on how you decide to go about it. Meditation, awareness, mindfulness, and many of the skills it teaches are some of the most important skills to be getting accustomed to throughout one's life. I don't think I'll ever stop meditating or practicing in my life, but I am at the point where I no longer need these apps after 3 years.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#12

Post by darkdollynho »

I Paid for the fabulous app for some time, honestly, it helped a little only at the beginning and I think it is because we are committed to getting better and kind excited about it. But it seems not to be that helpful after some time, even with those thousand features (That for my country is really expensive). "In my case" what really helped was consulting with a psychologist every week, committing to get better with a person that also is committed to helping you. I think the apps really help if you use them as a secondary tool for improvement, commitment, the problem is that they sell it to us like a miracle, which is not (because is easy to ignore a cellphone notification).

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#13

Post by gundamdoubleO »

I used Headspace's mindful meditation for a few weeks to attempt to manage some work related stress in an old job. It did help me a little bit initially but it wasn't helping with the root cause of the problem (that the job sucked and I should look for another one).

I know people who have really benefited from mindful meditation as a means to manage stress though so I don't doubt it does help some people. Possibly better for the types of stress and anxiety that builds up over time from a mixture of sources than solely from one obvious cause like in my case.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#14

Post by ath0 »

Found headspace helpful but only really noticed after a month where I made time for it every morning. In particular I appreciated some of the techniques in different courses - different forms of attention and focus, noting, visualization. My consistency has fallen off and I can see an impact on ability to find and stay in flow; but even without a regular practice I find I’m more aware of when and how I get distracted and don’t fall quite as far away from it.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#15

Post by maroonblazer »

After trying Headspace and Calm I settled on the app Waking Up[0] and have been using it for a couple of years now. It's been a huge help. It's a lot more than just a guided meditation app.

While you can get some benefits from simply practicing meditation, it can feel a bit aimless. What I like about Waking Up is the conversations with experienced meditators where they talk about the practice itself. These serve as a guide for my own practice. There's a whole section that consists of conversations on the theory behind meditation. As an HN type I eat these up.

I also don't think you can get the full benefit of a meditation practice without considering the nature of mind and consciousness. The app includes several discussions on this topic as well and it helped to inform my practice substantially.

[0]https://wakingup.com/

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#16

Post by recuter »

I went on popular podcast to discuss the life altering benefits and cross promoted my unrelated ebook and self help program. Now I make 7 figures working 4 hours a week from Bali. I've never used any of these apps or meditated once, I have severe ADHD, slight brain damage from a scooter accident and short term memory loss from all the weed. Aurora rocks. AMA.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#18

Post by TrueGeek »

thenerdhead wrote: post #11

I feel like these apps are much like 24-hour gyms. The profits are because nobody uses them but says they will use them one day. I love the headspace story and the founder Andy Puddicombe. His mission is a real one of literally "spreading awareness" to everyone. I've had a subscription to headspace for over 3 years now(corporate discount) and used it tons when I first started to learn about meditation. However 3 year…

The intro course in Headspace is amazing. I had to experience with meditation and Andy really explained it well. It completely changed what I thought meditation was. But then, afterwards, he made it so simple I didn’t need the app at all.

You’re right about his story. His book is great, simply for the first quarter where he tells how he got where he is.

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#19

Post by hoherd »

I got the most lasting value out of the free UCLA Marc guided meditation sessions[0] which now have an app. When I first used them years ago it was only a list of recordings on a web page. In that time I've tried a few of the other apps that have popped up, and was grandfathered into the Waking Up lifetime membership, but I always think that MARC gave me more lasting benefit than, for instance, the guided meditations in Waking Up. However, this could be due to MARC being my first real introduction into meditation practice that I stuck with, and the others would never have that chance.

[0] https://www.uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations

Re: Ask HN: Have you had any real benefits from apps like Headspace, Fabulous, etc?

#20

Post by thenerdhead »

TrueGeek wrote: post #18
thenerdhead wrote: post #11

I feel like these apps are much like 24-hour gyms. The profits are because nobody uses them but says they will use them one day. I love the headspace story and the founder Andy Puddicombe. His mission is a real one of literally "spreading awareness" to everyone. I've had a subscription to headspace for over 3 years now(corporate discount) and used it tons when I first started to learn about meditation. However 3 year…

The intro course in Headspace is amazing. I had to experience with meditation and Andy really explained it well. It completely changed what I thought meditation was. But then, afterwards, he made it so simple I didn’t need the app at all. You’re right about his story. His book is great, simply for the first quarter where he tells how he got where he is.

Exactly! I think headspace ran out of Andy content and so did my interest after that!
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