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Make it last · Lesson 11 of 11

Meditation Apps, Safety and Your Practice Plan

Know what to expect from apps, the signs to stop, when to talk to a clinician first, and write your own two-week practice plan.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

This is the last lesson. You will see what to expect from apps and timers, learn how to stay safe, and then make your own practice plan. Read the safety sections even if you feel fine: they take a minute, and they matter.

A timer is enough

A plain timer is all you need. Apps can help a little: in trials, they lowered anxiety and low mood slightly over a few weeks. But about half of those trials only compared apps with a waiting list, which is an easy comparison to win. An app is a low-cost way to practice, not a treatment.

A stopwatch with a green check and the chip A timer is enough, a phone showing a grid of icons beside a small bar labelled A little help, and a half-filled circle labelled About half: compared with a waiting list.(opens the full-size picture)
A timer is enough, and apps offer a little help.

Most people stop

Most people stop using meditation apps. In one study of app usage worldwide, only about one in twenty users still opened a mindfulnessmindfulness: Paying attention to what is happening in the present moment, including thoughts and sensations, on purpose and without judging it. The word covers both a state of mind and the courses that train it, and most research tests the courses.Full entry in the glossary app a month after installing it. So decide when you will practice, before you decide what to pay.

Twenty small person icons in two rows, nineteen faded and one in amber, on a line from Installing day to One month later. Chips read About 1 in 20 still using it after a month and Decide when, before what to pay, beside a calendar and a dollar coin.(opens the full-size picture)
About 1 in 20 were still using the app a month later.

What is ordinary

Meditation is usually low-risk, but it can stir up difficult feelings. Feeling settled, a little bored or restless afterwards is ordinary. Notice how a practice leaves you in the hour afterwards.

A chip reading Usually low-risk, a heading Ordinary, and three face cards labelled Settled, A little bored and Restless. A clock beside them is labelled The hour afterwards.(opens the full-size picture)
Settled, a little bored or restless are all ordinary.

Signs to stop

Stop and talk to someone

Panic, feeling unreal or cut off, or old memories flooding back are signals to stop that practice and talk to someone. Don’t push through. If low mood, poor sleep or a sense of unreality last after you stop, see a doctor.

A card headed Stop and talk to someone with a pause symbol and three amber-marked signs: Panic, Feeling unreal or cut off, and Old memories flooding back. A chip reads Don't push through, and a doctor card asks Still there after you stop? See a doctor.(opens the full-size picture)
Three signs to stop, and a doctor if effects last.

Talk to a clinician first

Before you start

If you have a history of trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe depression, talk to a clinician before you start. Meditation shouldn’t replace medical care. In a crisis, call your local emergency number straight away.

A doctor card listing a history of trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder and severe depression, with the words Talk to a clinician first. Beside it, a chip reads Not a replacement for care and a phone card reads In a crisis: Your local emergency number.(opens the full-size picture)
Talk to a clinician first, and use your local emergency number in a crisis.

Make your plan

Now make your plan. Choose your practice, your length, and your daily anchor. Write down the skill you want to build. Then practice for two weeks, counting days, and review: keep it, adjust it, or switch to a different practice.

A card titled My practice plan with four ticked rows: My practice, My length, My daily anchor and The skill I want. Beside it, a two-week strip of ticked days, and three chips: Keep, Adjust and Switch.(opens the full-size picture)
Four choices, two weeks of practice, then keep, adjust or switch.

My practice plan

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this last lesson, you'll learn what to expect from apps and timers, how to stay safe, and you'll make your practice plan.

A plain timer is all you need. Apps can help a little: in trials, they lowered anxiety and low mood slightly over a few weeks. But about half of those trials only compared apps with a waiting list.

And most people stop. In one study of app usage worldwide, only about one in twenty users still opened a mindfulness app a month after installing it. So decide when you'll practice, before you decide what to pay.

Meditation is usually low-risk, but it can stir up difficult feelings. Feeling settled, a little bored or restless afterwards is ordinary. Notice how a practice leaves you in the hour afterwards.

But panic, feeling unreal or cut off, or old memories flooding back are signals to stop that practice and talk to someone. Don't push through. If low mood, poor sleep or a sense of unreality last after you stop, see a doctor.

If you have a history of trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe depression, talk to a clinician before you start. Meditation shouldn't replace medical care. And in a crisis, call your local emergency number straight away.

Now make your plan. Choose your practice, your length, and your daily anchor. Write down the skill you want to build. Then practice for two weeks, counting days, and review: keep it, adjust it, or switch.

So remember: a timer is enough, know the signs to stop, and keep it short and regular. Before you go, fill in your practice plan, and start tomorrow. Thank you for taking this course, and enjoy your practice.