Calm yourselves...
by Matthew Burgos
Breathe in, breathe out. Instead of the usual soundscapes — the trickle of water into a stone fountain, the soft tap of rain against the windows, the chirp of birds in the forest — Calm, a meditation, sleep and relaxation app, turns to storytelling to weave its restful magic.
Calm co-founders Alex Tew and Michael Acton Smith. Image courtesy of Calm.
While global lockdowns and restrictions forced us to shelter inside our homes and avoid personal contact, friction reared its head in many relationships around the world. In response, many reached for Calm, a balm to apply to the worried, anxious and frenetic versions of ourselves.
According to Sensor Tower, an insights provider for the global app economy, Calm’s rate of downloads reached over 3.9 million globally in 2020, a sign of just how many people are seeking support for their mental health through technology.
Calm’s co-founders, Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew, launched the app in 2012, designing it to help users manage stress, sleep better and live happier, healthier lives using audio clip narratives. Its storytelling content tackles some of the biggest mental health challenges of today: stress, anxiety, insomnia and depression. As you close your eyes and take a deep breath, the soothing tones of Tamara Levitt, Calm Head of Mindfulness (and author and voice of most of the app's meditation sessions) will lull you into restfulness.
Calm’s extensive library of stories. Image courtesy of Calm.
“Today we’ll be exploring how taking refuge in our practice can support us through turbulent times,” Levitt begins in the episode A Heart Less Heavy, the slowness in her pace comforting and consoling. “Let your spine lengthen upwards and grow tall. You can imagine a string attached to the crown of the head that's pulling you gently towards the sky. Your forehead and jaw relax; your neck and shoulders relax.”
Storytelling plays an important role in healing. During neuroeconomist Paul J. Zak’s research, his team discovered that if the story you hear creates tension, then “attentive viewers and listeners will come to share the emotions of the characters in it and after it ends, are likely to continue mimicking the feelings and behaviours of those characters”. Through Calm’s approach, listeners follow Levitt’s guidance and begin to share the emotions and mindfulness she creates.
Idris Elba, one of the well-known names recruited to Calm’s team of storytellers. Image courtesy of Calm.
Calm’s mindfulness sessions and programmes cater to beginners, regulars and even children, with the Daily Calm, a 10-minute session exploring a certain topic kicking off users' regular, meditative practice. The app publishes a monthly calendar in which users undergo daily mindfulness challenges as tiny experiments to learn more about themselves and the world. It also boasts a collection of over 100 Sleep Stories to help listeners drift off to a restful sleep, ranging from celebrity stories (with the Texas tones of actor Matthew McConaughey a firm favourite), classic literature, children's tales, scientific articles and more.
When you open the app, Calm encourages you to bring a curious self, a non-judgmental mind and an open heart to every session. Whether it’s to soothe anxieties or perform a quick tune-up for the day, every story asks you to stay and live in the moment. This is storytelling at its finest: used to enhance you, your presence and your growth.