College is stressful. Between classes, your social life, and keeping up with all of those pop-culture trends on your FYP, finding time to unwind in the name of self-care can be hard. However, there are tons of resources out there to help you keep your mental health in check — and the Calm app is rolling out a limited-time membership specifically for college students.
ICYMI, Calm is the No. 1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation. With over 100 million downloads and over 1.5 million five-star reviews on the Apple App Store, Calm was developed alongside mental health experts to make mediation and relaxation accessible. Whether you’re looking for rain sounds to help you sleep, guided mediations, or daily mindfulness lessons, Calm has it all. Oh, including bedtime stories read by Harry Styles — because who doesn’t want Harry Styles to read them to sleep?
On Sept. 13, Calm announced a limited-time program to make the app accessible to college students by providing a yearly subscription and full access to Calm’s content for only $9.99/year. With the typical yearly subscription at $69.99/year, this student program is available for a whopping 86% off. Yup, I’m sold.
Additionally, Calm has created the College Collection with Tamara Levitt, which includes meditations to improve focus, music designed to maintain motivation, and many other tools to help students relax during the school year. Whether you’re using Calm to keep you cool-headed between classes or to help you unwind after a stressful day of exams, this student program is the perfect opportunity to put your mental health first.
How do I sign up for Calm for Students?
Signing up for Calm’s new student program is simple. All you need to do is head to calm.com/students and sign up using any email address (it doesn’t even need to be your .edu account). After inputting your information, you’re then asked to verify your student status. Calm can verify your status through their SheerID verification — but if, for some reason, you’re having issues with verification, you can use the following to confirm your enrollment status:
- Official enrollment letter, not just an acceptance letter
- Current class schedule
- Registration or tuition receipt
- Transcript with your classes
- Other school-issued documents with an issue date within the last three months that display your first and last name
If you have a pre-existing account, however, you’ll either have to wait for your account to expire or delete your account and create a new one. Additionally, the Calm for Students subscription doesn’t renew, so you’ll get an annual notification when Calm needs to re-verify your student status.
College can be really demanding, but you’re not alone. Millions of students deal with stress, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed every day, and taking the time to unwind and relax can do wonders for your mental health. However, it’s important to note that, if these feelings become more intense, seek the help of a mental health professional as soon as possible.
But, if you’re just looking for a way to sleep better, sign up for Calm and fall asleep to the soothing voice of Mr. Harry Styles. I know I will be.
If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950-NAMI(6264). For confidential treatment referrals, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website, or call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP(4357). In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or call 911.