There are times when we face stressful situations in our lives. While you can't always avoid stress, it's good to know when you're tense so you can do something about it.
Measuring stress with the Apple Watch
Sometimes there are clear signs of stress, but it also happens that stress creeps in unnoticed and without warning, resulting in less sleep and relaxation during the day. Your Apple Watch can help you recognize stress and warn you so you can take action. One solution may be to start using the Mindfulness app on the Apple Watch, but you can also slow down, find a relaxing activity or clear your head by going for a walk in the woods. To measure stress, the following Apple Watch apps come in handy!
- Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in the Health app
- StressFace
- Stress Monitor
- Cardiobot
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in the Health app
The Apple Watch automatically measures your heart rate variability (HRV) at certain times and this is one of the indicators that there is stress. You can find these measurements in the Health app under the Heart rate variability item. Unfortunately, you can't do much with that unless you dive into the numbers and look up what a normal value is. The Apple Watch does not report increased stress and does not indicate what is normal and what you can do about it if the readings are too high. Fortunately, there are therefore alternative apps that measure HRV, such as Elite HRV and Welltory. They provide a little more insight.
See also 
Measuring heart rate variability with the Apple Watch and apps
You can measure heart rate variability (HRV) with the Apple Watch. How does that work, what can you deduce from it and how can you measure it with the Apple Watch itself and with all kinds of apps?
StressFace
StressFace helps you monitor and monitor your stress levels on a scale of 1 to 10 on your Apple Watch throughout the day. This app is easy to use and also offers Apple Watch complications for the watch face. You can take a quick look at your Apple Watch during the day to see if you're still relaxed enough. If it is a bit too stressful, the app contains a collection of meditation exercises. You will find most of the functionality on the Apple Watch; on the iPhone, the functions are limited. For about one euro per month you get access to the Premium features.
The Apple Watch app has four parts. First you see the current stress level and if you swipe right you see your timeline, which shows your stress level at different times throughout the day. On the third screen you can see the average stress over several days. And finally, you have the stress threshold, which shows whether you handle stress better than other people. Unfortunately, you need the Premium bundle for most of these features.
Stress Monitor
Perhaps the most famous Apple Watch app to measure stress. This app gives you an Overload notification when you are stressed. You also get advice to recover and optionally you can also see if your stress level is normal. Like the other apps, HRV is used. If you take out a paid subscription, you will gain insight into much more data, such as your weekly stress highlights and your stress level in relation to sleep. If you only need to slow down, the free version will suffice.
Cardiobot
CardioBot is a popular app, which is mainly aimed at measuring heart rate values. Still, this app added features for stress measurement and heart rate variability quite late. People with a low HRV are under more stress or cope less well, while with a high HRV you can handle any challenge. A high HRV is also an indication that your cardiovascular system is fine. Cardiobot uses the data that the Apple Watch already measures to better understand how your body reacts to stress. You can also see if you are ready for heavier workouts. The app has widgets for the iPhone, if you want to keep an eye on your measurements during the day. This app also requires a subscription of a few euros per month if you want to use all functions.
In need of some relaxation? Then use these mindfulness apps!
See also 
The best mindfulness and meditation apps for iPhone and iPad
Which meditation apps are good? How can you become more balanced with mindfulness? With these iPhone apps you can learn to meditate, add mindfulness to your life and live more mindfully.