Years ago, a surfing accident sparked my battle with anxiety and depression. Calmer was born from that journey. Built with clinical psychologists, it offers science-backed tools and insights to help you manage stress, reduce anxiety, and regain control.
In 2017, what was supposed to be a relaxing surfing trip to Sri Lanka turned into the beginning of a two-year battle with anxiety and depression. One morning, I hit my foot on an underwater stone while surfing. At first, it seemed like a minor bruise, but the warm, humid climate slowed the healing, and it developed into a severe infection.
When I got back home, I could barely walk without pain. After months of antibiotics and treatments, the infection finally healed—but by then, anxiety and depression had taken over. I started experiencing constant shortness of breath and heart palpitations, even during light exercise. I spent countless hours in doctor’s offices, undergoing tests, but was always told I was “fine.”
I’ll never forget the worst moments—lying awake at night, convinced I was having a heart attack, rushing to the ER only to hear the same thing: “Your heart is fine.” The fear didn’t go away, and I felt more trapped than ever. For nearly two years, I struggled to find answers and solutions. Medications didn’t help me. In fact, they just made things worse and left me feeling numb and brain-fogged.
It took time and a lot of adjustments, but I eventually managed to completely overcome anxiety and depression. It’s been more than 5 years now, and I’m feeling better than ever. I still vividly remember the incredible moment when my natural serotonin production restarted after gradually coming off the meds. I began waking up happy and energised instead of totally depressed and exhausted. Even simple things, like listening to music, gave me happy tingles I hadn’t felt in years.
Looking back, I realised how much faster I could have recovered if I’d had the right knowledge from the start. One of the main turning points for me was recognising the importance of my gut microbiome and how it impacted my mental state. This led me to methods for uncovering and tackling the deeper causes of my anxiety—not just managing the symptoms. Understanding how my anxiety triggers worked and learning to neutralise them gave me the clarity and tools I needed to finally move forward.
As I got better, I started noticing more and more TikTok and Instagram videos about anxiety, and what struck me the most were the comment sections. So many people were sharing their struggles—describing their debilitating anxiety symptoms, and expressing how lost they felt in finding answers. It reminded me so much of my own painful journey and made me think that perhaps I should compile my insights and share what helped me recover.
So I decided to team up with clinical psychologists and make an app that I wish I had when my anxiety & depression kicked in. The goal is to help others avoid the trial-and-error I went through and provide tools to manage anxiety that are based in the latest research.
Furthermore, a University of Toronto study revealed that 72% of participants fully recovered from anxiety when following well-rounded treatment plans, showing that most people can find their way to recovery. These principles became the foundation of Calmer.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences with anxiety, and answer any questions—your feedback can help us improve the app and reach more people in need.
I was looking for app that really work to help my panic attack and i found this, i'm very grateful for knowing this app, thank you for the hard work dev! it helps me so much, big love!
I've had anxiety for years- great to see a tool like this!
The design alone is calming :-)
Love how personal and real this journey feels. Gut health and mental well-being link isn't talked about enough.
Btw, do you include any tips on integrating lifestyle changes (like diet or exercise) alongside the tools?
Your story is inspiring! What you do is really cool! And I believe that the relevance of this topic will only continue to grow.
Turning pain into a lifeline for others—Calmer radiates hope. Massive congrats!
I am very willing to explore. I feel that there should be many people on the Internet who are suffering from anxiety and depression, and they need such tools to help them. I hope to release other language versions, such as Chinese.
Not only the whole concept of the application is calming, but the proposed activities actually make a difference on your awareness, perception and anxiety levels after you try them. Very happy to see this app. Thank you!
@ugis_leimanis Really interesting idea! I really love when a brand has a pain point / story behind their end result!!
a great idea. upvoted. good luck with the launch @Calmer
Lauris, thank you for sharing your journey and creating something that will benefit many. I like how your app is both experience—and science-based and looks straightforward and easy to use. I guess my first thought was, can I create a custom toolkit of techniques? Best of luck with your launch!
The personal story behind Calmer really resonates with me. It’s inspiring to see how you turned your own struggles into a tool that can help others recover from anxiety and depression.
I love how Calmer is built with clinical psychologists and based on the latest research. It's so important to provide people with science-backed solutions for mental health.
Calmer is such an inspiring story, and it’s amazing to see it helping people manage anxiety with the right tools. Your journey is a reminder that we all need the right support to heal.
