5 Must-Have Apps for Self-Care
As most of our world is digital these days, so can our self-care. Self-care doesn’t just mean bubble baths and face masks. I mean, it can be that, but it doesn’t have to be ONLY that. From my perspective, self-care is any act of caring for your mind, body and emotional being. One of the ways I love to self-care myself is using apps on my phone, specifically targeted towards helping with mental health.
I have looked at many apps on the App Store, both free & paid, and I think I have a good recommendation list of 5 must-have apps for self-care. Download links will be available down below!
App #1: Good App
According to the Google Play Store,
“Good App is a self-improvement and self-help apps suite, helps you to become a better version of yourself and improve your quality of life. You can use it for Personal Growth, Self Discipline, Self Control, Focus & Productivity, Motivation, Learning, Brain games, Stress buster, Organized life. There is something for everyone in good app” (source).
I made this #1 on my recommendation list because I use it the most often. I love that it is basically multiple self-care apps in one. Some self-care apps are only aimed to help with mind-distracting activities, while other apps focus more on meditation and journaling. This app, Good App, has it all.
Price: Free to $2.99
How to Download: Android Download here (not available for Apple yet)
App #2: Pixels
According to the Google Play Store,
"Pixels is a minimalist and powerful approach to bullet journaling. Track your mood in a simple, quick and easy manner. Every day is a Pixel! You can log your thoughts through notes and the emotions you felt. Get insights and statistics of your mental health with its “Patterns” feature: examine your data with graphs and other analytics tools! Use the app as a companion for your therapy or mental healing process. Pixels have been repeatedly recommended by therapists around the world" (source).
I love using this app around 8pm or 9pm at night, as I can truly reflect on the day with the mood I best see fit. I've always seen people make mood trackers in their bullet journals, but I could never keep up with it. Having it on my phone & having it as a quick process to complete is great for me and my schedule.
Price: Free to $1.99
How to Download: Android Download here or Apple Download here
App #3: Mind Ease
According to the Google Play store,
"Feel better with Mind Ease: we tailor our exercises to your needs and use the latest research to bring you short 7-minute exercises that will help you to feel calm and reduce stress. Endorsed by psychologists and other mental health professionals, Mind Ease is growing as a leading stress-reduction app."
Mindfulness is one of the main focuses of this app, I believe, since the app helps you reflect on how you are feeling at the current moment while walking you through stress-relieving exercises.
The app screen opens with explore, insights and your profile at the bottom toolbar, with a button that says "Calm Me". Don't we all wish we could just press a "Calm Me" button in real-life, and all of a sudden you are calm? Me too. Anyways...once you press the "Calm Me" button, it will ask you how you are currently feeling on a sliding scale of bad to good. You could be good/bad, calm/worried or relaxed/tense. From that screen, it will recommend an exercise to help with your current mood. How cool is that?? This app highly encourages self-knowledge of where your stress and anxiety is truly coming from, and I really enjoy that approach from a self-care app. I use the Lite version of the app, and I feel like it still gets the job done.
Price: Free to $2.99/month ($34.99 Annually, with a free week trial)
How to Download: Android Download here or Apple Download here
App #4: divethru
If you want to take charge of your mental and/or you love journaling, but can never keep up with it, this app might just be for you. According to the Google Play store:
"From everyday stressors to specific ‘I can’t believe this happened to me’ moments, our guided journaling exercises cover topics that include:
Self-esteem
Fears and anxieties
Career-related experiences
Relationship challenges
Parenthood
Life as a student
And so much more"
They also break down the "DiveThrus" into 6, 12 or 18 minutes. Sometimes, you just need a Quick Dive to talk about what just happened to you. If something has been bothering for you for a while, take a Deep Dive into the issue.
This app is great for all ages, and I believe any type of journaling is healthy for anyone of any age. Getting the thoughts ruminating in your head onto a piece of paper (or digitally on your phone) helps you sort out your thoughts & possibly get the metaphorical weight off of your shoulders for a bit.
Price: Free to $9.99 per month ($99.90 per year is also available)
How to Download: Android Download here or Apple Download here
App #5: Grid Diary
Another great journaling app here! I love the approach of this app, since you get to customize the grid format & build your own journaling system. For example: the page in your diary can include questions in different grid spaces such as "I am grateful for:" "I Am Daily Affirmations" and "3 Amazing Things that happened today".
According to the Google Play store:
"Whether you are a practitioner of morning diary, success diary, gratitude journal, or bullet journal, or simply want to record your feelings. Grid Diary provides rich tools such as template library, prompt library, habit check-in, writing reminder, etc. to help you customize the journal method that best suits your needs."
I love that this app has the unique grid format, as well as a professional writing guide library & a day/week/month/year dimension to the journaling. Maybe you only need a monthly journal & not a daily journal. That is what Grid Diary can do!
Price: Free to Pro (available in two pricing models: $9.99 for one time purchase OR $2.49 monthly subscription)
How to Download: Android Download here or Apple Download here
Did you find a new self-care app to try out? Have you already used one of these apps?
Let me know in the comments!
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