With finals, shorter days, and the holidays coming up quick, many find the long stretch from November to January to be a rough one. That's why its more important now than ever to be taking care of yourself. Here are seven apps from iTunes (sorry Android users!) I have in my own personal self-care arsenal that may prove helpful to you this winter.
1. Plant Nanny
Hydration is an important, yet often forgotten aspect of personal health. But when an adorable little plant baby is counting on me to drink enough water, suddenly it becomes a lot easier to remember. In this app you are given a plant, and every time you drink water in a day, you press a button to feed that amount to your plant. Drink enough water in a day, and your plant will grow nice and strong and bring you money for more pots and plants. But forget to drink, and your plant may die. Apparently I care more about the health of a virtual anthropomorphized cactus than I do about my own. But hey, if it gets me to drink enough water in a day, then it's good enough for me.
2. Forest
In that same vein of self care via-plants, here's Forest. Forest is an anti-distraction app that works by letting you plant a tree every time you start a task. If you do not leave the app for the entirety of the time you have set, then the tree grows and is added to your personal forest. Not only is this app perfect for making sure you get work done so that future-you gets to relax, but it is also good for making yourself unplug from your phone to de-stress. Plus, it's extremely rewarding to see your little forest grow and grow with all of the hard work you've done!
3. Worry Watch
Worry Watch allows you to document what is making you worry, and then come back later to confirm whether the outcome of your worry was as bad as you thought it would be. The thing that makes this app so much more than just a diary app is the way that it compiles the data you put in; after enough entries, Worry Watch can tell you what time of the day you worry the most, about which subjects, what percentage of worries were as bad as you thought they would be, and other trends in your anxiety. This makes it extremely useful in becoming self aware in your anxiety, and giving you easy to read data that you can use to find solutions to your anxiety.
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4. Pacifica
Pacifica is a one-stop-shop for all things mental health. This app features guided meditations, a mood diary, experiments to work toward emotional goals, and even a chat feature where you can create chat room support groups among users. It is largely inspired by Cognitive Behavioral therapy, and has you complete daily tasks that range anywhere from deconstructing your thought process during a stressful event to facing a fear for a short amount of time. It also has a "Health" section where you can not only track physical health issues like hydration, exercise, and sleep, but also time spent socializing, on hobbies, and time spent outside. I happened to download this app when it had just gotten launched, and the staff has been extremely responsive to user reviews and emails.
5. Booster Buddy
Booster Buddy is more focused toward younger crowds, but it can be equally as rewarding to older users. Upon opening the app you are given a "Buddy", who you must wake up each morning by completing daily tasks. These tasks are designed to get you moving, social, and out in the world. It's extremely useful for those days over the break where you have no motivation to get out of bed. It also features a mood tracker, a database of coping mechanisms, and customizable reminders for taking medications and other things.
6. Habitica
Habitica turns making good habits into a game; more specifically, an RPG. Create your avatar and embark on quests like doing doing your laundry, or drinking enough water. Each healthy habit you complete earns you coins that you can spend on weapons and costumes. As an added incentive to complete tasks, you can join a "guild" of friends where you can all encourage each other to keep up with your habits. It's both fun and effective, and used by 1,500,000 users worldwide.
7. Vent
With the rise of social media, it's become hard to think of the internet as a place to rant your innermost feelings without the constant risk of IRL (in real life) friends finding your angry insomnia-induced tweets. There's also come to be this expectation of social media as a place to entertain others, not to get things off your chest. Vent is different in that it is made for the expressed purpose of complaining. Nobody can complain about negativity on their news feed because that's what this app is for. Share your mood and thoughts with a community of people who can comment advice or simply "hug" your post to give support.
Got any self care apps you like or reviews of these? Comment below, and have a happy and relaxing winter!!
