Get into a Good Headspace with these Apps
By Serena Shim
This fall, we are adjusting to new changes: masks, online Zoom classes, and take-out dining halls. As students, we always think about the unpredictability of what is next, which can cause more anxiety and worries to fill up our heads. It is challenging to wrap our heads around positivity when these times may feel strange and out of control. I hope that you can take this crazy time of life to be present in this moment. Here are five apps to help us cope with this semester and take care of our overall mental health and wellness. (While these apps are not meant to and should not replace mental health care or the support of loved ones, they are great tools to help bridge gaps in making your self-care and mental health journey as accessible & personal as possible!)
Stoic: This app is a daily mental health tracker that is perfect for mood tracking, journaling, and unguided meditation sessions with background sounds. Its unique, short mental exercises and inspirational quotes from books will help you feel better and deal with stress. Some of these exercises include thinking of what you are grateful for and listing achievements you have accomplished. I really enjoy this app because it analyzes your emotions and gives you insights on how to be happier and more productive. You can also start your day with a personalized morning routine, and you can reflect on your actions in the evening, which is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the day and develop good habits.
Endel: This app creates personalized soundscapes to give your mind and body what it needs to achieve total immersion in any task. There are four types of modes: relax, focus, on-the-go, and sleep. Endel’s soothing soundscapes are algorithm-powered and designed to gently rise and fall in line with your immediate internal and external conditions like location, time zone, weather, and heart rate. It is also completely aligned to the circadian rhythm, so these finely-tuned personalized sounds are perfect for stress reduction, productivity boost, calm sleep, and daily relaxation. I have been using Endel at home, work, or on-the-go to relax, concentrate, and minimize distractions and brain fatigue.
Aloe Bud: This is a self care companion app that gives you daily reminders to do important self care activities like hydrate, take vitamins, and move. The pixel art design and cute icons grabbed my attention, but I really enjoy how the push notifications remind me to meet my physical, mental, and emotional needs throughout the day. It also has a personal activity log that lets you scroll through your progress day by day and journal, which is great for reflecting. Aloe Bud definitely helped me develop a self-care routine that works for me and feel accomplished and motivated each day.
Reflectly: This journal app allows you to vent out your thoughts and emotions. The more you use it, the more relevant the questions become to your lifestyle. It doesn’t take a lot of your time. It is essentially a bite-sized journaling app that is convenient and time-efficient, which is a wonderful way to unwind, clear your mind, and get ready for bed.
#Selfcare: This app is set up in a way to escape reality and pretend you are cozy up in your warm and fluffy bed. There are a bunch of different exercises and activities that are great for releasing stress and relaxing.
There are so many different apps to promote mental health and wellness, and it’s reassuring to know that you can pick from so many. I hope these suggestions help you keep your heads up and keep each other hopeful that this difficult time will be over sooner rather than later.
