Self-care is any activity that you purposefully do to improve your mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. Here are five essential self-care apps available for free on the App Store or Google Play to slow down and appreciate the little moments in life.
Stoic
Rating: 4.9/5 stars
This app is based on the ancient philosophy of Stoicism, which originated from Greece and Rome. This philosophy teaches the development of self-control as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. Stoicism is about not letting your emotions rule you in either good or bad times. When you enter the app, it asks you to rate how you are feeling that day. They have several different exercises to help you gain control over your emotions, such as journaling, gratitude, and more. You can write freely or be guided by a question. The app also has a section dedicated to quotes about Stoicism, as well as meditation and breathwork. The thoughts section of the app helps you overcome negative feelings by helping you find a way to gain control of yourself. Stoic also has other exercises such as visualization, fear setting, and goal setting.
Plant Nanny
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
If you struggle with drinking enough water, Plant Nanny can help. Plant Nanny is an app that tracks your water intake by calculating your daily water needs with your activity level and weight. You can pick a plant, name it, and choose the amount of water you usually drink based on the cup you use. Every time you drink water, you hold down the button on the bottom. If you consistently drink enough water, your plant stays alive and you can begin a garden. However, if you do not drink enough water, your plant can die. Fortunately, the app has a water reminder feature that can notify you to drink water every few hours. It also helps pace yourself by warning you if you drink too much too quickly.
Fooducate
Rating: 4.7/5 stars
Not only does this app have a calorie food tracker and a community where people can share various recipes and diet articles, but Fooducate also has a food finder feature. If you are unsure about how healthy a certain food product is, you can scan its barcode and it will come up with a rating. The app will explain the reasoning behind the rating, give healthier alternatives, and display other people's comments on how the food tastes and their opinions about it.
ThinkDirty
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
Similar to Fooducate, Think Dirty is an app dedicated to shopping clean. You can scan the barcode of any cosmetic or personal care product, and it will show you a rating of the product’s harm level. It shows you which ingredients are dirty, why it is harmful to your health, and cleaner alternatives. The app currently has over 850,000 products in their database and is continuing to grow the list.
Calm
Rating: 4.8/5 stars
If you want to incorporate meditation into your lifestyle, definitely consider Calm. The mindfulness app offers various sleep stories, calming music, and guided breathing for relaxation and sleep. The app offers beginner meditation sessions as well as masterclasses with customized lengths to fit your schedule.
Finding time for yourself may be difficult, but the rewards are countless. You can only help others once you take care of yourself first, so these apps can help do so.
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