There are probably as many definitions of ‘self-care’ as there are people in this world. But they all ultimately come down to a single purpose… investing time in your overall wellbeing.
Whether it’s daily meditation, reducing your mobile screen time, tracking fitness goals, or implementing a better sleeping routine, self-care is whatever makes you feel at peace and helps you become a better version of your current self.
While you could indeed argue that disconnecting from our phones has become one of the more important aspects of self-care, our beloved mobile devices also provide practical ways to monitor and achieve the goals we set for ourselves.
To help inspire your self-care journey in in this very changed COVID world, we’ve rounded up our favourite self-care apps for iOS and Android.
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Headspace: Meditation & Sleep
Led by former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, Headspace offers guided meditation and is a great option for meditation novices looking to establish a new self-care routine.
Besides offering simple how-to instructions, each meditation teaches breathing and body-awareness exercises. The premise is to take at least ten minutes a day to listen in and clear your mind.
From meditations that assist with stress and anxiety to concentration-boosting exercises, Headspace has a huge range of guided exercises and since 2012 has continued to set the bar in terms of high-quality meditation apps.
Aloe Bud
Aloe Bud is an easy to use app which is all about providing you with meaningful reminders throughout the day. The app gently brings awareness to self-care activities, using encouraging push notifications.
Whether it’s a notification to drink more water, a reminder to check in with your mates, or get some fresh air, the app is driven from reminders you set yourself and offers a refreshing change from the usual notifications we often receive on our phones.
- Available on iOS
Lumosity
If you play games to distract yourself or wind down from a long day, this app could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Lumosity’s cognitive training program is a fun, interactive way to train your brain and learn about how your mind works. Used by over 100 million people worldwide, Lumosity’s program consists of science-based games designed to exercise memory, attention, speed, flexibility and problem-solving.
Not only that, you’ll get to put your skills to the test when you first download the app, with a 10-minute Fit Test to set your baseline scores and see how you compare with others your age.
Shleep
While we would all love to get a deep, eight-hour sleep every night, the reality is that having a good night’s sleep seven days a week is tough to come by.
Shleep is a personalised sleep assistant that tracks your sleep and helps users focus on their individual sleep habits, so they can improve the quality of their sleep and overall bedtime habits.
Mealime
Mealime is a simple way for busy singles, couples, and families to plan their meals and eat healthier. Not only that, most of the recipes available in Mealime are designed to be cooked in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect option for on-the-go eaters.
The app is simple to use and builds grocery lists from your recipe selections, helping you keep track of all the ingredients you’ll need to cook up a storm.
FoodT – a Food Training app
Food training? Yep. Over the years, we all develop some eating habits that are less than healthy. Wouldn’t it be great if you could start losing weight after using an app just four time? FoodT is helping people do just that as they participate in food research.
The app has been developed by the University of Exeter and uses science to reduce your unnecessary food intake. The app helps to reduce and control those habitual cravings like a cookie with coffee!
Here’s an infographic that explains why this app gets to the source of the over-eating habit:
Diaro – Journaling app
Keeping a journal is one of the best ways to see how much you’ve accomplished throughout the year – it can also extremely therapeutic to jot down your thoughts and feelings.
While you do have the option of using the default notes app on your device. If you’re looking for something with a bit more juice, check out Diaro. It’s a multi-platform diary, journal app designed to record your activities, appointments, thoughts, feelings and ideas, and syncs data across all your devices.
Exhale
Exhale is an emotional well-being app designed specifically for and curated by Black, Indigenous women of color (BIWOC). The app includes an impressive looking UI, focusing on five key areas of well-being: affirmations, breathe work, meditations, guided visualisations and coaching talks
Nike Training Club
For years, the Nike Training Club App (NTC) has set the bar as one of the best all-around fitness apps.
NTC offers 185+ free workouts including invigorating yoga classes, guided running programs, HIIT and bodyweight-only exercises. Not only is the app packed with fitness goodness, its design is clean and easy to navigate, and the majority of workouts can be done with minimal or no equipment at all, making it the perfect option for those who like to workout at home.
Wrapping it up…
The summer of 2019 seems a lifetime away to many of us. Lockdowns and shopping while masked were the stuff of sci-fi movies. While some of us have been extremely disciplined and maintained both diet and exercise regimes, many of us have sought refuge in too much food, too much alcohol and too much streaming.
Right now some countries are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t you want to be in great shape, both physically and mentally to meet it?
Sections of this article were first published by Amaysim
