Five self-care apps we swear by

Taking care of ourselves both physically and mentally should be a priority, but for many of us it simply falls off the to-do list. Instead we fill our time working, looking at our phones and complaining about how tired we are…

Thankfully there are tools and apps at our disposal to help us break out of this mindset and embrace self-care. Below are just a few apps that we’re loving.

1. Headspace (iOS and Android, free to download)

If you’ve always wanted to try meditation but haven’t made space in your life for it yet, Headspace is a great place to start. Setting you up with 10, 10-minute meditations for free (you then pay to subscribe for the full service) the app makes it easy for you.

The voice of Headspace, Andy Puddicombe, explains the benefits of mindfulness in an easy to understand way, making it fun and totally achievable.  

2. Daylio (iOS and Android, free)

Helping you become more self-aware, Daylio is a mood tracking app. What we love about it is its simplicity. When prompted all you do is pick an icon to represent your mod for the day and then pick icons to represent what activities you’ve done. You can add notes too, but technically you don’t have to write a word.

As well as encouraging you to be more aware of your moods and emotions, you can spot patterns and triggering events giving you the chance to prepare/plan ahead.  

3. Moment (iOS, free)

For many of us self-care involves unplugging and putting our phones down a little more. Reconnecting with offline activities like reading, talking with friends and just being in nature can really support our mental health. Moment is an app that tracks how much time you’re spending on your phone and you can even set yourself limits.

When we first downloaded the app we were shocked at just how much we were using our phones, so it’s definitely a great reminder to switch off more regularly.

4. Forest (iOS and Android, £1.99)

Improving productivity may not sound too self-care like, but being more efficient when working allows you to manage your time and make space for self-care. For all of us who get distracted by our phones when working on something, Forest is a great way to keep you focused.

You plant a tree in the app and set a timer for the amount of time you want to steer clear of your phone. If you pick up your phone and exit the Forest app before the time is up, you’ll kill your tree! The more you use the app and the longer you leave your trees, the more they grow and in the end, you’ll have a little productivity forest to be proud of.

As a bonus, Forest has a scheme that plants real trees when you spend virtual coins in the app, so your productivity even helps the planet.

5. Ambient Mixer (iOS and Android, free to download)

Getting enough sleep is a basic act of self-care but one so many of us struggle with. If you find it hard to get to sleep without some sort of background noise, the Ambient Mixer app may be just what you need. As well as providing a huge range of different sounds, the beauty of this app is that you can edit and mix sounds to make something just right for you.