I was thinking about a proper intro for this blogpost, but I can’t come up with anything else other than we are going through some hard ass times. Okay? And we are getting hit with information from left and right through that little device called the cellphone. Which isn’t so little anymore, but anyway. We all know it is a very handy tool that can cause a lot of overstimulation and affect our mental health in a negative way. But it can also help us improve our mental health. It certainly has contributed to mine. Keyword: contributed. The main ingredient is therapy. And I would recommend anyone who’s struggling to get therapy (if that is possible).
Also before going any further, I would like to point out that I am no expert on the territory of mental health. I am simply speaking from my personal experiences.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s go!
Fabulous
Fabulous is an app that focuses on improving your overall well-being by focusing on behavioral change that can lead to you achieving your goals. Albeit from improving your focus, eating healthier or perhaps you’re struggling with your self-esteem; the Fabulous has as what they like they call different “journeys” available to embark on.
Once you’ve chosen your journey, it will give you steps that fit that journey so you can build healthy habits. However, habits are not taught in one day. Which is exactly why Fabulous stresses on repeating these small steps at least three days before adding extra steps in your routine. Starting with small steps increases the chance of habit-building as you’re less likely to fail. Failing in the beginning phase of building habits are the main reason why people quit the journey and is exactly what Fabulous is trying to prevent from happening.
When I went through my burn-out and my brain went through a full on reset, I was very grateful for the app that literally reminded me every step of my morning routine. From taking a shower to getting dressed to having breakfast. Thanks to Fabulous I was able to build the necessary habits, that are now a literal part of my morning sequence.
Drink water
Yup, I need(ed) a reminder to drink water. I can’t exactly you exactly what was causing me to just not drink water. I don’t know if I didn’t care or if my brain was not giving me the necessary signals. Either way, I wasn’t hydrating myself like I was supposed to. And so, in order to remind myself to regularly have some water, I used the app. It would remind me to drink water at least 8 times a day. It’s a very simple apps that solely sends reminders and adjusts the intake every time you drink water. Yet a very helpful one as I now make sure to have at least 1l water a day.
Yes, I know there’s room for improvement. But that’s what we’re here for, aren’t we?
Netflix
Listen, listen, listen…I know this might not make sense, nonetheless give me a chance to explain! Remember, this is not a post on apps that improved my productivity. I’ll get into that some other time, if you want. This is an app that helped me improve my mental health. And one of the things that were necessary for me to get better was to quiet the constant rattling in my head. As someone who copes with anxiety and hypermentalization, my brain tends to do overtime and just won’t shut the fuck up.
Being able to binge shows like The Community that didn’t require my intense focus yet offer the necessary distraction was an absolute gift. I could just lie on the couch and watch TV. For a moment, the rattling would be silenced by nonsense jokes. And it was fucking amazing.
Insight timer
For my lovers of spirituality, this app is great for you. Spirituality is a great support when you’re going hard times. Insight timer is the number one free app that offers guided meditations and talks.
The app allows you to check in on your mood daily, the areas that cause you to feel that way and the emotions you’re feeling. Based upon this check-in, the app will then recommend meditations that match your energy. Are the recommendations not to your liking? You can always search meditation that fit your needs: think of duration, voice (male or female), type of meditation, the benefits etc.
I have been using this app for almost 5 years now, I have tried may meditation apps. But this one is my favorite.
Storytel
Are you someone who wants to read, but doesn’t have the time or perhaps patience to sit down to read a book? Then Storytel is great for you. It certainly has been great for me. I love reading, however after my burn-out I do notice a shift in concentration when it comes to reading a physical book. It has gotten more difficult to read longer than 30 minutes. Whereas I used to be able to read for hours. Yet, listening was less of a problem.
And what do we do when we can’t read, but can listen and still wanna indulge in books? We indulge in technology’s invention: the audiobook. Here I was able to read personal development books such as: Which have offered me a lot of insight along with my therapy. Oh, but don’t think I’m just reading personal development books via this app. I’ve read the entire Harry Potter series while jogging. Well, technically listened to the entire series.
This list might be unconventional. Be that is it may, they are still helping me becoming myself. Perhaps even a better version.
Again, and I can’t stress this enough, if you’re struggling with mental health, please do get professional help. These apps would’ve been useless had I not started therapy!
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