We’re baaaaaack!
After what feels like a short, hot girl summer, we’re back at it again with another semester and a hot nerd fall soon approaching. While the first couple of weeks are the perfect time to relax and catch up with friends, it’s also the ideal time to plan and get organized – we are in Virgo season, after all. Here are a few must-have apps you should download to keep you on top of your academic and personal game!
- Academic App: MyStudyLife
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I’ve mentioned MyStudyLife in a previous article of mine, and yes, this app is so good I’m mentioning it twice. MyStudyLife works like an online/mobile planner. What I do every semester is once I get my syllabi, I plug in all-important tests and assignments into the app (yes, it’s tedious at first, but it helps me remember exactly when everything is due and what’s coming up). I like to stay on top of things, people. The app then shows you, based on what you put in, what assignments are due soon as well as those that are coming up.
You can plug in your schedule with the calendar feature too so you’ll never forget what classes you have on a Wednesday, and if you enable notifications, it will also tell you that you have your “Intro to Sociology in Nexus 126” in 15 minutes. If you plug in what you need you could easily have a calendar with all your classes, a dashboard for viewing what assignments you have coming up, and a space to keep track of important test dates. This app is a must for organizing your academic life and preventing future meltdowns about due dates. Oh, and you can access all your information on their website too with your login – win, win, and win.
- Emotional Health App: Sanvello
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Sanvello, formerly known as Pacifica, is an app that helps you keep track of your mental health. With daily check-ins, you’re encouraged to label your feelings and process them through meditations, a hope board, community forums, and setting goals for yourself. The app gives you nudges such as, “This is a friendly reminder to complete your Meditation entry today,” or whatever other goals you have set. I highly encourage using this app to increase your emotional awareness. Sometimes we don’t think about what’s stressing us out, or how change can affect our moods. More than that, I love the idea of having resources on hand to help me get through tough days or deal with anxiety.
- Physical Health App: MyFitnessPal
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Let’s face it… Fall season means lots of good food and nights spent watching Netflix. In other words, if we’re not careful, we can spend a whole lot of time eating a ton and sitting a bunch. But if one of your goals this semester is to tone up, lose weight, gain weight, or just keep your body in shape despite temptations, this app is for you. MyFitnessPal allows you to keep track of the food you consume, and to know what you’re getting out of it. I’m talking macros, calories, all that stuff. Not only that, but it’s also a space for you to track your physical activity, water intake, and learn new healthy recipes. Having everything in one place makes things a lot easier, especially when you already have so much on your plate.
- Women’s Health App: Flo
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If you don’t know, now you know. Flo is a wonderfully-made period tracker, ovulation calendar, and overall cycle analyzer in app form. With the algorithm the app uses, it accurately pinpoints days when you may be ovulating and when your period is likely to show up. Like any period tracker, you log the duration of menstruation and your symptoms. But check this out – Flo offers Daily Health Insights in the app to help you deal with symptoms during your cycle and help you get to know more about your body based on information that’s most relevant to you. For example, if you’ve logged ‘cramping’ for 4 days in a row, the app may offer you an insight on how to deal with cramps during your cycle. It’s pretty neat! There’s another section of the app where you can see and participate in community conversations about topics like sexual health, PMS, relationships, mental health, etc. while remaining anonymous.
Let’s commit to balancing ourselves and keeping track of the things that matter most to us. Yes, we want to thrive when it comes to academics, but let’s also make our mental and physical health priorities this semester. We deserve it. I hope these apps help you stay on track – good luck on your journey!