With the next semester upon us, it is very exciting to return to campus and start new classes. However, amongst all this excitement, many people don’t acknowledge that students have been out of school for a month, and the healthy habits and time management heavily exercised in the first semester seem like forgotten skills. Though it depends on the school and the professors, some students will be welcomed back to their dorm one day and will be drowning in the work and expectations the next. It is easy to let the stress and work overwhelm you, and in a world where people don’t discuss their feelings as much as they should, it can get lonely, especially if you have no idea how to ask for help. Most campuses— if not all— offer psychological help and counseling services, but no one wants to reach out and admit that things are hard when everyone else seems to be handling it fine.
Don’t worry, though, because there are other— private— ways to help deal with stress and they just require a phone. Nowadays, there is an app for everything. There isn’t an app that will write a paper for you or do the assigned reading for next class, but there are apps out there to help you manage your stress level and keep you task-oriented while finding stable footing this semester.
The amount of available apps is too high for me to count, but I looked through the top offered mindful and habit apps and pulled seven apps to help make the transition from winter break to spring semester an easy one. These apps vary in what they offer. Most have a meditation feature as well as additional activities to help calm and focus the mind. These apps can all be downloaded and used for free; few offer a subscription service to further one’s experience with the app and the help it provides. The apps will be presented in alphabetical order.
First, there isBinaural. This app provides different sounding wavelengths to help you with specific tasks such as sleeping, meditation, and problem-solving. The sound of each wave is supposed to focus your brain based on the task selected. I was unable to listen to problem-solving, but I was able to hear both the sleeping and meditation noises. From my experience, the specific wavelengths didn’t hold my attention and required a lot more focus than I had expected. However, once I was able to really get into it, the wavelengths did help me. I was able to meditate for a brief period, and while I didn’t fall asleep, the sleeping wavelength definitely made me calm and a little sleepy. Overall, not the best app for me as I work better with engagement, but for people who like soothing background noise, this could be very helpful.
Next, there is Fabulous, a habit tracking app that encourages healthy behavior like drinking water and ensuring breaks during a busy day. The app sends notifications every day, reminding you of your habit goals and encouraging messages throughout the day. This app has a subscription service, which provides a personalized habit plan based on a questionnaire given at the beginning of account registration. The habits created are supposed to help a user take breaks throughout the day and to make sure that self-care is not forgotten. Often, when studying for a big test or staying up to finish a paper, students fall into a slump where they forget to eat, drink, and stretch their legs. Along with reminders to help a user create good habits, each day a letter/meditation will be released. The intention of this letter is to remind you it is okay to take care of yourself, and that stress doesn’t need to be stressful.
There is also Happify. This app has a subscription service but works fine without paying. A user has access to most features, and the extent of the feature is limited due to the service. This app is intended to be used on a daily basis to help with the overall happiness of a person, but also to help one with other issues like anxiety and confidence. In the beginning, one will pick a topic that they would like to work towards, such as “Conquering Your Negative Thoughts.” After picking a topic, each day new tasks will be released to help a person work towards this goal. These tasks include meditations and other activities to help boost awareness of how a person thinks and reacts. Even while working towards an overall goal, the app continues to check in with a user daily, asking how one feels and what can be done about it. There is also a community aspect included where one can share their progress, however, it is not mandatory and accounts and one’s progress can be set to private.
The next app, HappyNotPerfect, I use every day. Although this app can be enhanced by paying, I do not pay for the subscription service, but still, think the app works very well. The app is very simple to use and gives two options when opening the app: a “daily refresh” and a “daily dose.” The daily refresh allows for one to take care of themselves and work through their day. The refresh asks how one’s day was and depending on if it was good or bad, the refresh will choose one of two routes that will help either release the negativity of the day or help further their good day and encourage one to spread that good feeling. Along with discussing how one’s day was, the app includes simple activities to help calm and focus the mind in a more positive way. The daily dose is a meditation to help one gain a more positive perspective on life. The refresh and dose take less than ten minutes each, but if one doesn’t have time for the full thing and would like to access only one of the offered activities, then the app allows for that as well. The app is used to help remind people that there are good and bad days and that one can be happy with imperfections like a rough day at work or a bad grade.
Another good app focused more on calming one’s mind is Self Care. This is a very simple app that emulates what it would be like to stay in bed all day. The app offers mindless activities like picking up clothes or figuring out a puzzle to offer a relaxing pastime that feels like something productive. The app also offers various different activities to help one with decisions and predictions. There are tarot cards and a moon phase activity to give direction when lost. The best part about the app is that everything is customizable. To access more options, one does have to pay for them, but it is easy to make your Self Care room feel like your actual bedroom, from picking out the furniture and wall colors to making the character in bed look like you, the activities can reflect your personality. There is a lot going on in life, and there might not be a lot of opportunities to stay in bed all day, but this day is there to calm, relax, and refresh a user like they never even left their bedroom.
The second to last app is Simple Habit. This app focuses on making time for meditation during a busy, hectic day. Since the app is about making the time, all the options are completely customizable. The duration, intention, and type of meditation suit the user and adapt to the user’s daily or weekly schedule.. Every day, a notification will be sent to remind one to take a moment to themselves. With the adaptability of the app, the hopes is that meditation and taking that time will become a habit. Once a habit, a person is much more mindful and calm. It gives the user a perspective and a short refresh to allow for a more productive day, and the user to be in a better mood throughout their busy day.
The last app reviewed is What’s Up?. This app is completely free and focuses specifically on depression and anxiety. It is easy to get overwhelmed and allow depression to influence one’s behavior and work ethic. This app helps with educating and helping people with their mental struggles and creates a safe space where a user is able to write about their day and how they are feeling. When opening the app, various options are presented and a user can choose based on what they need in that moment. The options range from learning about mental illness to practicing coping strategies and giving the user a space to calm down and refocus themselves. Although the app is specifically targeted toward people with depression and anxiety, it is still helpful to have as you do not need to be diagnosed with an illness to seek help. Everyone gets stressed and anxious, and everyone has bad days and moments of depression.
Two of these apps I previously had on my phone before researching, and now, I plan to keep the five I learned about on my phone as well. Self care and the mental health of students around the world is so important. There will always be stressful situations and changes that can throw one off guard, and it is easy to fall into bad habits and forget to take care of yourself when other things seem more important. That is the best thing about these apps— they are easily accessible. It is hard to make time for oneself when running from one place to another and doing one assignment after another; these apps are here for those moments when you go to fill your water or are waiting for the page to load. Self care and thinking about yourself doesn’t need to be a big thing. Everything starts off small, just learn to establish good habits and to take personal moments.