Let’s face it. Being a college student in our ever advancing, fast-paced, demanding world is not easy. Especially during this particular time as the deadlines around the Thanksgiving holidays draw near, it is important to have an outlet to calm your mind. Have no fear, your friend Sabrina is here, and I am going to make this task easy for you. I am going to take you through a list of the best apps to download on your phone—right now—to ensure that you have no excuse but to take care of your mind this semester.
Here is an overview of my personal favorite apps that I have kept on my phone for years (no joke), especially during particularly stressful times:
1. Sleepbot
This is the single most important app you will ever download in your life. I am not kidding. We as a society talk a lot about the importance of sleep, but take less initiative to work for it. Your sleeping habits literally lay out how you feel and interact with others and the environment around you. Let me let you in on something that all those sleep researchers don’t tell you—creating a good sleep habit takes time and a little bit of effort. It doesn’t happen overnight (no pun intended), and this app just may be the start to creating the best version of you there can be.
It’s essentially an alarm clock. All you simply do is “punch in” before you go to sleep at night, and “punch out” by turning off your alarm in the morning when you wake up. That’s all that is needed from you, but with this easy act, it does so much more. It will count how many hours you sleep each night and display your unique sleep patterns. It also has many customizable features you can turn on/off, such as movement tracking, recording sounds (snoring, sleep talking), giving education on sleep and “sleep debt”, advice on going to sleep or staying awake, bedtime reminders, automatic alarms, auto silencing your phone while you sleep, etc. Not to mention the simple yet beautiful, calming design of the app. It makes paying attention to your body’s needs easy and exciting.
2. Colorify
You have probably heard that coloring reduces stress. With this app, you will be able to color beautiful patterns easily with the touch of your finger. A little different than using crayon and paper, but just as satisfying, believe me. Unleash your inner child, and you will be on your way to a better, calmer version of you in no time!
3. Soundcloud
This music app is different from any other music apps out there. It is simple and beautiful. Instead of displaying mainstream hits and “what sells”, it features unique, underrated artists (although you can also find top-rated ones as well), and has hundreds of public playlists created by other users. It has a calming, easy-to-use layout and many playlists are curated for the calm-minded soul. For example, you will find playlists on your home screen with titles like “Coffeeshop”, “Raindrops”, and “Chill”. The more you use this app, the more it tailors to your particular mood/tastes! I like to use it to study, relax before an exam or calm my nerves before a presentation.
4. Flow
This is the most relaxing puzzle game you will ever play. It’s simple. The goal is simple: Find a path between each colored dot without overlapping with one another… and it is so satisfying when you do. It’s fun and a good way to exercise and strengthen your brain! What else can it say, you have to try it!
When your mind is too cluttered for boisterous music, this app introduces a good way for you to calm those nerves without adding more to your mind. It is tailored to helping you fall asleep with white nose and soothing nature sounds, but I have found myself using this when I study as well. Its many categories allow for you to filter out your favorite types of sounds to listen to!
6. Insight Timer
Meditation can be thought of simply as a way to quiet the mind of controlling thoughts. This app includes hundreds of guided meditations, neatly organized and easy to follow. It really makes meditation easy (as it should be!), whether you have meditated before or not. One of the first things it actually asks you when you open the app is how much time you have. 10 minutes between two stressful classes? 5 minutes before bed? Trying a few meditation techniques in between your stressful and busy life schedule will have you feeling much better, I promise.
7. Memrise
This one is for those folks who are a bit more adventurous. Not that you need anything else to study, but this really is unlike any type of “studying.” Learn a new language in an easy, fun, interactive way! It allows you to learn and test your brain every day (or whenever you have time!) on a language of your choice, without it feeling like a chore. Believe it or not, this will actually help strengthen your memory skills (thus helping you strengthen your mind for school)!
Your mind is the most important tool you have, so make sure to take care of it. In this busy time of year, self-care is often prioritized less in our ever-growing to-do list. However, you owe it to yourself to schedule in a little wiggle room every day to relax and refresh, and I hope these apps help you with that. Cheers to showing stress who’s boss!