With midterms rapidly approaching, it feels as if a lot of us are forgetting to pay attention to ourselves and how it is to just “be” – no stress, no rushing or anything like that. Even I forget small things such as basic housekeeping or setting out my clothes for the next night, simply because I was too stressed or preoccupied to do so.
A few weeks ago, though, I decided that needed to change. I wanted to practice taking time for myself again and that’s how I stumbled upon the Finch app. In my opinion, the best way to summarize Finch is that it is similar to a Tamagotchi, where it grows as you complete self-care tasks that you can input yourself. Your finch companion (that you can name and choose pronouns for) goes on daily adventures, and the length for these adventures shortens as you complete any goals you have for the day. Something that normally takes 6 hours in real time can be as little as 30 minutes, all based on how much you’ve done for yourself!
The app will also encourage you to check on your finch throughout the day by sending reminders (along the lines of “You matter to me,” or “Today was a good day, how about you?”) and every time you open the app, it asks you how motivated you are for the day or how you’re feeling. Depending on your mood, the app might ask you to reflect on what’s lifting you up or recommend that you ground and calm yourself down with exercises or breathing techniques.
Daily check-ins are encouraged as well: with time, your finch goes from a baby, just hatched from its egg, to an adult that can travel the world. You are also able to add friends to your finch’s Tree Town so that they can visit each other, give your finch clothes, customize their colors, or decorate their room.
I personally use Finch to track the finer details in my life that I tend to neglect, as I mentioned earlier: did I wipe down the coffee and dining tables, pack my backpack for tomorrow instead of five minutes before going to class, have I washed the dishes? It might seem like common cleaning sense, but again, there are some times where I keep things piled up because I was too tired. Being able to fulfill these tasks through Finch and being rewarded with a simple “Hooray!” makes me feel better.
Something that I appreciate is the journal prompts, called “reflections”, that you can fill out to help your finch gain more energy. I have never been one to stick to consistent journaling and find that writing about my life can be boring at times. However, Finch does not force you to journal, instead recommending prompts such as “What did you dream about last night?” or “Who is a reliable source of energy for you to talk to?” You get to pick and choose what prompt works for you, and Finch will keep track of what you positively/negatively associate with based on your word choice and context. These insights invite you to get to know yourself better and reflect on how they might have impacted you lately.
At the time of writing this, my finch Daisy and I have been adventuring together for 25 days! I really recommend the Finch app as it has helped me on my rough days, and kept me on track. It’s nice to look back and see what I wrote when I was feeling a particular way, or what my mood was when I checked in one day. If you feel like you could use a virtual friend to cheer you on as you go throughout the day without any judgment, I highly suggest you give Finch a try. As someone who wants to be a therapist, I love its gentle encouragement and validation.
The app is available both on the Google Play and App Store, and if you’re interested in learning more, their website has more details as well. Thank you for reading, and please remember to take care of yourselves!