Take Care Coaching's Approved Apps and Websites For Stress Relief
We want to preface this post stating that this entry is not evidence-based. There is still not enough evidence out there about the use of apps in helping people improve their health. We also understand that some people don’t like apps. That’s okay! Even though we rely on videoconferencing and telephonic health coaching at Take Care Coaching, we strive to not be attached to our smart phones and computers the rest of the day - This is why our social media presence is limited. We do this on purpose! However, we do get many questions about which apps to use and wanted to share suggestions of ones we are personally loving that help us relax and don’t take much time at all. Some may even help you use your phone less!
Please note, we don’t receive any endorsements. We really do love these apps and websites and want to share. Enjoy our picks below:
For moments when you are having a tough day and find it hard to take a mindful break, go to http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/. This calming site forces you to take a break for 2 minutes. Just watch the waves on the screen, listen to the calming music, and breathe. If you move your mouse the timer will reset. This is a wonderful site to help you take moment for yourself and do nothing. Brilliant!
At Take Care Coaching, we’re huge advocates of gratitude (see our blog post here) as well as emotional agility, which encourages you to sit with your emotions, lean into them and then watch them go. It can be tough to do this, especially on your own. That’s where the Happy, Not Perfect app (https://happynotperfect.com/the-app ) comes in. This genius app helps you identify and lean into what you’re feeling. Then it helps you reframe your stress or whatever you’re currently facing by doing a breathing exercise and jotting down things for which you are grateful. It ends with a fun game to get your mind off of whatever is bothering you. What a great and easy way to take a moment to check in with yourself.
If you’re struggling with detaching from your phone, maybe growing a real forest will help you. No, we’re not joking. Check out the Forest app (https://www.forestapp.cc/en/). They’ve partnered with a real tree planting organization to plant real trees for every minute you’re away from your phone. Amazing! So by detaching and focusing on the moment and not technology, you can plant more trees. That’s a win-win situation to us.
Lastly, we love InsightTimer. Sometimes it can be hard to know how to meditate on your own. Or maybe you’re looking to spice up your meditation practice with new techniques and don’t want to spend money on a CD or new book. There are literally thousands of free meditations on this app. You can search by the time you have to meditate, technique you want to learn, and even if you want music in the background. You can track your meditation practice too. Take Care Coaching offers many free meditations on this site dedicated towards a beginner’s practice. Check out our page here: orders of https://insighttimer.com/takecarecoaching and tell us how you like the meditations! New ones will come out soon.
We hope you fall in love with these amazing apps and websites like we have. They can really impact your day in positive ways. Take care!
Resources:
Greater Good at Berkeley (2018): https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/do_mindfulness_apps_work
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth (2018): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5966650/