A few weeks back, someone asked me to do a post on what my favorite apps are. I had to stop and think about that, as I honestly do have a love/hate relationship with my phone. I try not to be on it unless I REALLY need to, but there are some pretty awesome apps that I use at times. To be upfront, I use all the free versions of these apps, but many of them have paid features as well.
I was not paid to write this post, nor do I have any affiliations with the apps I am listing below.
These are in no particular order and I believe they can all be found on phones and tablets.
1. Amazon Music. I think for obvious reasons? I listen to music and podcasts on here on my hour commute each way to the office and when I am cooking dinner.
2. Headspace. This one became popular during the pandemic, but I enjoyed it long before then as well. I enjoy the app’s different options depending on if you want to slow down, get to sleep, or just keep moving. There are various guided meditations, articles, and videos that you can pick from, and I like that it shows you the length of them. Sometimes I only have time for a 1-2 minute wind down and this is perfect. This is an app I often recommend to my patients!
3. Anti Stress. Okay, this one is pretty high on my list. There are a ton of different interactive activities that you can do to help calm down. My favorites include drawing/writing on the fogged door, the bubble wrap, and the zipper. If you have your phone’s volume and vibration on they also add to the effect!
4. Calm. For me, this one is very similar to Headspace with various meditations depending on your mood and videos. I also really like that you can change the background when you are in the app to calming landscapes that also play sounds and move. My current background: “calm river.”
5. Let’s Create! Pottery Lite. I love creating different shapes in the pottery and then “firing” them to see what the complete product looks like. You can also save your creations and add them to your collection to view at a later time!
The above list is by no means exhaustive and I am sure if you asked me what my favorite apps are in a few months, some might change. If you haven’t heard of or check out any o the above apps, I encourage you to do so! Let me know your thoughts and if you have any other suggestions!