(Screen capture/Tide app)
Scent, sound, and the soul — probably the three things you’ll constantly need to keep in your checklist to stay sane in such a time.
The first one? Well, we hope you did not miss our selection for The Art of Aromatherapy.
As for the other two, we’ve looked into some self-care apps that will help you keep that breakdown at bay.
For the longest time now, we’ve been keeping work, leisure, and rest all in one space. And that fusion makes us frazzled more often than we can count.
You may have envisioned yourself having more time at home, finally balancing work or study with enough breaks in between. But we know now that that’s not exactly how it works.
Overall, this pandemic is not only targeting your physical health, but also your mental health.
It’s a struggle to shut off distractions and find time for self-care. But if you put your well-being last on the list, it’s eventually going to hound other aspects of your life.
In order to work better or simply function better and happier with a steady mindset, make room for self-care.
If you’ve been spending most of your days on your phone or tablet like we have, dedicate some of that time for these self-care apps. The Lumiere team has tried out some these mobile tools to help you get started and make the most out of your downtime. Here is our top 3; discern which ones are for you.
1. Tide
Has your focus gone out the window? Is sleep slipping away like sand through your fingers? Breathe in. Breathe out.
Tide has been a personal companion of mine for about a month now. The app is basically a soundscape to help you build that conducive, serene environment.
Its sound scenes, which are a combination of natural white noise and dynamic visuals, instantly transport you to places you want to be in and quell feelings of anxiety and stress (For fellow pluviophiles, you have to know that they have a variety of rain sounds).
What’s more is that you can take them offline and allow music fusion so that you can listen to your favorites on Spotify while Tide’s sounds are playing in the background.
Tide is pretty much a packaged deal: a focus timer based on the Pomodoro technique which is basically dedicating minutes to intensive work with breaks in between; breathing exercises if you need to catch a breath; a nap timer that comes with a gentle wake incase you need to step away from your eye-straining, migraine-inducing laptop screens and just rest your eyes; and a sleep timer to help you get better sleep and wake up on the right side of the bed come daylight.
The app also offers an entire library of guided meditations accompanied by voices so soothing, you wouldn’t mind taking the same session for day 2.
You can monitor all your progress in charts that appear in your dashboard.
While there are in-app purchases, there is a wealth of free content to choose from, so you don’t have to worry too much about getting a premium.
But because Tide is pretty much a basket filled with all the things you need, joining Tide Plus for its premium features might just be worth it.
From work hours to coffee breaks, Tide’s sound scenes can keep you company 24/7. You need to get this, stat.
2. #SelfCare
If you have time for something a little more immersive, this one’s for you.
TRU LUV’s #SelfCare app — built by a team of psychologists, writers, designers, and programmers — lets you pretend you are in bed all day, wrapped in your comfy duvet, ambient music filling the room. Turn up the volume for a guaranteed calming experience.
“This room is our escape” the game description reads. And yes, you can make this your sanctuary: your room is customizable.
Get in touch with yourself through mini games: do a tarot card reading, water your house plant, fill up a gratitude jar, solve a simple picture puzzle, and even fill in a dot with colors that change with every swipe of your finger. That last one is oddly satisfying.
It’s all about mindful intention. Words of affirmation would also occasionally pop up on screen.
“In this universe, our goal is simply to feel better,” the description reads. “There's no winning, no failure, no score. No difficulty, no ads, no notifications. There is just us and our feelings.”
It won’t take too much of your time, but you can also stay for as long as you want.
Exit the app refreshed, calm, collected, and connected.
3. Reflect - Journal, Daily guided self reflection
The turn of events lately is, without a doubt, frenetic and disappointing. But there is always room for gratitude and growth.
Make it a habit to check in on yourself. Introspection is key. No pressure, just a sentence (or a few more) a day.
Reflect is a journal app that helps you capture your thoughts through prompt questions before they slip away.
Its minimalist look (with clean, adorable geometric graphics) and simple interface make it easier to navigate. You can explore themes like self-mastery, gratitude, relationships, self-kindness, authenticity, and courage to help you feel at your best.
Subscribing to premium will unlock the full set of reflection topics. But its free features won’t limit you from jotting down what you feel. The “Insights” tab will monitor your streaks and strengths overtime.
Journaling will help you dive deep and find clarity, self-confidence, and a clearer and more positive outlook. Steer clear of negativity this year with Reflect.
Self-care is quite broad, really. It can encompass the physical, mental and cognitive, social, and spiritual areas of your life. While all are equally important, these apps can help you get started by simply being mindful of your thought process, your breathing, your emotions.
Self-care is a necessity — that’s non-negotiable.
And ironically, while we often associate our phones with our inundated newsfeeds and inboxes that cloud our attention, technology offers ways to compartmentalize that and destress. With these simple self-care apps, you don’t need to be tech-savvy to get that much-deserved relief any time of the day.
Up your self-care agenda guilt-free. Breathe in, breathe out, and be in your element.
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