Need to cut down phone time?

There’s an app for that!

Since compiling this list I’m convinced there’s an app to address virtually every aspect of self-care!

No matter what your definition of self care, whether it be…

Taking 5 minutes to focus on your breath each day.

Meeting a friend for coffee.

Enjoying a regular pampering session.

Whatever decisions, actions and intentions helps to refuel your mind, body, soul just make sure you prioritise them because life is tough, and looking after your wellbeing is paramount.

Using apps is an easy, convenient, and affordable way to boost your mental and emotional health. 

Below are some favourites I researched and as voted by you! 

18 of the Best Self-Care Apps you need to try

1.Insight Timer

They have a free version and it has many different options for meditation styles, depending on what you may need that day. I personally recommend listening to Sarah Blondin.

2.Headspace

This one is definitely one of the most popular meditation apps around. It’s meditation made simple in just a few minutes per day. It also teaches you how to apply mindful techniques in different areas of your life.  It has a free 10-day basic series pack.

3.Vent

Vent is a social network for people to express their feelings and connect with people who care. Vent allows you to express yourself and to listen others during tough times. A safe space to vent anything without judgement from the understanding community.

4.Shine

A daily inspiration drop to brighten up your day. Who doesn’t need a bit of that?

5.Daylio

Best described as a mobile life or mood/habit tracking journal. Daylio allows you to keep a private diary without having to type a single line. You can also add notes and keep an old school diary. Free to download. 

6.Calm

A great app for meditation and sleep. Perfect for those anxious, monkey minds who find it hard to fall asleep at night and need some help to switch off.  There’s a couple of us at least in this house. Has a free trial.

7.Habitica

Habitica is a free habit-building and productivity app that treats your real life like a game. With in-game rewards and punishments to motivate you and a strong social network to inspire you, the aim is to help you achieve your goals to become fit, healthy and happy. Love this idea.

8.Moodspace

MoodSpace is a great app for mental health. It aims to create a self-help space where you have the opportunity to experiment with different treatment methods, in the form of interactive mood workouts, to see what works for you. 

These mood workouts are designed as short, habit building, self-help exercises that can be completed on your phone, at any time you choose and every workout is based on the latest research into depression treatments.

The Three Clouds (daily gratitude journal), Mindful Meditation and the Thought Diary (which challenges difficult thoughts) are popular activities.

9.Downdog

Down Dog is a free guided yoga app, providing a studio-like yoga experience in the comfort of your home and which fits perfectly with any schedule.

Each time you practice, Down Dog creates a brand new vinyasa yoga sequence so you won’t have to do the same routine over and over again. 

10.Sworkit

Offers an easy solution to fitness with guided workouts for any schedule, has personalised plans with useful guidelines for strength , cardio, yoga and stretch training, you can select a focused workout from within that category.  Offers a fun and effective way to fit in a workout on busy days or for the gymophobes amongst us.

11.J & J Official 7 minute app

Designed by an exercise physiologist and based on science-backed routine called interval training, combines aerobics and cardio for a great session you can do at home. Short workouts that get your heart racing.

12.Perspective

A free unique journaling app that captures your thoughts, moods, interests and habits. Then prompts reflection and insight to help you make personal discoveries

13.Woebot

This app, created by a clinical psychologist from Stanford University, makes mental health accessible to everyone. It helps people examine how they react to challenging situations and to think through them with step-by-step guidance using methods from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

14.Superbetter

Powered by the science of games, positive psychology and behaviour change, Superbetter is designed to increase your resilience and optimism and help you overcome difficult obstacles.

You’ll be challenged to complete different wellness tasks each day in the form of a game. SuperBetter takes a holistic approach to help with depression, anxiety, chronic illness or pain, and PTSD. Plus, it covers a wide range of topics including divorce, workplace issues, grief, and more.

15.Space

Space is the perfect app to help you break your phone addiction and find your phone/life balance. 

If you find your phone use to be disruptive and distracting you from people and things that are most important to you, this app is for you. 

16.Plant Nanny

Plant Nanny is a simple, cute little app that reminds you to drink water. Combining health with fun to remind you to drink water regularly.

17. Grateful: A Gratitude Journal

This app was created based off of research from Harvard Medical School that shows the link between gratitude and improved health and emotions. By posting daily journal entries in the app, you’ll practice gratitude daily and get the pick-me-up you need whenever you’re having a rough day.

18. Pillow

This app helps you track your sleep. Just put your phone next to your pillow when you sleep (on aeroplane mode of  course!) and it will analyze your sleep patterns based on your movements.

The next morning, Pillow will wake you up in the 30-minute window where you’re in light sleep and you’ll get detailed statistics of your sleep quality the night before.

And while the extra suggestions below aren’t apps, they are some pretty powerful  self -care tools.

Program

Break Through! Signature Cleanse

I created this program with Naturopath Naomi Judge to help women reset their hormones, get off the blood sugar rollercoaster, reduce inflammation, improve digestion, maintain a healthy weight and feel fantastic in a body they love!

Full of delicious recipes and lifestyle advice, The 28 Day Break Through! Signature Cleanse is a great way to increase energy and transform your body from the inside out by focusing on YOU. 

YouTube

Yoga with Adrienne

Free yoga videos on her website or YouTube. The yoga sessions are very manageable, around 30 minutes. Each day, there’s a theme, starting with practicing ease, practicing intention and so on.

Facebook

Red Table Talk

Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and mother Adrienne – three generations of women open their home for a series of candid conversations with family and friends. 

Websites

You Feel Like Shit

This game is designed to help you get through your busy day. It’s basically an interactive flowchart to help you practice self care. 

Do Nothing for Two Minutes

The name says it all.

Podcast

LiveAwake

The Live Awake podcast helps bring you back to your grounded centre through reflection and guided meditation.

Enjoy!

Have you used any of these apps? Do you have any other faves I can add to the list?

Just let me know in the comments.

Please go ahead and share this post and spread the self-care message and remember …

“the only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” – C. JoyBell C.

Bren x

Grab your FREE copy of my 'CALM YOUR CORTISOL' recipe book to soothe your cortisol and start your journey to high energy, fast metabolism, and feeling like yourself again!

Tell us a little about yourself.(family, work, etc)

I feel like I am leading a blessed life at the moment! I have a gorgeous two year old son, a beautiful partner, and two Barre Body studios. We seem to have created a pretty wonderful life, where I’m lucky enough to truly love what I do.

Tell us about your business Barre Body and what it’s about?

Barre Body is a fusion of yoga, pilates and ballet. It’s a total body toning exercise system that gets some pretty amazing results in a short time. I started incorporating ballet barre work into my yoga practice after Xavier was born and I got the most amazing results very quickly (body in better shape than before pregnancy!) so I decided to develop Barre Body and here we are! We have two gorgeous studios in Melbourne, with a Sydney studio coming very soon (but I can’t tell you much more than that at this stage).

What are some of the things you value most in life?

My family, freedom, travel, gratitude, friendship, living a healthy lifestyle with food and exercise, the beach, Barre Body.

What is your favourite quote?

“After the darkest night comes the brightest day”

This is a beautiful quote that gives hope during times of sadness and struggle. It’s a reminder that life is full of rich experiences and challenges and being able to make it through the hardest times gives you an appreciation that you wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise had, of the beauty and positive things in life that follow these times.

What are your tips to staying happy and healthy?

Eat well and mindfully.

Exercise almost every day in a way that brings you pleasure so you want to keep doing it.

Give more love and energy to your family than work.

Devote time to your self development.

Do more of the things that bring you joy.

Do you find time to nurture yourself? What does this involve?

Not as much as I’d like, but I am working on this right now! I would like to find more time for my yoga practice and more time to bake and more time to read books that expand my consciousness.

What does healthy eating mean for you?

I subscribe to Michael Pollan’s food philosophy. “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much”, which basically says, eat a wholefoods as close to their natural state as possible and don’t overeat.

What are 5 of your kitchen pantry essentials?

Quinoa, raw cacao, spinach, berries, coconut oil.

What do you indulge in?

Healthy baking! I love to bake healthy sweet treats.

What do you and your family like to do on the weekend?

Xavier is 2, so we have lots of little family adventures; to the zoo, to the park, to the beach, for bike rides. I just love spending time with my family and we devote pretty much the whole weekend to hanging out together.

Would you like to share one of your favourite healthy recipes?

My Famous Healthy Chocolate Brownie

1 cup wholemeal plain or spelt flour

1/2 cup raw caca

o 1/2 cup almond meal or LSA

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup sultanas

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup milk of your choice

Mix dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients, except the raspberries. Spoon into a baking paper lined square baking tin and then press raspberries into the top.

Bake for 30 mins at 180 (fan forced).

I hope you enjoyed this interview. You can connect with Emma here:

www.barrebody.com.au

www.facebook.com/barrebody

www.vimeo.com.au/barrebody

www.instagram.com/barrebody

Tell us a little about yourself.

 I am a very proud mum (foremost) to Bella-angel (6) and Phoenix (2), founder of successful fashion label Otto Mode and have 10 years’ experience in sales, manufacturing, import and export of both local and international fashion. I am completing a Masters of Project Management at UTS, an aspiring athlete,  an ambassador for the Red Cross Blood Centre and the Heart Foundation, Founder of Micro Miracles Matter – a platform created with the intention to aid causes I believe in by spreading awareness, educating people on the power of positive thinking, acts of kindness and the rewards of a healthy balanced life.

Always striving towards having a holistic work-life balance incorporating health and wellness is the foundation for all I do. Career driven I have worked my way through the ranks of the scuba diving industry as a dive master, the T.V and media sector of the advertising industry and an extensive love affair with the rag trade. Combined with an athletic drive that started in school with track and field, state netball, competitive surfing then later in life boot camp, interval training and to now becoming an Ultra-marathon runner.

Most recently I have embarked on a new career role in public relations and new business development in events.

Nutrition and optimal health are always at the forefront of priorities, the love for my children and passion to inspire others to be the best version of them motivates me to stay focused and lead by example.

Tell us why you created “Mirco Miracles Matter” and what it’s about? 

They say timing is everything. For me it’s time to start giving back wherever I can. That is, use my resources to pay homage to causes that have touched my life, and to pursue my acts of kindness on a greater scale toward those less fortunate.

Micro Miracles Matter is an organic extension of myself and has been created as a platform where I can add a greater purpose to some of the wonderful things that I do in my life and to encourage everyone to become more conscious of the small ways in which they can contribute, thus making a huge difference in someone else’s life.

I have been forever inspired by the miraculous fight and survival of Bella-angel, then the incredibly divine experience of going on to have a near term, healthy second baby in 2010 and finally, last year, going through one of the most confronting chapters of my adult life.

I have become aware of the destructive effect of fear, the damaging effect of inaction, the  transformative power of action, the necessity for purpose and that when united we can make a difference; micro miracles matter.

Through my running and the Micro Miracles Matter platform my intention is to aid causes I believe in, spread awareness, educate those around me on the power of positive thinking and acts of kindness, the rewards of a balanced healthy life, believing in oneself, the joys of giving and the difference we can make together.

This year mmm  is all about spreading the word on the need for blood donors and heart disease awareness. I have just completed my first 100km ultra marathon. My purpose for the run was to raise awareness for the need of blood donors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgmO6NzJC78. The race was amazing, the determination to never give in to the pain was fuelled by the love for my children, the desire to be the best I can be and in doing so inspire others.

What are you passionate about?

Everything!!

Life, positivity, health, nutrition, fitness, my family, friends, food, wine, travel, adventure, the outdoors, kindness, truth and dreaming.

What are some of the things you value most in life?

Time, my children, freedom, friendships, choice, sunshine, living close to the ocean, living in Sydney, daily exercise, quality food, clean water, travel, education.

What is your favourite quote?

As you think, so you are. As you imagine, so you become.

What are your tips to staying happy and healthy?

Be positive, make it a way of life. Find what you love and do it. Add purpose to all you do. Stay consistent, persistent and dream big.

Do you find time to nurture yourself? What does this involve?

I make time. It involves doing what I love and what makes me happy, such as running, reading, writing, creating, rejuvenating my body with massages, yoga, meditation and time alone.

As a single mum of 2 this requires good time management, giving myself the gift to continually evolve and learn, knowing when to be selfless and selfish and staying true to myself regardless of the cost.

What does healthy eating mean for you?

Everything!! I see food and what you fuel your body with as an investment. Investing in your livelihood, your future, how you will function 10, 20, 30 , 40, 50, 60 or more years from now.

Like most things in life, health and wellness are a choice, but most importantly they are a way of life. When you find what works for you and what aids your being to be the best you can be the choice is not difficult. The secret is to make it a way of life, integrating health and wellness into all areas of your world.

Having an abundance of energy, positivity, health and fitness flows into all areas of your life and enables you to thrive in all that you do.

What are 5 of your kitchen pantry essentials?

Only 5….mmm Chia, Chinese 5 spice, Coconut oil, Sunwarrior Protein Powder, activated, raw or roasted mixed nuts

What do you indulge in?

Me time, exercise, super foods, fine wine, organic coffee and fun 😉

What do you and your kids like to do on the weekend?

Go on adventures, rock climbing,, swimming in the pool or at the beach, scootering, cooking, arts and crafts.

Would you like to share one of your favourite healthy recipes?

I have so many! I am, and always have been, a foodie and health junkie! To keep it simple let’s go with my latest healthy recipe discovery that is a hit with my children, has converted my view on ‘pancakes’ and got me through a 42km run – mmm super almond meal and coconut pancakes!

The recipe and nutritional break down is posted on my site under mmm recommendations, mmm recipes.

mmm super pancakes discovery

Ingredients

• 1/2 large ripe banana

• 2 egg whites

• 25 gm almond meal

• 2 5gm desiccated coconut

• 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence or if you can ground fresh vanilla bean pod

• 1/2 tsp of baking powder (gluten free)

• Coconut oil for cooking

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon -or if you are like me to taste…I love spice you can even use all spice another fave of mine.

To Top

Serve with frozen mixed berries that you have defrosted so get the treat of berry juice accompanying the berries, a dash of agave syrup for those of you who have a sweet tooth and a dollop of your favourite yoghurt combined with 2 teaspoons of Sunwarrior protein powder

YUM!!!!

• Mixed frozen berries defrosted

• Agave Syrup

• Yoghurt (I love Jalna Vanilla)

• Sunwarrior protein powder choc or vanilla

Method

1. Mash the banana into the egg whites

2. Add the spices and dry ingredients mix to form a batter

3. Pre heat the fry pan on a medium – low heat  with coconut oil

4. Add spoonfuls of the mixture to the  pan forming pancake size to your liking, when you see bubbles surfacing turn over

5. Cook the second side untill golden

6. In a seperate bowl combine Sunwarrior protein powder and yoghurt

7. To serve place pancakes on a plate and top with desired toppings!

You can connect with Kerrie through  her website

www.micromiraclesmatter.com

or on her  Facebook Page