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If you know me well, you know that I just upgraded to a smart phone at the very end of last year. Yes, I had one of those fossil LG phones with a flip out keyboard… with real buttons. I was proud of that phone. It showed how frugal I was, stood as a testament to my rebellion against conformity, saved me plenty of money, and was a total time waster. You can imagine that switching to a smart phone opened a whole new world. Now I know how easy the pull is to phone addiction. As much as I fight against too much social media and technology use, I have truly fallen in love with apps.
Many people use apps for games, music, movies, and fun, but I avoid most of those distractions. When I say apps, I mean life changing, habit forming, lovely living apps. Apps for money management and investing, apps for meditation, apps for yoga and exercise, apps for motivation, apps for business success. If you have a goal, chances are there is an app for that. I am hooked. These are my favorite apps for starting (or ending) the day.
Calm
When I started taking on my April goal of making mornings count, I figured out pretty quickly that there were several phone apps that could help me create a better morning routine. By setting a bedtime alarm onto my phone, I ensured that I started getting ready for bed at a decent time. Before bed I have been listening to meditation stories. I first discovered them on the Calm app and Matthew and I were both in shock the next morning to discover that we both fell asleep before the end of the story. The following night we tried another with the same result. If you have difficulty shutting off your thoughts as you are trying to sleep, try this app. Unfortunately, only some of the meditation stories are free, but there are also numerous other free meditations that you may also try. Over the past several days using this app, my sleep has been peaceful and I have woken up feeling better well rested the following mornings.
Slumber
Another night time meditation app, this one also has some free meditation stories, although I do prefer the Calm app, this one has a variety of choices if you have exhausted the Calm app.
Appreciate
By thinking of three things you are grateful for every day, we can improve our mood and even change our brain chemistry to be happier every day. The appreciate app will help with that. This little app acts as an appreciation journal. You can make an entry about what you appreciate right now in your life and even look back on previous entries when you need a boost.
10% Happier
The 10% happier app is my absolute favorite. It is free and a joy to use. When you sign up you get access to short and motivating videos. This is the app for people who claim to hate meditation or believe that they cannot meditate, but still want to. It will show you exactly how to meditate. I first discovered it about a month ago when I was feeling really stressed and angry. I do not usually loose my cool, but my patience was running super thin. I started this app on a whim and after just five minutes, I felt better than I had in days. My anger was replaced with empathy and I was able to salvage what I perceived as a difficult situation with kindness instead of anger. As a result, both parties were happy and I felt more refreshed than I had in days. I solved my problem within a few short minutes after meditating and I felt better about myself.
Zen Habbits
Do you like to read short articles? Zen Habits is a lovely minimalism and simple living blog by Leo Balboa. His short articles are uplifting and motivating. You can choose from a variety of articles to read. This app is a little dose of simplicity that you get to carry around in your pocket or keep next to your bed to read in the mornings.
Meditation
This simple meditation app takes on meditation is simple and short steps. If you’re looking to meditate without all the extras like sound machines, music, or videos, this app breaks meditation down into its simplest form.
Breathe
The breathe app creates personalized plans for your meditation every time you use it by having you check in first. When opening the app you choose five emotions and share how you are feeling. Based on your mood and emotions, the app will recommend different meditations and mental exercises.
Yoga Wake Up
Unfortunately, this app requires you to sign up for a small fee if you want to use the wake up exercises, but the app is worth it if the results bring value to your day. With yoga wake up, you can choose a relaxing morning stretch and yoga routine to do in or out of bed. Stretching when you first wake up has numerous health benefits, but it also helps you gain energy for the day in a positive and relaxing way. When I read about this app and heard about doing yoga stretches while under the warmth and comfort of my covers, I said yes please.
Rooby
The Rooby app is another morning bed yoga app, but completely free. This app uses a photo slideshow that you must swipe at to show the next exercise.
Motivate
The app is amazing, but also aggressive. It has numerous motivational videos and sends you a new video selection every day to motivate you to reach goals, business success, or to make it through a tough situation. I loved the first video I watched, but it can come across as slightly aggressive so if you’re looking to relax in the morning, this app might not be for you. A lot of the videos are loud and powerful. If you prefer a little tough love to get your act together, you will cherish this app. Not only are the words inspiring, but the video and images they compile to make these kick-butt motivational videos are beautiful to watch.
