The use of mobile phones has become an integral part of daily life for many of us. There is growing evidence that digital addiction is real, and many people struggle with putting down their devices, even in situations where they are amongst family and friends where they should be engaging in some real human to human interaction.
However, there are many positive things that our phones can contribute to our lives if we learn to allow our technology to supplement rather than control us. For this reason, we’d like to share some amazing apps you can download on your phone which can provide benefits to your life. To quote a prominent Japanese writer Atsushi Ohkubo, “a sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.” The apps below should assist you in sharpening your mind and body, thereby invigorating your soul!
Headspace is a mobile app that is receiving wide applause for teaching people how to meditate and live more mindfully. They have hundreds of themed sessions with accompanying illustrations and videos to help guide you through meditative basics. Headspace offers an initial package of ten sessions which helps you learn the basics of meditation and once you complete this you have the option of paying for more specialized sessions (help with stress/anxiety, boost compassion, stay focused, etc.).
TripIt makes the logistics of travel less of a headache. This app intelligently organizes your flight information, hotel reservations, rental car bookings, etc. Everything is contained in the same place which allows you to quickly and easily access any information relevant to your trip – making the logistics of travel less painful. You can also share itineraries and travel information with family and friends to keep them posted on your whereabouts!
Wunderlist is the ultimate task organizer and to-do list productivity tool. By using various features in the app such as shareable lists, reminders, and due dates, you can plan for anything. If you are the type of person who loves to write down your tasks this is a great app to not only help you stay organized, but to help you complete your to-dos. Wunderlist will help you stay organized thereby reducing mental clutter and unneeded stress.
Happify utilizes the power of positive psychology and concepts such as focusing on personal strengths and virtues that can enable people to live more mindful and meaningful lives. Research in neuroscience suggests that certain activities can help weed out negative thinking, promote feelings of gratitude, and deal with stress. The app provides a gratitude journal, interactive quizzes and polls, as well as a supportive online community that can help users learn life-changing habits for happiness.
MindBody makes booking your favorite wellness, fitness, and beauty services easy to do in one simple place. You can search for yoga, massage, group fitness, barre, and more by simply entering a zip code. It also makes reviews and ratings available so you can know what you’re getting into before you go. Booking appointments has never been such an easy experience with features such as favorites saving, schedule tracking, and deals near you.
HelloFresh is capitalizing on the food delivery subscription service trend, delivering portioned ingredients to your doorstep with accompanying directions for preparing a delicious meal with said ingredients. Many people avoid cooking at home because it can be time consuming – going to the grocery store to get produce/meat, preparing ingredients, and finally actually cooking the food. HelloFresh not only cuts down on the time it takes to make a solid meal, it also comes with nutritional information so you know exactly what you’re consuming.
Yummly is great for picky eaters or people who follow stricter food constraints. This app provides an intelligent recipe searcher which offers recipe recommendations based on your food/diet preferences as well as helpful tools and videos to make life in the kitchen more satisfying. What you eat is directly correlated to your mood, so choose to eat well with Yummly!
Edo is probably a good app to pair with Yummly, as it allows food shoppers to find out exactly what’s in supermarket products with the just a simple tap of the finger. Since food is such a key part of your overall well-being, knowing exactly what’s in all the favorite foods you buy at the store is crucial — and thanks to technology, it’s easier than ever. Edo scans food labels and uses an algorithm to assess ingredients based both on scientific studies and a nutritional rating system with 10 being the healthiest and zero being, well, the most crappy for you.
Dooey works to solve one of the biggest problems of modernity: balancing one’s social life with one’s work life. It claims to be the world’s first messaging app that collapses work and social communications in one place. While most of us toggle between various platforms, juggling conversations between friends, colleagues, and business folks, Dooey consolidates these messages in one place for easier organization and navigation. The app is split into two channels, social and business — and while the social channel is open to your friends and family, the work channel is locked to only certain contacts you decide. This enables a healthy work/life balance, which we often forget about in our frantic paced world.
This is not an exhaustive list of apps that may benefit you, as everyone is different, however we think this is a great start. Help your phone help you by checking out some of the apps mentioned above.