6 self-care apps you have to have on your phone

In today's fast-paced world, it's becoming increasingly important to take care of your mental and physical health. And thanks to technology, it's easier than ever to prioritise your self-care needs. There are now countless apps available to help you achieve your wellness goals, from mindfulness and meditation, to skincare and beauty! 

But what makes an app better than pre-existing, time-tested methods of self-care?

It won’t surprise you to learn that self-care apps offer a convenient, personalised, and easy-to-use alternative to traditional self-care methods. But guess what? Besides that, they can also help you manage your mental health more effectively, and by integrating technology, they provide innovative and effective ways to promote self-care.

There are many self-care apps available on the market that can help you take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. But, with so many options to choose from, it can get overwhelming to decide which one is the best for you. 

This is why we have compiled a list of self-care apps that offer you the chance to find the best of you. 

Headspace

If you want to practice mindful living through guided meditation, then Headspace is the app you need to download! Headspace is a popular meditation app that offers guided meditation sessions to help you calm your mind, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. The app provides a variety of meditation programs, including sleep, stress, and anxiety relief. Feeling extra anxious? It also has an "SOS" feature for times when you need to calm down quickly. With celebrity investors like Jessica Alba and Jared Leto and a fan base that includes stars like Emma Watson and Gwyneth Paltrow, you can download this app knowing that you’re in great company! While the app is free to download, you will need to upgrade to premium to access all the courses—subscription plans start from ₹120. And, they even have fun storytelling to help that running, fantasising mind of yours! 

WaterMinder

Find it hard to stay hydrated on a typical day? WaterMinder is a popular hydration app that allows you to track your daily water intake and reminds you to drink more water throughout the day. The app features personalized reminders, a variety of measurement units, and charts to track your journey. It's also compatible with health apps and calculates specific goals based on detailed factors like activity levels and climate and is available on both iOS and Android for free with in-app purchases—the subscription plans range from ₹650 to ₹1220.

Calm

Similar to Headspace, Calm is a meditation app that offers guided meditations and mindfulness exercises to help you relax and reduce stress. You can pick from the meditation sessions, which range from short and sweet three-minute ones to detailed half-hour ones. Calm also features a variety of sleep stories that help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly. The wellness app has enlisted the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Harry Styles and more for its sleep stories—there’s nothing like the soothing voices of these famous personalities to put you to sleep! Download the app for free and get a one-year subscription for ₹4,090. 

The Five Minute Journal

Want to journal but confused about where to begin? Start taking—you guessed it—five minutes out of your day to focus on the positive in your life. The app allows you to access all of your previous journal entries, provides day-to-day motivating quotes, and a one-photo-per-day tool to capture the important moments. Every morning you receive specific prompts on your device that motivate you to ‘carpe diem’ all day long! Download it for a one-time fee of $5 —around ₹400—on both iOS and Android app stores and start writing! Also, if you are a more pen and paper kind of gworl, then there is a diary available of the same, and we here Alia Bhatt is a fan! 

Nike Training Club

One of the best free fitness apps out there, Nike’s training app, is the ideal place to start your fitness quest. With close to 200 free workouts that include strength, endurance, yoga and mobility, to sessions focusing on specific areas of the body, take your pick. Don’t have fancy gym equipment at home? Don’t sweat, there are equipment-free routines as well! Prefer running instead? Try the Nike Running Club. Both apps are free and available on both iOS and Android.  

Fabulous

Want to have an earlier start to the day? Trying to cut down on screen time? Fabulous is the app for you! This app helps you build healthy habits through scientifically backed methods that allow you to stick to your goals. Behavioural economists help you identify the areas in your life where you’re stuck or falling short, and other features use reminders and activity tracking to create habits out of the rituals best suited for achieving your personalized goals. While the app is free to download and use, you will need to upgrade to premium to unlock the app's full content and features.