Self-care means different things to different people. For some, self-care can mean meditating and going to the gym. Meanwhile for others, self-care can take place in the kitchen by learning to cook healthy meals. But luckily there are plenty of self-care apps to help us all on our own individual wellness journey.
From daily journaling prompts to mindfulness tips, self-care apps provide much-needed reminders to take time for yourself. Just reach for your smartphone and schedule that yoga class or learn about that interesting plant you saw today on your daily walk.
So, here are 13 self-care apps that can keep you on track no matter what your wellness goals.
Relaxation & Mindfulness Apps
Who couldn’t use a reminder to take a deep breath? From meditation tips to calming background sounds, these self-care apps help you relax.
1. Calm: Let Go of Stress
With a wide variety of relaxation recordings, the Calm self-care app lives up to its name. This relaxation and meditation app can help you focus your attention, release anxiety, and sleep peacefully.
Here are the main features of the Calm app:
- Sleep stories for bedtime
- Guided meditation and mindfulness exercises
- Music and soundscapes to help you focus or relax
- Masterclasses for personal transformation
- Stretching exercises to help you unwind
Available for iOS devices and Android phones or tablets, Calm is free to download and includes in-app purchases.
2. Headspace: Make Time For Mindfulness
Whether you want to manage stress, sleep better, or just feel more balanced, the Headspace meditation app can help. This self-care app provides meditations and mindfulness instruction for beginners as well as more experienced meditators.
Besides basic mindfulness lessons, Headspace offers features like:
- 2-3 minute meditations
- Restful recordings to help you focus or sleep
- Exercises to benefit mind and body
- Wake-up stories and meditations to start your day
After a free trial, Headspace is available for iOS and Android devices for a monthly or annual subscription fee.
3. White Noise: Fall Asleep To Soothing Sounds
Sometimes, all you need to fall asleep is some calming background sounds. If this is you, consider the White Noise relaxation app. This app lets you choose from a list of stock sounds to help you tune out the day and get a good night’s sleep. There are 50 curated stock sounds and 25,000 additional sounds on the Market companion app. But if you prefer, you can save your favorites or even upload your own sounds.
Choose from the following White Noise features to end the day on a relaxed note:
- Recorder that lets you create customized sound loops
- Mix-pad for combining multiple sounds
- Alarms and timers that slowly fade in or out
- Sleep mode to help you settle down for the night
- Custom playlist setting
White Noise is available for a one-time fee for iOS and for Android. Meanwhile, White Noise Lite contains ads and is available for free.
Apps That Support New Habits
Self-care can mean developing new, healthier habits. Luckily, there are plenty of supportive self-care apps can help you make those positive changes.
1. SideChef: Learn To Cook Healthy Meals
If you ready to start cooking healthier meals, the SideChef app can help. Choose from personalized recipe recommendations or upload and share your own favorites. Helpfully, this app lets you filter your recipe search by ingredients, diet, and other preferences.
SideChef makes eating healthy easy with the following features:
- Step-by-step videos for beginners
- Shopping for ingredients online
- Weekly meal planning
- Pantry organization
- More than 18,000 available recipes
SideChef is available for free with in-app purchases for iOS and for Android.
2. Habitica: Achieve Your Goals With Fun Games
Habitica helps you develop positive habits and have fun at the same time. This self-care app uses games and social networking motivate you to make changes, whether it’s getting to the gym or getting through that reading list.
Features that help keep you on track include:
- Daily goal tracking
- Reminders and widgets to keep you motivated
- Leveling system that shows your progress
- Games that let you team up and win battles
Free with in-app purchases, Habitica is available for iOS and Android devices.
Personal Growth & Mental Well-Being Apps
Sometimes, we just need to be surrounded by positivity to tackle our self-care goals. Luckily, an encouraging word can be as close as your smartphone.
If this is what you’re looking for, here are examples of self-care apps for emotional well-being:
1. Happify: Discover Positivity
The Happify self-care app uses games and activities to help you develop a positive outlook. From improving self-confidence to managing stress, this self-care app offers more than 65 tracks to help you reach your goals.
Here are some of the features you’ll find in Happify:
- Quizzes and games to keep you motivated
- Rewards for completing tasks
- A chart that shows your progress
- Daily victory tracking
Happify is available for free with in-app purchases for iOS and for Android.
2. ToDon’tList: Tame That To-Do List
One of the greatest challenges of self-care is keeping that to-do list under control. A shorter list can mean less stress and more time for the things that are important to you.
But if your to-do list is actually hurting your mindset instead of helping it, check out the ToDon’tList app, which helps you cross items off your list. Donald Roos, author and creative, developed this app after authoring several books on productivity for creative people.
ToDon’tList helps you manage your time with the following features:
- 3-item limit on your DoList
- DoneList of items you have completed on your DoList
- ToDon’tList of items that you can put off until later
- The app automatically removes items that have been on the ToDon’tList for more than 3 months.
ToDon’tList is free and available for iOS and Android devices.
Apps For Fitness & Physical Well-Being
Self-care can include physical goals like exercise or a relaxing visit to a spa.
Here are a few of our favorite self-care apps devoted to supporting your physical well-being:
1. Stretch Timer Plus: Relax the Body
Most agree that stretching is a great way to relax your body. So, if you’re looking to incorporate stretching into your routine, consider the Stretch Timer Plus app. This self-care app keeps track of time so you can focus on your stretching routine.
Helpful Stretch Timer Plus features include:
- Settings for number of reps and stretch time
- Rest period timer
- Many stretch time and rep combinations are available
- Saved preferences so you can repeat the same routine next time
Stretch Timer Plus is available for free on iOS.
2. ClassPass: Book Those Self-Care Appointments
From Pilates classes to salon appointments, scheduling self-care time often means juggling multiple accounts. But with the ClassPass app, you can locate and book fitness, spa, and salon visits all from one app.
Just sign up for a free trial and receive credits for gym sessions, yoga classes, and other fitness activities. Then, after your free trial, you can access spas and salons.
ClassPass offers the following self-care features:
- Recommended lists of fitness centers, spas, and salons
- Instant booking
- Customized fitness and wellness plans
- Badges to recognize milestones
- Reviews and ratings of listed businesses
- Unused credit rollover
- Rewards for inviting friends to classes
After a free trial, ClassPass is available by subscription for iOS and Android devices.
Apps for Fun & Favorite Pastimes
Making time for your favorite pastime or hobby can absolutely count as self-care. We’d also include games and puzzles in that category, too.
So, if you’re interested in making more time for the activities you love, here are a few self-care apps to get you started:
1. Lumosity: Train Your Brain With Games & Puzzles
The Lumosity Brain Training app is a fun way to challenge your mind. This app features science-backed games and personalized challenges to help strengthen your memory and attention span.
You’ll find the following features on Lumosity:
- Free test to set baseline scores
- Recommended sets of games and puzzles
- Challenges based on your preferences
- Tracking and analysis of strengths and weaknesses
Luminosity is available for iOS and for Android with an annual or monthly subscription.
2. PictureThis: Indulge Your Inner Gardener
If the garden is your happy place, the PictureThis plant identification app may be for you. Take a photo of any plant and the app will identify it for you and tell you all about it.
Learn about plants and flowers with these PictureThis features:
- Plant identification of more than 17,000 species
- 98% identification accuracy
- Plant disease auto-diagnosis
- Notifications and reminders for plant care
- Email consultations with plant experts
- Toxic plant warnings
Available for iOS and Android devices, PictureThis is free and includes in-app purchases.
Apps for Journaling
Journaling is a great way to express your feelings and take time for yourself.
Many people count journaling as an essential part of their self-care routine, and journaling couldn’t be easier with the support of these apps:
1. DayOne Journal: Express Yourself
If you’ve always wanted to write down your thoughts in a journal but don’t quite know where to start, consider the DayOne Journal app. From daily prompts to customizable templates, this app helps you start and keep this self-care habit.
Here are some of the features you’ll find on the DayOne app:
- Programmable reminders to help you stay consistent
- Rich text formatting
- Unlimited text entries
- Privacy protection with encryption and passwords
- Import data and add content from other apps
- Cross-platform apps available for iOS devices
DayOne is available for free for iOS and for Android. With an annual subscription, DayOne Premium offers unlimited space for photos and videos, voice recording, and more.
2. Five Minute Journal: Gratitude For Your Busy Life
Do you sometimes feel like you’re too busy for daily journaling? If so, the Five Minute Journal app was made with you in mind. All it takes is a few minutes every day, and you can enjoy the journaling self-care experience even in the middle of a hectic schedule.
The Five Minute Journal app has many features, including:
- Daily journaling prompts
- Secure passcode protection
- Daily reminder notifications
- Positive affirmations and daily quotes
- Weekly challenges
- Dark mode option for late-night journal entries
- Personal progress tracking
- Backup and export to Dropbox and other platforms
The free Five Minute Journal app is available for iOS and Android devices. Meanwhile, the subscription-based Premium version offers additional features such as a mood tracker, photo and video uploading, plus extra space for notes.
Self-Care Apps: Me Time as Close as Your Smartphone
In today’s hectic world, setting aside some “me time” can seem difficult. But self-care apps provide convenient tools and reminders to help you take care of your mind and body, no matter what your schedule and interests.
Whatever the term “self-care” means to you, making time for yourself is as easy as reaching for your smartphone with these self-care apps.
