For most parts of our lives (or dare I say, the whole part), we frequently use our phones for everything. Let me guess; you’re probably reading this from your phone too!
In this digital age plus a looming pandemic (or should I say, uplifting endemic), the usage of the virtual world has increased. We use our phones to scroll social media platforms, attend meetings/online classes, order food and groceries, video call family and friends, check the updated cases of COVID-19, listen to music and more.
Since we are spending so much time with our phones, have you ever thought of improving or enhancing your lifestyle using that very device? All you need are these 4 applications that are useful to tweak your lifestyle to a more positive path.
1. A mindfulness app – Gratitude
This app comes with four different sections for you to practice mindfulness in different aspects:
1. Journal – This is where you type about your day, your emotions, your thoughts, etc. You can change the background colour of each note to help you colour-coordinate too, for example, grey for a sad day and yellow for a happy day. You can also add photos to remind you of a particular event, related to what you journaled. There is also an option for you to write a ‘letter’ in your journal, like ‘To Mom…’ so you can pen down your words and feelings. Finally, if you don’t know what to journal for that day, you can always seek ideas through the prompts and suggestions to help you.
2. Affirmations – This serves as a reminder to yourself to affirm your beliefs, actions and confidence. You can choose to write your affirmations or select from the Discover options to give you randomised affirmations from different categories like Happiness, Love, Relationship and more.
3. Daily Zen – This is a quote pop-up for you. You can choose to share the quote with your friends, save it for future references or even add it to your affirmations if it’s relatable to yourself.
4. Vision Board – Similar to how you used to create a Vision Board on manila cards with lots of collages, this one allows you to write a category, describe your vision and add photos to it. Then, whenever you want, you can just let the app show you your visions in a video format with added background music too!
One good thing about Gratitude is that you can set a time-specific reminder for each of these sections. For example, I set Daily Zen (quotes) every morning at 8 AM, Journal at noon, Affirmations at 8 PM and finally, I end the day with my Vision Board at 9 PM.
2. A habit-tracking app – Habit
Just like its name, this app helps you to track your habits and remind you as well. It comes with general categories like Sports (walking, running, etc.), Thought (breathing, meditation, etc.), Health (drink water, eat fruits, etc.) and Life (call parents, laugh out loud, etc.). If you have other habits that you practise or want to start practising, you can always create them under Custom Habit.
For each of these habits you will be able to customise everything; the frequency, time range for reminders, set a specific time to remind, a motivational message, a term (if the habit is not long-term) and even daily goals. For example, I set a habit to Breathe every day for 3 minutes at night. I’ve also set habits to Save Money (RM5 twice a week) and Exercise (thrice a week).
This app will chart your progress every month and has a Habit Tracker section that shows you all your habits and the percentage they have met. You can even choose to invite a friend and start a habit together!
3. A quote app – Motivation
This app is fairly straightforward. It gives you randomised quotes over the day to help motivate you and sometimes as a reminder or affirmation. You can choose a background from hundreds of templates that fit your style. You can also choose from a general category pool of quotes or choose from specific pools like Dealing with Change, Managing Anxiety, Self-Development and more!
What’s great about this app is that you can fix the frequency that you would like to receive a quote, the days you’d prefer and even the time frame. Then, the app will auto-set the pop-ups in the way you want them. How cool is that?
For example, I decided to go for the General pool of quotes with a frequency of 3 times per day daily, from 9 AM to 9 PM only. So, the app has set it in a way that I would receive a quote in the morning, one more around lunchtime and the last one usually late evening.
4. A fitness app – MyFitnessPal
Whether you’re a fitness freak or not, this is a must-have app on your phone, if you want to improve your lifestyle. It is true when they say we are what we eat so if you’re one who constantly indulges in sweetness, oiliness and junk food, it will deteriorate your lifestyle. However, don’t worry because this app is not about strict dieting but it’s more about having a healthy lifestyle.
Before using this app, you will need to determine if you’d want to lose, maintain or gain weight. After that, you key in your details like height, weight, gender, etc. and then it generates a daily calorie limit for you to achieve your goal. This app has thousands of calorie records for all kinds of food. So, every time you eat something, just key in the app and it will tell you how many calories have you consumed. As long as you are within the range, it’s good enough.
You can also link this app with a fitness tracking device if you have like Apple Watch or FitBit. As you exercise and lose calories, it will be updated in the app too. In a way, if you want to eat more or increase your calorie intake, then you must exercise to lose some calories away.
You see, improving one’s lifestyle doesn’t always have to be something dramatic, hardcore or big. Always remember to take baby steps, be consistent and persevere, you will see results in a well-improved lifestyle!
Vinothini is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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