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Your phone can be a sad place. There's the overwhelming FOMO every time you scroll through Instagram, the barrage of work emails at all hours, and, you know, the news. Maybe you've noticed that the apps you use most are the ones that make you feel the worst. Maybe you've started tracking the time you spend on your phone with an app like Moment, or maybe you’ve deleted certain apps altogether.
But hold the phone for just a minute. Repopulate the ecosystem of apps on your phone with ones that actually make you feel good. These four apps provide ready-to-go positive affirmations, designed to help you build a positive mindset simply by opening a push alert. Get daily notifications that you are killing it. Remind yourself on the regular that you are extremely cool in every way possible. After a while, it won’t matter how many people appear to be having an absurdly good time without you on Instagram. These apps will bring your focus back to what really matters.
Trying to convince yourself that you have the stamina to get through that work project? Hearing yourself say “I got this” enough times may prove more helpful than that third cup of joe. ThinkUp lets you record and listen to positive affirmations in your own voice. Create your own mantras or choose from a list of pre-written (read: generic) ones, like "I am wonderful exactly as I am." The app lets you schedule alerts to prompt your favorite affirmation, making a positive mindset as easy as opening the push-alert. The affirmations are organized into categories ranging from “mental health” to “good morning.” The “recommended” category at the top of the browse page is a good place to start, featuring the most popular affirmations like: “The more I focus my mind upon the good, the more good comes into my life.” Your recordings automatically play over cheesy, inspirational music unless you spring for the Premium version. Free or Premium for $3.99, Android and iOS.
Feeling afraid of the unknown? Think about how humans evolved from single-celled bacteria. If nature can get through it, you can too. This app plays a series of nature-inspired affirmations, spoken over drum and flute music, to help you feel calm and at peace. Click on “affirmations” from the home page to scroll through a list of feelings. “Adversity” cues up this recording: “Today, I will see how adversity invigorates me. When facing each challenge, I will be water approaching the dam.” If you want to dig even deeper, go back to the homepage and click on “exercises,” where audio recordings guide you through week-long challenges catered to your selected emotion. It's not quite a walk in the woods, but as far apps go, this one is exceptionally down to earth. $1.99, iOS only.
Relaxation coach Andrew Johnson's soothing voice (and delightful Scottish accent) coaxes your subconscious into relaxation with this app. Part positive thinking, part hypnotherapy, the app plays 30 minutes of Johnson's guided meditation before offering a series of positive affirmations: "I am at peace with myself. I appreciate myself. I value myself." Johnson invites you to repeat each one (in your head) with certainty and conviction. That is, of course, provided you don't fall asleep first. $2.99, Android and iOS.
If you can't come up with anything positive on your own, let an app do it for you. Unique Daily Affirmations gives you one automated positive affirmation per day. Open the app or schedule alerts in advance to receive affirmations like “I am loved” over an automated backdrop of mountains and sunsets. To personalize the experience, you can create your own affirmations or upload a photo from your personal library to use as the background. That way, “I am deeply fulfilled with who I am” appears over the selfie of you and your pizza from last night. Now that’s beautiful. Free or Premium for $0.99, iOS only.
