5 Ways I Use My Smartphone to Power Up My Self Care

I love gadgets!  Smartphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, etc. they all are like toys for me.   Although technology sometimes gets a bad reputation these days for keeping us too distracted and too disconnected, I have actually become pretty efficient at using mine to enhance my holistic health and body love.  I truly believe that it isn’t the actual gadgets that are unhealthy for us, rather how we use them in our lives.  I often share some apps, that enhance my self-care and holistic health, with my colleagues and clients.  So, I figured it would be even better to share them with my readers, so you can benefit too.  Feel free to explore the apps on your own and see how they work for you.  Of course, not everything is for everyone, but you may find one or two that help to take your wellness and self-care routines to the next level.

Calm

Calm is a smartphone app that assists with meditation.  It has a lot of options to explore, so you can choose what is most effective for you.  The app has various visual scenes that you can download and use to focus on during your meditation.  It also has a wide variety of sounds and music.  The thing I like best is that there is a teaching program called “7 Days of Calm” that will give you information about what meditation is, why it is beneficial, and how to do it.  So, even if you have never done meditation before, you can feel comfortable by starting with the free 7-day program.  Calm is available in the iTunes store or on Google Play to download for no cost.  However, there is a cost for the subscription program.  You can learn more about the app here and sample a meditation sequence anywhere from 2-20 minutes.

ZLiving Go

Okay, let me start off my saying that I am a SUPER fan of ZLiving!  I watch the show all the time.  There is so much great content for anyone who is enthusiastic about holistic health, wellness, and green living.   I used to watch it on television all the time, but when I discovered that there was an app, that changed my life.  Yes, I’m a gadget and holistic health geek, so this may excite me more than the average person,  but if you are looking to learn more about  wholesome recipes, workouts, travel, or culture then I think you will love ZLiving as much as I do.  The mobile app allows you to watch episodes on the go.  I love that because it is convenient for me to pull up a cooking episode or a workout and fit it into my schedule in any location, even without a television.  As long as I have my smartphone device, I can get my wellness exploration on! The app is available on Android and iOS. You can also find out more about ZLiving Go here.  

Do Not Disturb

I probably should have put this one first on the list (I chose a random order instead) because this app is one of the most important tools in helping me set aside quiet time in my life.  As an entrepreneur, it can be easy to lose track of time and forget to unplug.  I know that no matter what your occupation or responsibilities, most of us are quite busy and making quite time a priority can be challenging.  What I love most about this app is that it takes the “remembering” out of my day.  I don’t have to make sure that I turn off certain apps, or power down my phone, because once I set up my preferences the app does all the work for me.  “Do Not Disturb” makes it easy for me to stay focused.  Whether it be quiet time during a meeting, reading, meditation or even sleep it handles all of that for me seamlessly. I sync it with my calendar, so when I go into a meeting or client session it automatically silences any notifications so I am not interrupted with all the “bells and whistles”.    I can set it to be in “night mode” during certain hours and only allow my “white list” of contacts to reach me in an emergency.  This is extremely important for my self-care because it eliminates the temptation of reading emails, replying to notifications, or answering texts when I’m supposed to be unplugged and resting.   Ironically this app HELPS me to unplug from my technology effectively on a daily basis.  You can learn more about the app and see demonstrations here in this YouTube video. This app is only available on the Android operating system.

Todoist

If I had to make a list of  10 apps that I would not want to live without “Todoist” would be in the top 3.  This app is a lifesaver and it helps me stay sane!  I know you may be wondering how a to-do list helps with self-care and holistic health.  I want you to think about how many times in the past 3 months you have forgotten to do something.  Have you ever forgotten to do yoga, meditate, workout, journal, drink water,  take vitamins or read? With this app, you can stay committed to your wellness practices with daily notifications and reminders.   Have you ever felt overwhelmed because you had projects, emails, phone calls, etc. all floating around in your head with the expectation to remember them all? Then you probably know how stressful it can be to keep track of all the things you need to do in a given day.  Instead of having several tasks in different places, you can organize them in “Todoist” and let the app do the remembering for you, so you can be more peaceful and relaxed.  Todoist helps me keep it all organized and it reminds me at the right time so I stay productive, but not overwhelmed.  I like it better than written to do lists because:

• It syncs across all my digital platforms: phone, tablet, desktop
• I can set reminders via email or notification
• I don’t have to keep track of a separate notebook or pieces of paper (adding more stressors)
• I can collaborate on projects and lists with other people

Those are some of the reasons that I love “Todoist” but you can check it out for yourself on their web page and even watch a demonstration video, so you get a better idea of how it works.  It is widely available on almost any operating system that you can think of: Android, iOS, Windows, Chrome, Firefox and more!

Google Calendar 

Whether it’s Google Calendar or another calendar app, I NEED my digital calendar in my life.  A calendar is one of the most basic apps that you can find on almost any digital device and operating system these days, yet a lot of people do not use them to effectively manage their time and schedules.  I use my digital calendar to help ensure that I manage my time and energy so that I can have a harmonious and peaceful day.  Here are some of the ways I use my calendar to prioritize my wellness:

• To schedule movement into my day.   I find that if it’s on the schedule, I am more likely to do it.
• To schedule spiritual and emotional wellness time into my day: prayer, meditation, yoga, etc.
• To schedule eating times.  I have been challenged with forgetting to eat in the past.
• To block off days for personal development: take a course or attend a seminar.
• To block off time to connect with friends and loved ones

By scheduling these priorities into my calendar, I am able to make sure that they are commitments in my life, not just lofty goals.  Once these priorities are on my calendar I can plan other activities around them.  For example, my spiritual wellness time is from 9-10 am on weekdays, so I do not take any other appointments during that time.  It is just as important as a standing appointment with a client or business partner.  In the past, I would tell myself that I was going to meditate and pray daily, but without a designated time, it was easy to be inconsistent with my practice.  Now that I use my calendar it is much easier to be consistent.  I sync my calendar with my “Todoist” and “Do Not Disturb” apps and I have a pretty seamless system of scheduling and reminders to help me stay committed to ME!  You can find Google Calendar here or you may want to use another a calendar app, but I believe that a digital calendar can be a great self love tool.

Do you use your digital devices for your holistic health and self-care?  Are there apps that you love to use? Share them with me in the comments below or on social media.  I’d love to hear your feedback!