In this month’s Wellness Corner, we will be reviewing apps that help you focus on your well-being. As we approach winter break and the turn of the new year many people will be focusing on creating new habits or returning to old routines in order to “reset.”
This week, I will be reviewing journaling apps. Journaling is good for the soul—but not just the soul. In addition to helping one clarify thoughts and experiences, journaling has proven to be effective in helping people to gain relief from stress, anxiety, and depression. Journaling can help one know themselves better, assist in problem solving, give meaning to traumatic experiences, aid in resolving disagreements with others, help one to break free from rumination cycles, and provide the opportunity for positive self-talk.
There are many types of journaling: free writing, expressive writing, bullet-journaling, personal planning, and/or gratitude journaling. This article is going to focus on gratitude journaling as the apps reviewed primarily highlight that feature.
Journaling is most beneficial if it is done regularly. The more accessible the journal is, the easier it is to do. Try not to censor your thoughts when you journal. If you do it at the same place and time every time, it is much more likely to happen. This is where apps come in handy!
Having a gratitude journaling app is a great way to start this process. You can set up notifications to remind you to journal at the same time each day. You can keep the app on your home screen. You can choose a simple app, or a more detailed app if you like that sort of thing. Today I will review three gratitude journaling apps that are user friendly.
App 1: 5 Minute Journal
I have had 5 Minute Journal for a year. I rarely skip a day. Like Duolingo, it records your journaling streaks, and you feel a sense of accomplishment when you are on a hot streak! The app is free, and you can set up notifications/reminders to alert you when it is time to journal (I choose 10 pm each day). You can set it up so that you fill it out in the morning and revisit it in the evening; or choose just once daily.
You can add “thoughtful widgets” to your home screen with motivational quotes to get you through your day. It includes scientific information about the benefits of gratitude as daily reminders as to why you are doing the work. There are prompts for you to do each day. You answer short questions such as, “What three things are you grateful for in your life?” and “What amazing things happened today?”
To keep you humble, you end the day with the question, “What could have gone better?”
All prompts take a total of five minutes. There is an area that shows you the words you use most frequently, as well as dashboard that highlights your daily thoughts (I love to see that when I open the app each day; it’s a reminder of what I awesome things I have in my life). Recent updates include a new “guides” section in which you can click on icons that lead you to audio meditations, challenges, inspirational quotes and thoughts, etc. I like the simplistic design, the consistent prompts, and the ease of use. Highly recommend!
App 2: 365 Gratitude Journal
I recently started using 365 Gratitude Journal and the free version has been pretty impressive. Also advertised as a five-minute journal, this app begins by gauging your current happiness level. There is a section with either an educational component or “something to think about” area, followed by a free-writing prompt. This section might discuss what CBT is and why it can be important to your life, or talk about silver linings and how you can spot them in your everyday life.
The next section is your standard gratitude journal space where you list things that were great about your day or are great about your life. There are quotes on this app, too, and sections for you to visit with meditations, short videos, etc. to help you create a positive mindset.
The only negative I have discovered, so far, is that I have already had some repeats in the learning area and I’ve only been using the app a month. If that doesn’t bother you, then this is a great app. It really does take five minutes or less, it is colorful, user-friendly, and the learning aspect can be fun and take you out of your own mind.
App 3: Morning! Gratitude Journal
I started using this app over a year ago. This was my first gratitude journaling app. One of the biggest pros of this app are that you can customize it entirely. You can choose the prompts, the times of day you wish to visit it (how often and when), and the entire color scheme/set-up of the app.
One of the cons of this app is, well, it can be a tad boring. I still have the app on my phone, but I rarely use it. I do love that it shows you a summary of your common themes and will give you a mood distribution so that you can track how you are “feeling” throughout the week, month and year… but really, the bells and whistles just aren’t there.
While there are some cute and funny quotes sprinkled throughout the app, it does not offer as much as the other two apps I have listed above. There are no lessons, no meditations, etc. This is a great beginner app for those who solely want to journal. Or, if you already have other apps you use for those things and want just a simple journal, this could be the app for you.
Another pro: you can choose prompts that you are comfortable with. Additionally, if you have been journaling for a while and don’t want the confines of prompts that other apps give you, this can be an excellent option as you can create your own!
There are a ton of journaling apps out there, especially those aimed at gratitude journaling. Whatever you choose, just doing it is wonderful for you and those around you. Taking the time to focus on the positive can impact your brain and body in miraculous ways (use the 5 Minute Journal to see daily gratitude research nuggets). You can significantly increase your happiness, well-being and mood with an app… Who’d have guessed?
