9 Best Self-Care Apps and Tools for Daily Practice

Last updated on March 7th, 2024

A lady meditating and a phone symbol. Self-Care Apps and Tools for Daily Practice

Woo-hoo! Have you heard about the top-notch self-care apps and tools available?

They’ve completely transformed the way we approach self-care, and I’m excited to share everything about it. 

The ever-so-powerful technology has now ventured into our self-care routines, and oh boy, I’m totally onboard with this phenomenal change!

Let me tell you, these self-care apps and tools are your stress busters for the whirlwind of challenges life throws at you! They’re not just efficient, but also super intuitive.

Say sayonara to disorganized self-love schedules; with these accessible and oh-so-smart apps at your disposal, taking care of yourself has never been easier!

Here’s why I’m enamored with self-care apps and tools for daily practice: 

  • Adaptive scheduling: These apps literally learn your daily rhythms and offer personalized schedules for mindfulness, exercise, gratitude, and so much more. The future is now, my friends!
  • Guided exercises: From quick 5-minute mindfulness exercises to detailed yoga sequences, these apps are there to guide you each step of your self-care journey.
  • Progress tracking: The data enthusiasts in us are satiated with the ability to track our progress in multiple aspects of self-care.
  • Connection with professionals: Need some expert help? No problem! These apps are equipped with in-app connection tools to make virtual appointments with psychologists, nutritionists, or fitness experts!


Remember, self-care isn’t just about spa days and indulgent treats. It’s about looking after yourself physically and mentally every day and these apps have just made that so much more achievable.

Now go on, my friends, and embark on your self-care journey with the following amazing apps and tools!

Trust me, it’s a game-changer!

1. Headspace

If you’re looking to take a step in the right direction for your mental health, Headspace is a worthwhile option to consider. 

Headspace has established itself as a leading app in the self-care arena, committed to providing guided meditation resources and tools that are easy to use and understand.

Introduction to Headspace app

Headspace is a meditation app that aims to make meditation simple. Regardless of how busy you are, it’s designed to fit perfectly into any schedule, offering bite-sized guided meditations that you can utilize anytime, anywhere.

Features and benefits of Headspace meditation

Headspace comes packed with a variety of features to encourage regular meditation, including:

  • Daily Meditations: These help keep your practice fresh, with new topics introduced each day.
  • Mindful Moments: To keep you inspired, Headspace bridges the gap between meditation sessions and your everyday life.
  • Sleep Tools: Having trouble sleeping? Headspace provides sleep sounds and guided exercises aimed at producing a better night’s sleep.
  • Move Mode: Headspace combines workout and meditation in a unique way to improve both your physical and mental health.

In terms of benefits, regular use of Headspace can help reduce stress, improve focus, and foster a greater overall sense of well-being.

As such, if you’re looking for a way to incorporate self-care into your daily routine, Headspace is a worthy contender.

Remember, the best kind of self-care is the kind you can stick to, and Headspace has been designed with that principle in mind.

Calm water with trees along both sides

2. Calm

In the quest for mental tranquility and relaxation, the Calm app truly lives up to its name.

Launched in 2012, it quickly became one of the leaders in the wellness app sector, redefining the digital self-care scene with its diverse range of offerings.

Introduction to Calm app

Calm app is designed to support mental wellness and centers around cultivating mindfulness and improving sleep. 

With its appealing user interface and variety of choices, it seeks to cater to everyone’s individual tastes and needs. The app provides mindfulness and meditation services, sleep stories, and relaxing music.

Relaxation and sleep features of Calm

The relaxation and sleep features of the Calm app are particularly beneficial. Here’s a brief rundown:

  • Meditation: Calm offers a comprehensive collection of guided meditations designed to cater to a wide range of needs. From reducing anxiety to managing stress, there is a session for almost every situation.
  • Sleep Stories: Calm’s unique library of sleep stories, narrated by renowned voices, provides a relaxing bedtime routine that can help users drift off to sleep.
  • Music: The app also includes a specially curated collection of relaxing tracks to help users unwind.

Here’s a quick recap:

FeaturesWhat it offers
MeditationGuided sessions covering various topics
Sleep StoriesRelaxing stories read by well-known voices to help you fall asleep
MusicDiverse collection of calming music tracks

As a tool for daily self-care, Calm brings variety and ease, providing much-needed tranquility and unwinding amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life.

The key is to make it a habit, incorporate it into your routine, and watch the benefits unfold over time.

To sum up, the proliferation of self-care apps like Calm means that peace and relaxation are quite literally at your fingertips.

3. Fabulous

Fabulous: Daily Planner & Self-Care Habit Tracker is an award-winning self-care app that’s designed to help you develop healthy habits and achieve your personal goals.

Available on iOS and Android, Fabulous was developed at Duke University’s Behavioral Economics Lab, which means its foundation is backed by scientific research on habit formation and behavior change.

Self-care routines and habits with Fabulous

With a guiding principle, “small steps taken consistently to develop habits and achieve long-term goals,” the Fabulous app encourages users to commit to certain goals consistently.

To help users establish and maintain these habits, it uses practices from empowering structures like yoga, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and meditation.

Features and benefits of Fabulous for daily practice

Fabulous offers a variety of features designed to help you on your self-care journey:

  • Personalized daily morning routines
  • Streaks and rewards for continuous progress
  • Individually tailored self-care paths
  • A customizable reminder system
  • A vast library of content including exercises, meditation guides, and self-improvement tips
  • Tracks and measures your progress over time

Here’s a snapshot of the features offered by the fabulous app:

FeatureDescription
Personalized Daily RoutinesCustomizable routines designed to help you conquer your day.
Progress TrackingContinuous updates on your progress towards achieving your self-care goals.
Tailored Self-Care PathsIndividual journey towards improved health and happiness.
Extensive Learning LibraryA wide range of material on useful self-improvement practices and techniques.

Utilizing self-care apps such as Fabulous can make it easier to achieve your wellness goals.

Whether you want to conquer procrastination, become more disciplined, or take time for relaxation and self-care, this app’s habit tracker and personalized coaching can be a highly valuable tool. 

Each aspect of Fabulous aligns with the self-care goal to make daily practice simple and enjoyable.

Fitness App on phone and vegetable plate

4. MyFitnessPal

Self-care goes beyond taking care of your mental wellbeing; it’s equally essential to pay attention to your physical health.

Among the top-rated apps to track and manage self-care goals, MyFitnessPal stands tall.

Tracking and managing self-care goals with MyFitnessPal

MyFitnessPal, with its extensive food database, helps track calorie intake and maintain a balanced diet. It has a user-friendly interface that enables users to log the food they consume and exercise they undertake.

The handy feature of barcode scanning can identify nutritional facts of may food items. Allowing for logging in home-cooked meals as well, it’s a straightforward way to keep track of your daily intake.

Furthermore, it syncs with other fitness apps like Apple Health and Fitbit, providing a comprehensive view of your health journey.

Health and nutrition features of MyFitnessPal

The unique selling proposition of MyFitnessPal is its outstanding health and nutrition management features. Here are some of the key offerings:

  • Over 14 million foods in the database
  • Personalized fitness goals
  • Integration with more than 50 apps and devices
  • Recipe importing
  • Nutrition insights to help make healthier choices

MyFitnessPal is a one-stop solution for your fitness goals. It acts as the base for a healthier and more satisfied life while keeping you attuned to your self-care objectives.

To delve more into this platform, visit their official page here.

The beauty of technological enrichment lies in its capacity to introduce tools that significantly simplify the journey to overall well-being.

MyFitnessPal is proof of this, enabling users to chalk out their health objectives effectively, and more importantly, realistically.

 It’s the perfect tool to ensure your wellness efforts are consistent, quantifiable and fulfilling.

5. Sleep Cycle

In the hectic world we live in today, maintaining good sleep quality is significant for maintaining overall health and performance. Good sleep is a vital part of any self-care routine, and the Sleep Cycle app is a fantastic tool to help you achieve that.

Improving sleep quality with Sleep Cycle app

The Sleep Cycle app, available on both Android and  iOS  uses the science of sleep to help improve your sleep quality.

It uses sound analysis to identify sleep phases by tracking movements in bed. 

These analyses are then used to wake you up during your lightest sleep phase, resulting in less grogginess and a more refreshing start to your day.

Sleep tracking and analysis features of Sleep Cycle

The Sleep Cycle app boasts a host of features that include:

  • Sleep Analysis: It provides detailed sleep statistics and graphs that track your sleep over time.
  • Sleep Aid: The app has a collection of soundscapes and stories to help you fall asleep faster.
  • Smart Alarm: Wakes you up during your lightest sleep phase to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed.
  • Integrated Health Insights: You can link the app to Apple Health to see how sleep affects your overall health metrics.

Here is a brief comparison of the Sleep Cycle app with other self-care apps:

AppTop FeaturesAvailable On
Sleep CycleSleep analysis, sleep aid, smart alarm, health insightsiOS, Android
CalmMindfulness meditation, sleep stories, breathing exercisesiOS, Android
HeadspaceGuided meditation, sleep stories, mindfulness exercisesiOS, Android

Sleep Cycle app is a valuable self-care tool that can help improve your sleep quality, making it an excellent addition to your daily self-care practices.

mobile apps to track mood

6. Daylio

Daylio is a remarkable self-care app  that aids users in tracking their daily moods and habits.

It’s highly recommended for people who want to understand their emotions better and cultivate healthier habits over time.

Mood and Habit Tracking with Daylio App

Daylio operates by allowing users to keep a private diary without the need to type a single line. Instead, users pick their mood from a given set of options and then can optionally jot down the activities they’ve done during the day.

This data gets compiled into statistics and graphs which you can study to recognize your behavior patterns and mood swings.

Benefits and Customization Options of Daylio

Daylio supports customization, granting you the power to create custom moods, activities, and even reminders. Its flexibility makes it a fabulous tool for self-care, here are a few core benefits:

  • The ability to monitor and anticipate mood patterns.
  • The freedom to customize activities, allowing for more personalized tracking.
  • Reflection on what is causing certain moods to occur.
  • Identifying correlations between daily habits and emotions.

Daylio app offers both free and premium versions, with the latter providing more benefits such as unlimited moods, more reminder options, mood trends on a larger scale, and a PIN lock to keep your entries secure.

In summary, Daylio serves as a great tool to enhance self-awareness, practice mindfulness and eventually bolster your mental well-being.

7. Sanvello

In the busy and often stressful times we live in, taking care of one’s mental health has never been more critical. Thankfully, several apps are dedicated to providing tools and resources to help manage stress and anxiety  Sanvello is one of them.

Managing stress and anxiety with Sanvello app

Sanvello is one of many self-care apps that have garnered popularity for its holistic approach to mental wellness. Its resources are designed to help manage stress, anxiety, and even depression.

It includes daily self-care activities that help reinforce positive daily routines, such as maintaining a balanced diet and sleep cycle, and regular exercise.

 Sanvello’s key features include:

  • Personalized Journey: Guided activities based on specific needs and goals.
  • Mood Tracking: Keep track of your mood swings and understand your emotional patterns better.
  • Guided Journeys: Expert-led cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions.
  • Peer Support: Connect with a community of users for understanding, support, and inspiration.

Therapeutic features and resources of Sanvello

Beyond just general wellness tools, Sanvello provides targeted resources for more pressing mental health issues.

These include therapeutic techniques for dealing with severe stress, clinically validated techniques for reducing anxiety, and modules dealing with severe symptoms of depression.

In short, whether it’s managing the stress of daily life or seeking help for more serious mental health concerns, the Sanvello app is a comprehensive tool that encapsulates various elements of self-care in one user-friendly platform.

It truly amounts to an all-in-one self-care app catered to daily practice.

A lady lying down with eyes closed

8. Reflectly

Reflectly, is an AI-driven personal journal app that has gained an immense following for its unique take on self-care, designed to promote emotional well-being.

Self-care is integral for the mind, and this app provides an excellent platform for users to voice their thoughts and feelings.

The concept of Reflectly is simple; it functions as a personal journal that helps users process their thoughts and highlight the peaks and valleys of their day.

Emotional well-being and Journaling with Reflectly App

According to studies, journaling is a powerful tool that can significantly improve your mental health. Reflectly leverages this concept and takes it a step further by incorporating AI.

It prompts you with personalized questions to help you reflect on your day, mood, and thoughts, promoting emotional well-being. It’s like having your therapist in your pocket!

Features and benefits of Reflectly for Self-Reflection

A few of the standout features and benefits of Reflectly include:

  • Personalized Questions: Reflectly uses AI to ask you personalized questions, making the reflection process more effective and relevant.
  • Mood Tracker: It has a mood tracking feature that enables you to track your feelings over time, helping you understand what triggers certain emotions.
  • Statistics and Insights: Reflectly aggregates your data to provide you with statistics and insights about your mood, activities, and overall emotional health.
  • Easy-to-use interface: The app has a simple and user-friendly interface, making it easy to use.

To learn more about the science of journaling, check out this Wikipedia article that provides some valuable information.

If you seek to approach mindfulness and tap into your emotions, Reflectly might just be the solution you need. Harness the power of self-reflection to understand and improve your emotional well-being.

9. Forest

Entering the world of self-care apps and tools, we come across a rather unique one – the Forest app. Designed to not only keep your mental well-being in check, this app also aims at boosting your productivity.

Productivity and Mindful Focus with Forest App

Forest is a popular app that utilizes the method of gamification to keep your mind focused on your task. It encourages users to stay away from their phone so that they can focus on what’s essential in their life.

When you need to work or study, plant a tree in the app. If you leave the app to play on your phone, your little digital tree will wither.

But stay focused on your task, and your tree will grow into a mature plant.

Gamification and Motivation Features of Forest

What’s unique about the Forest app? It’s the gamification aspect. Users can make consistent effort towards their mental well-being and daily productivity seem like a fun venture.

Here are some fascinating features of the Forest app:

  • Visual progress: Watch your virtual forest grow as you spend less time on your phone and more time being productive.
  • Productivity Timer: Use the built-in timer to set dedicated focus sessions and break times.
  • Statistics: Track your progress and understand your usage pattern better to create effective work habits.
  • Social Motivation: Connect with friends and join challenges to motivate each other to stay productive.

With these key facets of productivity and mindfulness in action, Forest illuminates the path towards a balanced work-life routine, making self-care an enjoyable daily experience.

Final Thoughts on Best Self-Care Apps and Tools for Daily Practice

In 2023, there is an abundance of top self-care apps on the market, each providing unique features to help users focus on their daily self-care practices.

Headspace and Calm are both excellent for meditation and mindfulness practices, while Fabulous is fantastic for users trying to build healthy habits. 

MyFitnessPal is ideal for those focusing on nutrition and exercise, whereas Sleep Cycle is an excellent tool to help you sleep better.

Daylio app resources allows you to track your mood and activities, giving you valuable insights about your emotional well-being. Sanvello offers clinically validated techniques for dealing with stress, anxiety, and depression. 

Reflectly is a personal journal to track your thoughts and feelings, while Forest allows you to build focus and productivity.

When it comes to daily self-care, here are some key points to bear in mind:

  • Start with small, manageable goals and gradually build up.
  • Be consistent. It’s more beneficial to have short self-care practices regularly than sporadic long sessions.
  • Choose the self-care practices that suit your lifestyle and preferences. What works great for others might not work for you.
  • Combine multiple tools for a comprehensive self-care routine. For example, you could use Headspace for meditation, MyFitnessPal for nutrition and exercise, and Sleep Cycle for improving sleep.
  • Remember self-care is not a chore but a practice to develop a healthier, happier you!

By using these self-care apps, not only can they help you improve your daily routine, but you’ll also be investing in your long-term well-being.

As you start your journey of self-care, remember to be patient and consistent. Good habits take time.

P.S: While self-care apps provide wonderful support, they should not replace professional help for deeper issues.

Always seek professional advice when needed.

Stay beautiful inside and out!

Are you looking for inspiring content to fuel your self-love journey? Interested in tips and tools to enhance your self-care routine? Or perhaps, you are on the lookout for a supportive community that celebrates the beauty of being your authentic self?

Whatever your needs are, we’ve got you covered!

Join us today and tap into a world of empowering content, vibrant community discussions, and meaningful self-care experiences. Let’s celebrate the joy of self-love and personal growth together.

So what are you waiting for? Dive into pheelpretty.com now and immerse yourself in the world of well-being.

Chinyelu Karibi-Whyte
About Chinyelu Karibi-Whyte

Chinyelu Karibi-Whyte, the founder of Pheel Pretty, is a dynamic cybersecurity specialist and a passionate advocate for personal growth and resilience. As an empowerment advocate, she combines her tech expertise with her deep commitment to building self-esteem, confidence and a positive mindset. Chinyelu's unique perspective, shaped by her professional background and personal journey, including being a mother, enriches her approach to empowering others. You can follow her on https://www.linkedin.com/in/chinyelu-philomena-karibi-whyte/

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