Quarantine led to a significant reduction of physical activity for most people. For employees in the library here at OCtech, that was no different. Then in July, the president of the college (Walt Tobin) sent out a challenge that was surprisingly effective. Using the app Runkeeper, we were challenged to log a certain number of miles per week (the first month I believe it was three, then we boosted it up to five miles a week). We jumped (or in my case, covid-related lumbered) to our feet to meet the challenge- and despite the heat of South Carolina July, we got moving. It isn't easy. But especially with the uptick in anxiety and depression (and sometimes flat out fear), having a little extra motivation to get out the door can make all the difference. That's why I started investigating other methods of motivating- and stumbled upon the (quite nearly crippling) addiction of Pokemon Go. However, if the nerd quotient of that is off putting, there are plenty of other smart-phone apps that can help encourage physical movement. This page lists a number of fantastic apps meant for teens and tweens. For adults, this list from Lifehack includes apps with convenient and not-overly intimidating or overly time-consuming challenges; including apps that focus on workouts that don't require additional equipment, exercise activities that take 7 minutes or less, 30 day couch-to-YourChoice challenges (the concept here being that you accept the challenge to go from being an un-athletic couch-potato to being able to meet whichever standard you have selected... frequently people choose "Couch to 5K").
Physical activity isn't the only thing we should be paying attention to, however. Even if you cannot afford a fitbit/smart watch or don't want to use one for other reasons, you can still use your smartphone to collect data about yourself. Specifically, there are a number of apps (my personal favorite is Sleep as Android) that will monitor your sleep just by being next to you. These apps can monitor a number of things including sleep cycles (REM v Deep Sleep/Light Sleep, moments when you are briefly awake), and there are even options to record when you talk in your sleep, as well as options to try to modify snoring through behavior. Having this data can be empowering. For those who do have a smartwatch/fitbit, there is emerging evidence that these can help with early detection of Covid-19. For those who don't have a fitness tracker due to financial reasons, websites such as Wirecutter are great ways to get trust-worthy reviews; not only are they honest about which products they test, they willingly admit to possible bias in the researchers' perspectives (some people are more interested in accurately counting steps, while others prefer different features in smartwatches/fitness trackers). A quick search for "smart watch" or "Fitness tracker" will show you articles detailing products tested, their main recommendation, their "budget" recommendation, and alternatives that aren't perfect/may have features that are more appealing based on individual preference/needs.
Finally, a quick recommendation for a mental health app- Moodspace (or any of the similar apps, since there are many) is a great journaling/self-examination app. For those of us who don't have a 24/7 on-demand therapist, this is an excellent alternative. The app gives queries based on the information you provide about your state of mind/mood. It helps to untangle the more complex causes of emotions, and through it's series of queries/exercises (one example of which is "think of three things that you are thankful for") it actually works to help shift your mood from whatever negative form it's taken to either positive or at least more neutral. It also helps with analyzing inter-personal conflicts.
The last app on here is more of a play-oriented meditation app. For people who can't stop their mind from buzzing between subjects/tasks, MyOasis is a simple, calming arts-y game intended to help sooth busy minds and be conducive to a more meditative/reflective state of being. It's got incredibly pretty graphics, cute animals, and gives messages of caring support. It also involves fun challenges if you're in the mood, but it isn't really a "points" based game- you don't really win or lose, just relax and enjoy it.
With that, this concludes the library's "self care" tech/app recommendations. Stay healthy, and keep positive!
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