WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW...
IF YOU want to make sense of your world, write everything down, a very smart person very probably once said. And if you were to take a peek into any one of the many app stores serving the various platforms, you would find that advice being taken very seriously.
There are literally thousands of ‘journaling’ apps out there.
Keeping a journal seems to me to be the US equivalent of keeping a diary. Only these app-based diaries are so much more than a tatty spiral-bound notebook containing your inner-most thoughts, kept in a cardboard box under your bed. They can perform the same function, of course – but they can analyse and offer advice, too.
Here are five of the best.
They’re all available for both iOS and Android, and all require subscriptions to access the full feature-set.
JOURNEY: DIARY, JOURNAL
Join millions of Journey users and create a healthier, happier mind. A sanctuary for your mind and soul, Journey will help increase your positive energy, be more grateful and a calmer mind by building healthy thinking through journaling.
We’re more than just a journal, or a diary; we’re your own motivational coach and happiness trainer. Let’s embark on a fabulous journey of self-improvement today.
Journey is one of the most popular journaling apps and can help you build sound and solid habits to advance your mental and physical wellbeing goals. You tell it what you want to achieve and it will remind you and help you tick-off your progress – the more you appreciate how small wins can make a difference, the more likely you are to stick with the programme.
£3.49/month, £28.49/year.
DAY ONE
From once-in-a-lifetime events to everyday moments, Day One’s elegant interface makes journaling about your life a simple pleasure. Keeping a journal is an act of love. It makes you aware of your surroundings, cognizant of your actions, and open to adapting to all the changes around you. Day One is the journal that redefines journaling. Discover how Day One lets you capture life as you live it.
The best-looking of the journaling apps, Day One allows you to capture your daily events using a wide variety of media – including photos, text and audio. And it collates them all into a lovely-looking diary that can be revisited by date and location.
It’ll help you keep track of your progress, see where you have taken a wrong turn, and relive your finest hours.
£3.49/month, £32.99/year.
REFLECTLY
How you are feeling on a daily basis matters. Reflectly is a personal journal and diary driven by artificial intelligence to enable you to deal with negative thoughts, make positivity louder and to teach you about the science of well-being. Be prepared to reduce stress, get perspective, develop gratitude and learn to apply empathy and kindness to every aspect of your life.
Reflectly uses positive psychology, mindfulness and cognitive behavioural therapy to make you thrive in life and to give you the personal tools and mindset to overcome negative thoughts and build a habit of positivity through a journal into your life.
Reflectly doesn’t just allow you to track your days, it prompts you to actually reflect on what has happened and understand it. It uses clever AI to frame the questions in a way that will hopefully guide you to better understand what path you take and why, and help you to course-correct when things go wrong.
£9.99/month, £27.49/year, £299.99/life.
DAYLIO
Daylio is a very versatile app, and you can turn it on whatever you need to track. Your fitness goal pal. Your mental health coach. Your food log. Your gratitude diary. Mood tracker. Exercise, meditate, eat, and be grateful. Take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Good self-care is a key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. This is
STOIC
the time for your wellbeing, selfimprovement, and self-care.
Daylio lets you log literally everything in the hope of encouraging mindfulness a cross your daily life. The aim is to help you to see how your behaviours are connected and one influences the other. Take control and create new habits that foster good mental and physical wellbeing.
£2.49/month, £18.99/year.
Stoic can help you live a happier and more tranquil life. You will learn stoicism philosophy and how to cope with stress. Get your daily mental health tracker companion for mood tracking, journaling, meditations, and reflection. It analyses your emotive influences and gives you insights on how to be happier and more productive.
Stoic takes a more philosophical approach to journaling, with inspirational quotes from great thinkers to help motivate you towards improvement. The aim is to develop good routines, and developing strategies to cope in high-stress situations.
£6.99/month. £36.99/year.