The Knowledge
Top tech Six of the best wellbeing apps JACK DORSEY, FOUNDER OF TWITTER, HAS REVEALED HIS OWN UNIQUE APPROACH TO PERSONAL WELLBEING. IT INVOLVES ICE-COLD BATHS, SAUNAS, EATING ONE MEAL A DAY AND REGULAR MINDFULNESS RETREATS WHERE HE GETS AWAY FROM ALL TECHNOLOGY. IF THAT ALL SOUNDS TOO ONEROUS, THERE’S A GOOD CHOICE OF APPS THAT CAN HELP YOU TO MANAGE YOUR OWN WELLBEING AT WORK AND BEYOND 1. HEADSPACE is a UK-American company
4. MY POSSIBLE SELF is an app focusing on
founded by Andy Puddicombe, a former Tibetan Buddhist monk, which specialises in meditation. It began as an events company in 2010 and developed an app, which was launched in 2012. Subscribers can access a large library of guided meditation content, including quirky graphics and Puddicombe’s soothing voiceover, and graduate through different stages of mindfulness. The company says you can learn to meditate in just a few minutes a day. Headspace has been used in a number of clinical trials and research projects, in one case funded by the British Heart Foundation. Subscription prices start at £5.99 a month. headspace.com
mental health, with endorsement from the NHS. It allows you to rate your mood using an intuitive mood tracking and insights interface. You can choose from a selection of interactive learning modules – ranging from cognitive behavioural therapy to positive psychology, designed to help navigate your way through life – and create ‘moments’ that privately express your daily thoughts, feelings and experiences. A monthly subscription starts at £5.99. mypossibleself.com
2. BUDDHIFY also focuses on meditation and mindfulness. You can download the app for a oneoff fee of £4.99 or become a member, which gives access to deeper features and helps support the company, with an annual fee of £25. According to Buddhify, the app focuses on ‘on-the-go meditation, which you can do wherever you are and whatever you’re doing’. So you don’t need to put aside dedicated time during the day. The interface is a wheel of options, such as ‘work break’, ‘can’t sleep’, ‘waking up’, and so on. buddhify.com
3. STOP, BREATHE & THINK (SBT) has a particular angle: it analyses your current mood by questioning you; it then recommends short activities and guided meditations that are tuned to your emotions. You can download it for free with access to more than 20 activities; or unlock premium content with a subscription starting at $5.83 a month. Of particular interest to those in the workplace is that SBT can integrate with applications such as Slack to facilitate group or team meditations. stopbreathethink.com
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5. SLEEP CYCLE – as the name suggests – is all about sleep. The app uses your smartphone’s microphone to detect your movements and analyse the pattern of your sleep. It wakes you up gently, detecting when you are in a light phase of sleep, and monitors the overall quality of your sleep. You can input specific information – such as having a hot drink or a bath before you go to bed – so you can find out what helps to improve your sleep. The app is free, with premium upgrades at £24.99 per year. sleepcycle.com 6. COVE is an app with an interesting twist. It helps you to express your feelings through creating music that’s stored in a personal music journal. Users create small loops of music using the app’s interface; they can pick a general ‘mood’ and then arrange notes and chords to create a short composition, choosing instruments and effects to suit their mood. It was originally developed – with NHS funding – for teenagers suffering from bereavement or depression, who were struggling to express themselves, but it’s now being used much more widely. And it’s free. cove-app.com
WHAT’S
HOT PUSHFOR This app is designed for sending documents or messages that will self-destruct, Mission Impossible style. The pushed content is never actually sent – it remains at source – so whatever you show people can only be seen for a limited time before it disappears, and screen grabs are disabled. Ideal for briefing your team with confidential information. £20 a month, pushfor.com
SPIREHEALTH These tags are the latest concept in wearable technology. Made by a San Franciscobased company, these tags clip on to your clothes and record a whole range of health data – heartbeats, steps, workouts – as you go through the day. They can even go through the washing machine. And you don’t have to remember to put on your wristband before you leave the home. $129 for a three-pack, spirehealth.com
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