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Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

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Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#151

Post by idoh »

thefourthchime wrote: post #141
idoh wrote: post #96

Anki - jam everything into here. Various work facts, chess mate in X move puzzles, watched movie plots, every time I make a mistake I add it, etc. BrainHQ - train your brain every day, get sharper. I found out about it after reading that Tom Brady uses it to be a better QB. After using it for a couple weeks I could notice a difference.

Just tried BrainHQ, neat app. Thanks!

If you want to try it out, my recommendation is to set a very moderate goal, like ten minutes a day (an app setting) and then just stick with it. Don't be like me and who set it for 30 minutes, and then burned out.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#152

Post by mellosouls »

tomatocracy wrote: post #31

Don't forget boring old Ebook reader apps eg Kindle. Spending more of those little 5 or 10 minute breaks on reading a decent (fiction) book instead of browsing social media etc was one of the best things I've done for my happiness in the past couple of years.

I agree with the principle - but the apps are ultimately comparatively unhealthy compared to hardware ereaders like actual Kindle.

I rarely use the app as I've normally got the latter with me if I'm going to have time to read.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#153

Post by noufalibrahim »

Some apps I've found genuinely useful.

1. A Simple habit tracker

2. Stock Google apps - Calendar, Mail, Maps, Keep, Meet (or whatever it's called now)

3. C25K for running

4. A few investment apps for crypto and stocks

5. Messaging - Signal, Telegram, Whatsapp, Discord

6. Audible - For those long drives

7. NewPipe - A much better Youtube/Spotify client

8. Brave - I try to use sites instead of apps for most things (twitter, Amazon, other shopping, bank etc.)

9. Password Manager

10. Dropbox

With the messaging apps, how you use it can decide whether they're going to kill you or improve your life. Your boundaries need to be especially strong here.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#154

Post by Arrath »

medo-bear wrote: post #140
NalNezumi wrote: post #68

Not apps but things that have helped me: * remove All notifications from non-message & Calendar apps. * condition everyone around you that you might not reply messages in time. (crucial to make above work) and ofc you have to follow that too. * (if you have the financial means) get another device without ANY distraction what so ever, ideally disconnected from the internet (except maybe syncing files) For me it is a e…

> condition everyone around you that you might not reply messages in time i would add turning off read-receipts if possible in your message apps, as well as online notifications, and last seen

I've always felt that these were needlessly invasive, going back to online/away indicators in early IM programs.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#156

Post by valbaca »

yieldcrv wrote: post #146
valbaca wrote: post #123

These are my "good" apps: - Spotify: everyone loves music. Put it on speakerphone. Dance and sing silly while you cook. - Shazam: discover music. Exactly what apps ought to be. - Google Maps: Does what it does. - Google home: setting my lights to match the time of day / mood / or movie. - Google Authenticator: 2FA is good - "Justin Guitar", a simple guitar tuner, and a metronome app: I've been learning guitar - Duoli…

tangential: Regarding Duolingo, its nice that its a fun gamified thing for you and your wife to do together, consider formal education though. A 3-month class at community college will propel way further than believing Duolingo's method has short circuited a mental process. Duolingo is a decent addition to another learning method. But level 25 isn't going to be fundamentally different than level 7, it will never tell…

For sure. Duolingo alone is not sufficient.

We supplement with other materials. She checks out Spanish books from the library and I'm latino, so my (elderly) family is Spanish-speaking.

My parents just didn't learn Spanish (it was "bad" to have any Spanish accent in the 70s and 80s), so I didn't know Spanish growing up either.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#157

Post by ilc »

Good apps:

Pandora: Don't share your channels, just enjoy some tunes.

Non F2P Games: Dream Quest (Great rogue-like). Sentineles of the Multiverse, most all the Inkle games.

Soulver: Great for quick calculations, with units.

Weather: For when you go outside. (Gasp)

Lyft/Uber: Need a ride?

If you are a traveler, airline apps can be handy. Some credit card apps are decent.

Overall, just avoid social media and free to play games, and you'll have a good time IMHO.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#158

Post by bckr »

mrfusion wrote: post #130
bckr wrote: post #109

* c25k (couch to 5k) is an app I just started using to train for long distance running. A week ago, I thought I could only run for 2 blocks. With the first 2 runs on this app (and the advice from r/running to run slower), I now realize I can run a lot further than that already. * SnoreLab & SnoreGym. My partner told me I was snoring and waking her up. Well, this app made it easy to collect data on that and then perfo…

What did you find helped with snoring?

Super hydration right before bed, nasal saline spray, wedge pillow. Secondarily hot shower before bed, nasal opening strips. Over the long term, weight loss.

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#159

Post by valbaca »

thefourthchime wrote: post #134
valbaca wrote: post #123

These are my "good" apps: - Spotify: everyone loves music. Put it on speakerphone. Dance and sing silly while you cook. - Shazam: discover music. Exactly what apps ought to be. - Google Maps: Does what it does. - Google home: setting my lights to match the time of day / mood / or movie. - Google Authenticator: 2FA is good - "Justin Guitar", a simple guitar tuner, and a metronome app: I've been learning guitar - Duoli…

At least one iOS there is a built-in Shazam button in the control center if you enable it. It's a faster way to find out the song that's playing.

yep! I'm on iOS. Everything on the Control Panel is a Good App: airplane mode, low power mode, add note, add audio recording, alarms, timers, stopwatch, calculator, flashlight, Apple Pay, Shazam, and camera

Re: Ask HN: What are some mentally healthy apps to have?

#160

Post by bckr »

kwatsonafter wrote: post #149

In the spirit of Marshall McLuhan; changing the channel doesn't change the media. You're a dignified person. You needn't engage with the world of ideas through your thumbs and a 4 inch light hole at all. You're important-- if someone needs your correspondence it would be appropriate that this be facilitated by mail and by computer e-mail when time is a concern. Emperors, judges, and men of consequence don't communica…

This is a very efficient way to end up very lonely.
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