Happy New Year, babes! Last year was a rough ride for most of us, and 2021 is kinda looking like 2020 Season 2. Sadly, it turns out Covid didn’t end on 1st Jan as hoped, and thanks to Cyril, we couldn’t even pop bottles as we entered the new year. That said, after each passing storm, there is respite, and we are so pleased to be allowed to access our beaches and bottle stores again.
At the start of each year, we get the opportunity to shift our perspectives, as we resolve to do better and kick bad habits. In our opinion, our mindset is our priority, and our aim is to notice negative thoughts before they spiral out of control. Most important for us in 2021 is taking care of numero uno. Because we can’t give our best until we feel our best, right? It’s like that meme doing the rounds: Either contribute to our good vibes or peace the f*** out. ✌️
In the spirit of being the best we can be, we’ve assembled a list of 4 free personal development apps, to keep us thriving over the months to come. First on our list has just been named one of Time’s best inventions of 2020: Duolingo.
We can personally attest to the quality of this clever language learning app. It’s free, with a paid option to get rid of ads (there aren’t that many, really), and consists of fun and interesting ways to learn and practice any language we choose. Our favourite function is the Stories tab, where Duolingo has created entertaining scenarios that make language learning fun and attainable. “15 minutes a day on Duolingo can teach you a new language. What does 15 mins on social media do for you?”
This brain training app is free with the option to pay for more functions, but the simple version is more than enough, we reckon. Everyday, Elevate recommends completing three tasks in Math and/ or Language, and these are personalized based on what we choose to improve. The lessons are interactive, interesting and effective, and we can watch our skill levels improve in the EPQ (Performance) tab. In our experience, this app helps enormously with vocabulary building and allows us to figure out seemingly complicated equations in half the time.
The Calm app actually won best Apple app back in 2018, and it just keeps getting better. Now featuring meditation, sleep aid, gentle movement and music, Calm is designed to help us relax, focus, and/or sleep. There is a limited version of this app available for free and a paid version which features stories read by the likes of Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey. Each day, an original ‘Daily Calm’ is released, and new Sleep Stories are rolled out every week. Users describe this app as “absolutely amazing” and “worth it to pay a little extra for the premium version”, and we agree! The breathing tool is our favorite function. Start your free trial today and let us know what you think.
We couldn’t possibly write an article on personal development without mentioning our favorite yogi, Adriene Mishler. The Find What Feels Good app is not technically free, but you can access hundreds of free yoga videos on the #ywa YouTube page. The app, however, allows users to access 700+ videos with or without internet connection, schedule our own calendars with the built-in calendar, keep workouts for as long as we want, and access our subscription easily. It’s a beautiful, functional app, and anyone who knows Yoga with Adriene will appreciate the Find What Feels Good app. It’s only $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year to get access to high-quality yoga and mindfulness practices, anywhere, anytime!
There you have it babes; we hope you love these apps as much as we do.
May 2021 bring us all opportunity upon opportunity for growth, joy and mindfulness.
