We would guess you have a bunch of apps on your smartphone that you seldom, if ever, use. Maybe they were preloaded on your phone when you got it. Maybe they caught your eye in the app store, and you downloaded them on a whim. Maybe a friend recommended an app they really loved, so you put it on your phone—only to discover you don’t like it all.
Unless you are running really low on memory on your phone, you probably let apps you don’t use just hang out. You might see them from time to time, but it probably seldom occurs to you to delete them. Heck, who knows when something might be useful, right?
But what if you made more intentional choices about the apps on your phone—especially the ones on your home screen? Could you put together a collection of apps that support your mental health and your sobriety?
We suspect you could. In fact, we have 10 suggestions for the kinds of apps that might be useful on your recovery journey.
- A Sobriety-Tracking App
This might be the most obvious kind of app for a person in recovery. Any of a number of sobriety tracking apps can help you see just how far you’ve come on your recovery journey. That sort of evidence of success can be a powerful motivator to keep you focused on staying sober. - A Goals-Tracking App
The key to making progress on goals—whether related to your sobriety or another aspect of your life—is to have and follow a plan, marking off milestones as you reach them. There are a variety of apps designed to help you define and pursue goals. - A Fitness Tracking App
Physical fitness supports your mental health, which means it also supports your sobriety. A fitness app can help you keep track of just how much exercise you are getting, and help you set achievable goals for ongoing improvement. Many of these apps provide feedback and congratulate you on meeting various goals—reinforcement that can keep you going. - A Nutrition App
An app designed to help you make smart eating choices can be really helpful in recovery. So many of us eat when we are stressed or feeling low, and that can be a real problem for a person working to maintain their sobriety—especially if you are consuming too much sugar. - A Sleep App
Sleep is so important to your overall well-being. It can also be elusive. An app can help you start to form good habits around sleep. In addition to tracking your sleep, these apps often offer various sounds—music, white/brown noise, stories—that are intended to help you fall asleep more easily. - A Mindfulness/Meditation App
Your recovery can be undermined if you spend too much time replaying things you regret from the past or worrying about what might happen in the future. Mindfulness practice helps you learn to stay in the present moment. It is one of a number of meditation practices that can be helpful to those who are working to leave drug or alcohol use in the past. - A Gratitude App
Remembering all the things you have to be grateful for is a good way to shore up your sobriety. An app that lets you record a few things you are thankful for at the end of each day is a great way to remind yourself that your sobriety enables a lot of positive things in your life. - A Spiritual Practice App
A spiritual practice is not necessarily the same as a religious practice. Making a spiritual connection means finding something outside yourself that reminds you that the world is a pretty wondrous place. That might take the form of a traditional religion, but it doesn’t have to. An app can help you look at life through a more spiritual lens. - An Affirmations App
Many people turn out to be their own worst critics. Their inner monologue is constantly criticizing them and bringing up past mistakes. Getting in the habit of thinking affirming thoughts can start to turn the tide and make your inner voice your friend rather than your foe. Plenty of apps can get you started with suggestions for affirmations. - A Music App
Music can have such a powerful impact on our mood—and that makes it a great resource for a person in recovery. A good song can see you through a craving, help you relax, pump up your energy, and more. So making sure you have some of your favorite music available on your phone is a great idea.
We Have the Aptitude to Help You Overcome a Substance Use Disorder
Drugs and alcohol can steal everything good about your life from you. Reclaiming your sobriety is the first step toward reclaiming your life. At Wooded Glen Recovery Center in Indiana, we can help you do just that.
We offer personalized treatment for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, and more. We provide resources, strategies, and ongoing support so that you can begin your recovery journey with confidence. In fact, we have an app for that. And we are always ready to help again if you experience a relapse.
If it is time to turn your life around, it is time to get treatment at Wooded Glen Recovery Center.