Thoughtful Thursday: Best Apps for Health and Stress Reduction

Life is busy with graduate school, dissertation research and writing, work obligations, family obligations -- oh, and somewhere in there, you're supposed to sleep, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, and keep your stress low. We get that your schedule is packed to the brim, but staying healthy (both physically and mentally) is important. A lack of sleep can negatively impact mood, motivation, learning, and memory; poor nutrition can impair concentration, brain function, and mood; and anxiety can interfere with writing and work. Addressing these issues can not only help you become the healthiest you can be, but also inadvertently help with your dissertation or thesis.

While we can't magically make you healthier, we can help with some of the stress around your thesis or dissertation. If you're stressing about editing or formatting your project, or are stuck and don't know how to move forward, our editing team can assist you with editing, formatting, and even provide individualized coaching and consultation sessions to help you get to where you need to be.

In the meantime, check out the apps we've found to help make getting started on your health journey a little easier.



Headspace is an app with guided meditation sessions that can help with stress reduction, sleep, anxiety, and other issues. It also has on-the-go, shorter meditation exercises, as well as coping tools for emergencies.

If you’re having trouble sleeping because of anxiety, the app Relax Melodies has a variety of sounds, including white noise, rainfall, and nature sounds, to help you fall asleep. You can create a playlist of relaxing sounds, or even use guided meditations at times during the day.

My Fitness Pal is a website and app that lets you log healthy recipes, track your calories and exercise, and keep an overall health and fitness diary. If you’re looking for a comprehensive place to start with healthy eating and wellness, this is a good app to check out.

Eating healthy can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start, but the app ShopWell can make things a little easier. You type in what kinds of food you want to avoid, the stores near you, and set up your profile, and you can get recommended foods to try, nutrition info, and more. You can even scan items in the grocery store to learn more about them. One of the coolest things is that you can get healthier alternatives to foods you typically buy/eat.

If you don’t have time for an hour-long meditation session, try the app Calm (also a website). These sessions range from two to 20 minutes, and are perfect for a quick work break or lunchtime de-stress session.

What's your favorite health-related app?

If you've been looking at your dissertation or thesis wondering where to go from here, contact us today! We can help take a load off your shoulders by assisting you with editing, formatting, statistics services, and more.