stoic. journal & mental health

I’ve used many journaling apps over the 13 years I’ve had an iPhone and Mac. Many are great, for what they are. You can write and add pictures, maybe even a social check in or two. Recently I craved more from my journaling- namely I wanted to see the patterns in my writing, even a word cloud to show me what words I used most often. I can forget and its eye opening when you see that. I came across Stoic and it looked beautiful and promised to show me trends. What I didn’t count on was what a powerhouse of useful tools and tracking this amazing app had to offer. You’re greeted with a lot of choices and it can be overwhelming but there are discernible components: a mood check-in, guided meditations, guided breathing exercises, journaling prompts, affirmations. Under the aforementioned Trends section you have a wealth of feedback about your mental and physical state (it integrates with Apple Health too.) You can see your stats for using all the tools of the app. It’s insightful information. If I could request anything for a future version of this app it would be a quicker way to create journal entries without having to wade through the other elements, and that word cloud I mentioned. I can see a trend in my mood but word clouds are so helpful in showing you what words you use most often. I want to see that feedback cause its illuminating. Overall Stoic is a fantastic app that should be getting more attention. It also got me looking up the history of stoicism which is quite interesting.

I’ve used many journaling apps over the 13 years I’ve had an iPhone and Mac. Many are great, for what they are. You can write and add pictures, maybe even a social check in or two. Recently I craved more from my journaling- namely I wanted to see the patterns in my writing, even a word cloud to show me what words I used most often. I can forget and its eye opening when you see that. I came across Stoic and it looked beautiful and promised to show me trends. What I didn’t count on was what a powerhouse of useful tools and tracking this amazing app had to offer. You’re greeted with a lot of choices and it can be overwhelming but there are discernible components: a mood check-in, guided meditations, guided breathing exercises, journaling prompts, affirmations. Under the aforementioned Trends section you have a wealth of feedback about your mental and physical state (it integrates with Apple Health too.) You can see your stats for using all the tools of the app. It’s insightful information. If I could request anything for a future version of this app it would be a quicker way to create journal entries without having to wade through the other elements, and that word cloud I mentioned. I can see a trend in my mood but word clouds are so helpful in showing you what words you use most often. I want to see that feedback cause its illuminating. Overall Stoic is a fantastic app that should be getting more attention. It also got me looking up the history of stoicism which is quite interesting.

This is genuinely one of the best apps I’ve ever had the pleasure of downloading. It’s thoughtful. It’s personal. More than anything, it feels like mine. I genuinely feel a connection to it. This isn’t like most journaling apps, where it’s designed to let you write things and has other functions hidden behind a paywall. You’re allowed to see how your mood has changed. You can go back and see what you’ve written. There are guided meditations and mini self-care sessions available at a single touch. It’s been integral in helping me understand myself more. I’ve been in therapy for a while, and my mother used to be a therapist, so I’ve grown up in a very open household, and I can genuinely say that this feels like a comforted, guided experience. I am allowed to be myself here, and I love that so much is open for absolutely no cost. You can feel the dedication and time and effort that was put into making this project as good as it could possibly be. I feel motivated to wake up and record my thoughts, and winding down with a brief journaling session helps me to clear my mind. It can be so difficult when you have a mental illness to take that first step, but this app really, really helps. I’m able to record what I’m thinking and feeling, and it helps me to process that. The techniques used in the journaling process help me to identify flawed ideals that I hold, and I’m able to correct my thinking on my own time. I wish I could say more, but I genuinely love this app and I wish the developers all the best.