I Tried an App That Promised to Chill Me Out. This Is What Happened
Remember back in the early 2000s, when Oprah was all about The Secret? She and author Rhonda Byrne informed us that by merely verbalizing our wildest dreams, every wish would come true. I never gave much weight to the theory (though maybe that’s why I still don’t have that penthouse in Miami…), but science has repeatedly proven that our words do, in fact, have incredible power over shaping our realities.
ThinkUp is an app designed to help you reaffirm those positive thoughts. It has a straightforward platform that provides you with a plethora of affirmations in easy-to-navigate categories. You simply add the ones you’re feeling most to your “record” page and they’re saved for you to revisit whenever you’d like. You can also include customized affirmations to mix in with the pre-set choices, like “I will ace my Romantic Literature final” or “I do not need a whole bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs to feel satisfied.”
By reframing common anxiety triggers like “I feel overwhelmed with work” or “I’m never going to find a partner” into positive, affirming mantras like, “My tension is melting away,” or “I am ready for a healthy, loving relationship,” those overwhelming worries seem like surmountable challenges just waiting to be conquered.
It can make you feel silly at first — trust me, I was rolling my eyes as I repeated back to myself, “I am confident, self-assured and optimistic” — but after sticking with it for a week, I noticed an increase in my productivity, motivation and overall cheerfulness. I’d look through my affirmations (mostly from the stress relief and creativity categories) in the mornings and then again later in the day if I was feeling particularly uninspired, reading them a few times through, until the negative thoughts that had seemed so persistent a few moments ago faded into the background.
You can’t listen to the in-app music and look through your affirmations simultaneously, which makes the music feature seem pretty pointless. With the free version of the app, you’re only able to add five pre-recorded affirmations and five of your own to your list. I never found this to be a problem — any more than that and I think they’d start to lose their power.
Final Verdict: ThinkUp probably won’t help you beat insomnia or overcome serious anxiety, but it is a helpful tool in refocusing your mind and re-energizing your spirit.
DL: Free on iOS
Do you have any mantras you like to repeat to yourself when you’re feeling anxious or need a boost? We’d love to hear them! Tweet us @BritandCo and share your favorites!
(Featured photo via Getty)
