The nomad lifestyle is tough on the mind, body, and soul. We feel pressure to always be online and connected to our phones, stare at computer screens, live far away from loved ones and often have a desire to capture all our experiences, ideas and encounters. The lifestyle takes a toll and sometimes we feel overwhelmed and sore.
To help you manage the nomad lifestyle with ease, I created a list of 6 useful mindfulness and health apps, tried and tested!
1.Sleep Cycle
Working through different time zones means a lot of nomads have messy sleep schedules. Sleep Cycle keeps track of your sleep patterns to regulate your sleep cycle and helps you wake up naturally at the right time.
Available for Android & iOS. Download Here.
2. F.lux
Blue light from the computer screen hurts our eyes and impacts our sleep quality. F.lux changes the colour of your display according to the time of day, automatically making it warmer at night. The blue light filter is much easier on your eyes and helps you sleep better. For those of you who love to scroll down your social media feed late night in bed, iPhone now also has a similar built-in function to protect your eyes.
Available for Windows & Mac OS X. Download Here.
3. Blynk
Blynk is a new app that is perfectly built for the digital age: it reminds you to blink. Not blinking enough is the main cause of eyestrain. We blink at a lower frequency per minute when we focus on our computer screen, which dries out our eyes and causes strain at the end of the day.
Available for Windows & Mac OS X. Download Here.
4. Headspace
Taking time to breathe is especially hard in the information-overloaded daily lives of many digital nomads. Studies have found that breathing and meditation improve mental health and focus, but we often don’t find the time to practice. Slowing down seems impossible with so much to do every day, but what if you only need to spare 10 minutes a day?
Headspace offers a free introductory session for 10 days. Each session only takes 10 minutes. You can pay to unlock more sessions afterward if you like the app.
Available for Android & iOS. Download Here.
There are other free apps to guide your meditation, like the Stop, Breathe & Think, Calm and Breathe app.
5. Evernote
The mind is made for creating ideas, not necessarily storing them. One of the greatest ways to remain stress-free is to write down your spontaneous ideas and reminders. Evernote allows you to capture your ideas in many ways besides simply typing a note: drawing, snap a picture, voice recording, etc. You can easily record your travel stories and inspirations with Evernote and come back to them at a later time.
Available on mobile and desktop devices. Download Here.
I would also recommend other apps for recording your ideas, such as Trello and Voice Memo.
6.FaceTime (or any communication app)
Let’s be honest: the nomad lifestyle can get lonely. Sometimes it has nothing to do with loneliness, but simply the fact that we need to connect with an old friend back home — someone who knows us well and is able to take us outside of our nomad bubble. With all the video conferencing apps nowadays, we can call someone across the globe for free without worrying about the long-distance calling fees. We all know how much it means to see a familiar face when we are constantly on the road, away from family and friends. A simple call can brighten up our day tremendously.
There are countless messaging apps — Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, Google Hangouts — choose one you like and just go on to call someone!
Do you have any personal favorite apps that have helped you feel healthier as you live the crazy nomad life? Please share with us in the comments below!
