This self-care virtual pet is helping me get my act together

I wish I could say that I’m the type of person who has tried-and-true routines to carry me through all the things that need to be done in a day, but the reality is far from that. As someone with overlapping chronic illnesses trying to juggle a full-time job and a life outside of that, just getting out of bed often feels like a major feat. I’m caught in the tug of war between perpetual exhaustion and lack of motivation, and whether I’m able to cross anything off my to-do list is generally a gamble.

A few months ago, though, a friend recommended that I try the Finch app to help me establish some gentle structure and get a little more of what I want out of each day. I’d already been seeing ads for this “self-care pet” all over Instagram, and this was the tiny push I needed to actually give it a go. Now here we are, some four months later, and I’m still using it consistently as if it were my own adorable life coach.

Finch is a habit tracker, motivation app and virtual pet all in one. It gives you a little bird (okay, “birb”) to raise from an egg and look after as it grows up and learns about the world. But it’s not the kind of pet you need to worry about keeping alive, unlike my many needy Tamagotchis.

Taking care of your bird consists of dressing it up in cute outfits, petting it, changing up the decor in its home and sending it on little adventures. In turn, your bird will check in on you throughout the day, offering words of encouragement and reminders to complete your goals, and celebrating your wins when you get stuff done. I use the free version of the app, which I’ve found to be more than enough for my needs, but there’s also a subscription-based version that unlocks more items, a full library of guided exercises and more.

If you were to look at my goals list, it might at first seem extremely daunting; there are more than 20 tasks on there on any given day. But these vary in importance, and range from the bare minimum things I need to do to start my day — like getting out of bed, brushing my teeth and taking my morning meds — to those that require more commitment, like exercising or doing laundry. Finch doesn’t take the guilt approach to goal-tracking, so you won’t be scolded or shamed if you don’t finish everything on your list. There aren’t really any consequences. It’s more about highlighting what you did accomplish rather than focusing on what you didn’t, and forming healthy habits in the process.

You’re awarded rainbow stones for completing each of your goals, and those can be used as currency in the various shops to buy clothes, furniture and new colors for your bird. Over time, you can collect and raise cute “micropets” as companions for your bird too (kind of like the Petpets in Neopets).

Sometimes it’s more helpful to look at the bigger picture, and you can group tasks together as “Journeys” to get a better sense of your overall progress in certain areas. Journeys are color-coded and come with tiered rewards, which you’ll earn as you level up by hitting certain milestones with the related goals. I might not manage to check off my “Exercise for 30+ minutes” goal every day in a week, but the three days I did exercise will count toward my “Get moving, get healthy” Journey. There, I’ll also be able to see how many times I’ve completed the relevant goals since I started tracking them.

Just opening the app every day comes with some rewards as well. I like keeping up a streak, and I just recently got my longest one yet: 32 days! While I was a little bummed out when I finally messed it up by forgetting to check in on a really busy day, I still found myself more impressed at how many days in a row I’d committed to showing up for myself. It only made me want to do better. You’ll also be gifted themed items and rainbow stones as part of seasonal events and for tackling daily quests, like writing a reflection or sending good vibes to a friend.

The latter in particular is a big part of what makes Finch so special. There’s a strong “we’re in this together” kind of energy to the whole thing, and that’s backed up by features that allow you to actively support and receive support from other Finch users. You can add friends on the app using a code, and your birds can visit each others’ homes, bringing with them a little message or gift for the other user. My friend and I go back and forth randomly sending each other hugs, encouragement and other little tidbits of positivity from the list of options. Some users even exchange their codes with others online to make their support circles larger.

And, you can gift the paid version of the app, Finch Plus, to users who may not be able to afford it, if you want to go a step further in doing a kindness for a stranger. The app provides constant reminders that someone is rooting for you, whether it’s a little bird acting as your personal cheerleader or another real Finch user.

There are a bunch of built-in tools to help promote self-care, like guided breathing exercises, movement routines and prompts for written reflections. The app will ask you about your mood multiple times a day, and when you indicate that things aren’t going so great, it’ll present you with a little “First Aid Kit” offering some optional activities to help you work through your feelings or manage your anxiety in the moment (this is accessible in the menu at all times, too). It also links out to a website with helplines for confidential emotional support.

I’ve tried a few self-care and productivity apps over the years, but Finch is the first one I’ve actually stuck with for an extended period of time. I like how it can be tailored to your specific needs, with both pre-set and custom goals, and the low-stakes virtual pet element makes it a joy to use. I love my little birb, Ripper Jr., and all the little micropets we’ve been accumulating together (even the blobs, for all you haters). Maybe I won’t ever be a person who wakes up with the sunrise and accomplishes five things before 10AM, but me and lil Ripper Jr. are still getting stuff done.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/this-self-care-virtual-pet-is-helping-me-get-my-act-together-160027169.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/apps/this-self-care-virtual-pet-is-helping-me-get-my-act-together-160027169.html?src=rss