It’s small, it’s chirpy and it’s relentlessly encouraging: meet my bird (aka Birb) Pebble!
Exactly one year ago after trying all sorts of Habit Trackers to manage my ever-growing list of potential good habits I came across Finch, a free, colorful and cute self-care app. Now Pebble the Birb lives on my phone and I check in with her once a day.
Finch was developed by Finch Care PBC and is, in short, a mobile app combining habit tracking, mood tracking, meditation, journalling, buddying up with friends, affirmations, breathing exercises, soundscapes, challenges, and a little character gaming fun all in one. It is free, although a paid version is available with additional features.
Caring for yourself cares for your Birb
When opening the app for the first time you receive an egg. From the egg hatches a tiny little bird. You get to name it and select its main character traits. It could be curious, resilient, compassionate… Your Birb works with you to identify areas in which you would benefit from creating simple habits. The focus is on small do-able steps: drink a glass of water, breathe, walk, get out of bed. Day after day you tick off any completed habits, earning an in-app currency called Rainbow Stones. These can be used to purchase items for the Birb. After completing a certain number of habits each day, your Birb goes on an adventure for 6 hours.
Over time, as you complete your habits, the Birb grows with you from a hatch-ling to a toddler, a teenager and finally an adult. It develops its own personality traits. Your friendship also grows. Take care of yourself to care for your little friend!
With the Rainbow Stones earned by completing daily habits you can visit the in-game shops to purchase outfits, accessories, furniture, colors or even tickets for your Birb to visit real-life locations. Take the next plane to Paris, the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon Rain forest, Vancouver, London, Sydney etc to explore the places, people and culture, and collect souvenirs.
Hatch cute little micro pets for your Birb by committing to complete a single habit for seven days in a row.
Take part in monthly challenges, such as creating a time capsule of thoughts to be opened in a few months time.
Or explore each month’s special themed event, with daily rewards waiting to be claimed.
Track your progress
Under the surface, your habits and progress are saved and processed. The app allows you to see your mood over time, check how you trend in completing habits across the month, and provides insights for you. It also sends you a weekly newsletter, checking in how you feel, whether you feel ready for the coming week and whether anything needs adjusting. The journal features include guided reflections and prompts to put your thoughts on paper.
Self-care tools at your fingertips
Separately from watching your Birb grow up, Finch contains an impressive selection of self-care tools. A dedicated Activities section contains guided breathing exercises, relaxing soundscapes, guided stretches and movements, reflection practices, timers and – my favorite – a First Aid kit. The contents of the First Aid Kit range from Anxiety Breathing to Grief Processing, extremely helpful in case of an emergency, such as an anxiety attack or bad day. There is also a call button to contact a real life helpline, whichever country you are in.
Pebble and Me
After one year of using Finch almost daily I can honestly say that I love this app. I open it in the morning as part of my day planning and am greeted by a word of encouragement. I send Pebble on her adventure and she will be gone for a couple of hours, meaning I am not tempted to check on her during the workday (unless I need to use any of the tools or the First Aid Kit).
I am so impressed with Finch’s ability to keep me interested and involved – there is new content all the time and always more to discover. The app looks like a kids game – but very clearly is designed for adults who embrace their inner child and its playfulness.
The paid version has a few more features – but after trying both I can say that the free version is quite sufficient for the app to be helpful and I do not miss the extra content.
This is a self-care app which understands how habit-forming works. The focus is on small, do-able steps and encouragement, on seeing progress over time and learning more about yourself.
And I look forward to seeing my little friend every morning, when she says ‘hi’ and reminds me to take a deep breath.
What about you? Are you ready to hatch your Birb?
To get Finch, visit your app store or https://finchcare.com/
