Finch

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great week! Mine seemed to go pretty quickly, which is always a good thing. Although, sometimes, I think I wish the time away by just wishing for the weekend.

Thanks for checking out the post this week! Seriously, it means the most that you would take time to read what I write here.

I had 2 other posts thought up for this week. But by the time Saturday got here, I just couldn’t get them worked out the way I thought would be right. So, we’ll save those for another time.

This week’s post is about one of my favorite apps on my phone. It’s called Finch. And it has changed so much about my day and my daily routine. In such a good way.

I don’t really know how I found Finch, honestly. I wish I could tell you the story about how I discovered it, downloaded it, and fell in love. But I don’t know the origin story. I do know it started 51 days ago.

So, Finch is a self care app. It’s different than the other apps I’ve seen and/or tried because it includes a little finch that you get to send on adventures, dress, and watch grow all because you completed goals, checked in, sent love to others, or wrote reflections, among other things.

I wish I would have taken a picture of my finch when I first got it, but I didn’t know this app would be such a game changer for me. But the finches start out as a baby; and they are so cute! After so long, they become a toddler, and then a child. Mine is currently a teen.

I named my finch Poppet. If you were here for my post about my comfort things, you’ll recognize the name from my comfort book. And you most likely know that my favorite color is pink, so you know I had to make her pink when given the opportunity.

When you start a new day on Finch, you can do various things to earn energy so that your finch can go on an adventure for their day. You can do this by completing goals, writing out a reflection, etc. And once you have earned the required amount of energy, you send your finch off to explore.

You can do the same things to help your finch finish their adventure faster. And when they get back, they always have something to tell you about what they discovered.

They always ask a question about their discovery and you have two options to respond. And then they let you know if they like it or dislike it.

As you complete goals, write reflections, do breathing exercises, and so many other self care options, you also earn rainbow stones. These are used in Mr. Prickles’ shop. This is where you can get clothes for your finch. And they have been adding some really fun options.

You can play dress up and find the items you want to buy when you have enough stones. Of course, I have a goal outfit, and it is all pink. And I only need one more item, the princess top.

One of my favorite outfits is Poppet’s lounge outfit. It’s a pink robe, her pink fuzzy socks, and she always has her pink rubber ducky (ode to Destination Fear). When it’s just one of those days, I just let Poppet relax and have some comfy clothes on.

They just added Da Finci’s Studio as well where you have a chance to buy different colors for the different body parts for your finch. So, I have been buying all the light and dark pink things I don’t have so I can have ALL THE PINK!

Another great feature is that you can add friends to your tree town. And you can send them hugs, strength, hello, calm, gratitude, or thoughts.

And then it tells you someone is visiting and you get to see who is thinking of you and sending you things.

There is an awesome finch community on Facebook and we share out friend codes so that we can add friends and send each other those thoughts to help pick up spirits and get through the day.

And that community on Facebook has been so great to be a part of because there are people of all ages who share how they use the app and share things that they struggle with or have overcome, or anything. And it’s just really great to be there with those people.

Now, let’s dig even deeper into this awesome app. I don’t think I can cover everything, but I’ll share the things I use a lot and the things that have really made a difference for me, and keep me coming back to the app every day.

I love the goal setting on here. If you’ve been reading my blog pretty much from the beginning, you know I have a journal that has my weekly goals in it. But this app allows me to choose, or write daily goals. They have tons of suggested options, but you have endless space to write your own as well. And it’s the best way to keep up with some of the more simple things that you may not think to write down; taking deep breaths, just being, getting though the day, dim lights before bed, no snacking after 7pm, etc.

And as you check off the items, you either get energy for your finch, or you get rainbow stones to use in the shops. So, not only do you feel good about getting your goals completed, but you get rewarded in the app for doing so.

Another one I use is the reflections. After you complete pretty much anything in the app, it asks you if you want to reflect on it. And they also have various reflections you can choose from as well. I like to do a morning one and a sleep one usually, but sometimes I jump on and reflect about other things as well. It just helps me be mindful of what I’ve done, why, and how it made me feel.

I also really like the breathing exercises. My counselor uses a lot of those techniques with me, and other clients. And they really do help. The app has ones for different things to use, if you’re anxious, if you need energy, if you need to focus, etc. There are so many options to choose from so that you can find the right one for you in whatever situation you’re in.

This app makes me think and reflect on things I didn’t really think to be mindful of before. And even though I sometimes do the things on there just to get the energy or rainbow stones, it’s still putting that thing in my mind, so I still benefit from it. And when I send those little things to the people in my tree town, I try to send up a little prayer for them, hoping they are having a good day and that they are making it through, even if it is tough.

The finch app is one of the best things I’ve found to help with self care and my anxiety. I really, really recommend it to anyone. And I posted my friend code above, so if you do get it, you can add me and we can be finch friends in our tree towns. I would love that.

So, thank you to the creators of Finch. This app is helping so many people. It is something I needed; and I know so many others agree. And thank you to the admins of the Facebook group of hosting our community that keep growing and giving. You all are doing a great job, and we’re super thankful!

Thanks for reading! And I hope to see you all again next Sunday!