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32 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2022 THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT! SUBJECT TO CHANGE, PART 2 By Steve Benoff Thank you Leta and Johnny Ramirez for this month's column. Well, that isn't actually true. I should really be thanking Leta's daughter Tanya Uribes for this month's column. Well, technically that's not how it came about. Tanya didn't email me an app suggestion. You see, Tanya Uribes is a realtor who doesn't live in Four Seasons. Nevertheless, she mails me all sorts of stuff on a regular basis as a reminder that she's more than willing to sell my current house and find me a new one. I found her latest mailing so informative that I'm going to turn this month's piece over to Tanya's mailer on the Science of Journaling. Let's get a couple of things out of the way. Tanya didn't write the mailer herself. The credit goes to Buffini and Co. which Tanya says is her coaching company. They cite five sources for their work. Also, I have never journaled and don't intend to start. Nevertheless, I think many of you have already, or may in the future, find value in journaling. Understand that unless noted otherwise, everything quoted from here on out comes from this piece. "Journaling is a great way to reflect on [one] year and prepare for [another]. Here are a few of the ways journaling can benefit your mental and emotional health." "Journaling can help process and overcome stress." "People who spent 15 minutes twice a week journaling about a stressful event later reported feeling less anxious and depressed." "Patients living with chronic health conditions say physical improvements after writing [about them]." "Writing about your thoughts and emotions frees up space in your memory and improves its function." "Repeated journaling increases emotional intelligence." There are different journaling styles – blank page, bullet points, artistic, gratitude, and probably others. Of course, you don't need a computer or phone to journal. "For those who are more digitally-minded, [there are apps that] will help you journal across all your devices so you stay on top of it." Here are five journaling apps. Four of them are available for both iOS and Android. Day One lets you add text, pictures, videos, and even music. You can tag and sort entries. Top feature – "Customize reminders so they ping you at the times you choose." Diarium lets you "pull content from social media feeds or fitness trackers, rate your journal entries to help track how you're feeling, and [allows for] voice dictation." Top feature – "Syncs across cloud apps like Google Drive so you can access data from anywhere." Penzu has a "simple, user-friendly interface, no-frills journaling, [and] strong privacy features." Top feature – "Data is encrypted, and users always have the option to auto-lock their journal." Five Minute Journal is "perfect for those new to journaling [with] guided journaling [and with a] focus on gratitude and self- reflection." Top feature – "bite-sized prompts make journaling quick and easy for those who are new in the space." Mometo (iOS only) lets you "pull your media posts into one place [with the] option to collect Uber history, saved Spotify tracks and YouTube videos [and] create albums based on different events." Top feature – "reminders offer journal prompts in case you're stuck on what to write." What more can be said except Happy Journaling. If you use an app you'd like to share with others, let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net.