“Finch: Self Care Pet”, commonly referred to as “Finch”, is a self-care and task manager app released in 2021 that I believe every Buena student should download. Started by two friends who both struggled with mental health and completing their tasks, this app focuses on self-care and task management, here’s your guide to use it!
Your birb:
Yes, I spelled that right. Your birb is your own little finch that you name, assign pronouns to and use to help you complete tasks. You customize your birb’s house and its clothing, you send it on adventures and help it grow up to be an adult. It is cute on the app, and helps you get stuff done in real life.
Adventures & Quests:
Quests are tasks that you complete once you do a certain thing, i.e. writing a reflection, changing a furniture item, completing a goal, ect. There are “special quests”, which are more challenging, such as evolving your birb to the next age level. Then, once your birb has “energized” for the day (once you’ve completed a certain number of tasks), your finch goes on an adventure. The adventure typically lasts between six to seven hours, but if you complete your tasks—along with getting rainbow stones—you will get home sooner. Once home, your birb has something to share with you, adding to its personality and giving you something to look forward to!
Friends:
Finch intends to show you that you are not alone. When you start, you receive a friend code, which you can share with your circle to add them to your “friend tree.” You can send friends “good vibes”; gratitude, encouragement and good morning are some of the free options you can send. If you are feeling down or need some extra support, you can even request a hug! You can edit your friend tree at any time, and also block users if need be.
Shop & Accessories:
With every goal or quest you complete and every adventure you go on, you get rainbow stones, which are the currency used in Finch. With these stones, you can buy all sorts of things and accessories such as furniture for your house, cute outfits for your birb and micropets. There are also “daily items” which are only available on that certain day. Some things are expensive, so you can go broke fast. My advice is to save up your rainbow stones and sell furniture or items you no longer want.
Reflections & Goals:
Your goals are tasks that you make for yourself daily, or you can have the same ones repeat. Finch has many already curated goals set, but you can also create more specific goals for yourself, such as homework assignments, phone calls, etc. Another option for goals is to not let the goal “go away” until you’re finished. Reflections are prompts Finch provides that help users reflect on their day, feelings and relationships. It helps you look back on your week and assess what went well, and what didn’t. The topics go from confidence booster to dream diary, and many more in between!
Finch Plus:
Although Finch is initially free, Finch Plus is a subscription that you can pay to Finch for $5.99 a month, or $69.99 a year. Plus allows you to access a larger variety of breathing exercises, clothing, furniture, traveling areas, curated goals, reflections, soundscapes, movements and more. In my opinion, the Finch experience is the same, with or without the subscription.
Insights:
Insights track your goal completion stats and your moods throughout the day. It’ll tell you your most missed goals, along with your most completed. Finch asks how you’re feeling every time you open the app, so Insights will tell you your mood throughout that day, or even that week. I don’t use insights that much personally, but I do think it is a really cool feature.
Finch is a cool app that every student should download for their wellbeing. With amazing features such as soundscapes, timers, a “first aid kit” if you’re ever in a tight spot, rant zones and more, Finch is truly an app that everyone can benefit from.
