destress

That’s why we were so excited to learn about Emojiary, an iOS app that combines our love of emojis with our constant resolution to keep a more regular diary. The app’s interface is beautifully designed with a calming blue-green background, and the bot—we nicknamed him Phil Itout—sends adorable push notifications once a day: “Pssst….I’m feeling pretty. Any emojis you’re feeling?” And because we’re 20-somethings who spend our days texting emojis to friends, we couldn’t help but oblige. Then, Phil follows up asking if you want to explain what you’re feeling using text too. A few sentences later and we’ve already started breathing easier. And then—this is the kicker—Emojiary rewards you for sharing your feelings with emojis we could only dream of (like a unicorn and the fingers crossed sign).

Once you’ve consistently kept up your emoji-sharing habit, you can also look through your timeline and insights. Do you tend to feel super tired on Wednesdays, happy on Mondays, anxious on Fridays? The app by no way replaces the job of a therapist, but it is incredible what insights it can make—even if it’s just to point out that we like using the Christmas tree emoji (it was the holidays, OK).