The Gamification of Self-Care
The Gamification of Self-Care
May 3, 2026
Nowadays we are inundated with limitless content that isn’t always a creative outlet for self-enhancement. There is the fear of missing out (FOMO) threat, and a lack of consistency in maintaining habits and routines that has caused many of us to question our true internal motivations. There are so many distractions keeping us from being consistent around completing personal goals.
One strategy that has been helpful for individuals with ADHD and anxiety is an application called “Finch.” Finch is a self-care tracking tool that is also a pet companion. The premise of Finch is like that of a Tamagotchi, which were a brand of Japanese handheld digital pets from the mid-1990s. Individuals were encouraged to feed, water, and bathe their digital pets several times a day for consistency’s sake. The fad could only go on for so long.
Unlike Tamagotchi, Finch has a different approach where instead of caring for the digital pet you track activities to care for yourself.The app allows you to prioritize goals and assess concerns around motivation that may get in the way of completing tasks that are in alignment with your values. The app tracks activities such as relaxation, water intake, hobbies, finances, affirmations, eating habits, exercise, academics/writing, etc. The trick is to complete agreed upon goals and you can level up your Finch to grow from a baby to an adult. You get rewarded for the consistency in your self-care plan. This happens when you are rewarded with rainbow stones to trade in to set up a house, furniture, or clothing for your finch just like in video games.
Streaks: A streak is when you set up a habit for a certain number of days you would like to complete a set of new habits. Most streaks can go up to several weeks. If you miss a day the streak starts over but this app also allows you to pause a streak.
Sprints: A sprint is a shorter but more aggressive streak where you would take time to complete several action items for a smaller period. This is good for “to do lists” that have a finite ending but for tasks that have a lot of weight and urgency to be completed.
Small Wins: Tracking small wins either by earning rewards (in real life and in games) can help encourage us to maintain habits. Finch has a journaling feature that allows you to track evidence of your small wins.
In conclusion, computer games and phone applications can be a great way to engage individuals in setting and maintaining self-care goals. The challenge is to keep up with streaks regularly so habits stick with the ongoing routine. Hopefully the intersection of technology, gaming apps, and psychology can bring us more insight into sustaining motivation through playful habit formation.
Originally published at: https://www.avancecare.com/turning-self-care-into-a-game-to-help-you-build-healthier-habits/.
