As an autistic person with anger issues, it sometimes feels like I cannot control them. I also have a ton of anxiety and stress related to various things. I’ve tried many strategies with my therapist, but being lazy, I have never implemented them. That was, until an “a-ha” moment happened.

When I was getting overwhelmed during a therapy session, my therapist told me to use the 4-7-8 method, where you inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. This method reminded me of an app that changes the amount of time you have to inhale, exhale, and hold a breath to help you breathe through situations as one of its functions, Finch.

Finch is an app where you raise a bird. In order to grow, this bird needs to go on adventures around the world, and it does so via gaining energy via goals and self-care activities. Some of the self-care activities include writing prompts, like naming emotions you are feeling and ranting about what is bothering you, doing exercise as directed by the app, mediation and focus timers, and acts of kindness you can do for the friends you add on the app and in real life. Upon gaining energy, you wait six hours for your bird to return, though doing goals and activities will make them return faster. After the time is up, your bird will make a discovery about the world, and you can learn their likes and dislikes about songs, food, drinks, books, movies, toys, TV shows, and games from their discoveries. 

I enjoy this app because there are so many things to do to help with your emotions. I personally enjoy using the different forms of breathing on the app. When I don’t feel like I need to breathe, I usually use one of the prompts to write something about my day. I also make some of the goals things I need to do today, usually ones that will make me more responsible, but there are some goals that will make me mentally better.

Of course, we can’t talk about the app without my bird, Momo, named after the main protagonist of the anime “Magical Princess Minky Momo”. So far, I have sent her on more than 100 adventures. She has visited virtual versions of places like New York City, London, Rome, Sydney, and Paris. Momo’s favorite food is a New York City pretzel, while her favorite drink is chamomile tea. Shockingly, she hates milk chocolate bars and vanilla ice cream, hates the story of the Three Little Pigs, and hates the song “Frosty the Snowman”. This shows that your bird is unpredictable as to what they’ll enjoy, and makes it feel like a real friend, who may or may not like the same things as you.

I highly recommend the Finch app for people struggling with anger issues or anxiety. Not only do you get to raise a cute bird, you also will be doing a favor for your mental health!