How Ourself Transformed My Health: From Tracking to Insights and Action

Years ago I created the first version of Ourself for my own health needs , using a simple spreadsheet to track my symptoms related to my cycle. It changed my life, and I’m incredibly grateful for the health I enjoy today. Now, with a fully functional app, I use it daily to track my symptoms, triggers, and treatments more efficiently. Here’s how it helps me every day:

It gives me the ability to quickly track and centralise my data for easy access

My original spreadsheet took 5 to 10 minutes a day to input far less data. I was tracking just a few symptoms, guessing what might be important, and eyeballing everything— with no analytics section to help. The Ourself app is lightyears ahead of that method. It allows users to track over 10,000 symptoms and 100 conditions all in one place. Each day, I go to my favorites page and, in under a minute, track what matters most to me. I can instantly see trends, patterns, and correlations on my dashboard and in the analytics section. When I visit the doctor, I don’t have to guess where my information is, when symptoms started, or how they may correlate with each other.  I can find everything quickly with clear visuals that help my practitioners to understand my health better too.

My correlations have brought many surprises and actionable insights

What I track most are stress, fatigue, sleep quality, optimism, and gratitude. My data tells my story, while our analytics section helps me visualize it more clearly. One big surprise I discovered was that stress and fatigue don’t correlate for me as much as I thought they would.  What does correlate strongly is exercise—both with stress reduction and improved sleep quality. Whether I’m tired or not, if I exercise, my stress goes down and my sleep improves.  Like many people, as I’ve gotten older, sleep doesn’t come as easily, and that in itself can add more stress. By leveraging, I’ve found relief  learning  that for me, getting exercise daily is more impactful than getting to bed early.

It helps me better identify actual vs perceived solutions

I have also learned not to make assumptions about what are the most effective solutions for me. For example, I have found the kind of exercise I do makes a difference. I was surprised to find that walking, which I have done consistently for years, doesn’t reduce my stress as much as I thought it did. What does make a measurable impact for me is weight lifting, swimming, stretching, and cycling, so I have shifted my time and focus there. This realization has encouraged me to experiment more with different activities, listening to my body to discover what truly supports my well-being.

It makes my conversations with my doctors more productive

When I get to my doctor’s appointments, I’m prepared with rolled-up data and insights to discuss in our limited time.  I skip past some of the standard assumptions of what is expected to happen to women my age and change the conversation to be specifically about me.  Our conversations often go something like this:

“You are suggesting I should try X, but I tried X already and my data is telling me it’s not working very well. Meanwhile I tested multiple other things, and my data is telling me Y and Z are more effective for me.” 

I get a more targeted response from my doctor as we explore how Y and Z and other options might be better solutions for me.  It speeds up conversations, makes them more productive, and provides better results. 

It brings greater clarity and focus to my day

I’ve learned that while triggers aren’t always within my control, the treatments can be. One surprisingly impactful practice for me has been tracking my optimism and gratitude every day. I’m naturally an optimistic person with much to be grateful for, but identifying something specific I’m grateful for each day makes it much more tangible and impactful. At the top of my list are my children and my team—both of which bring me great pride. Most days, those numbers are pretty high, but by rating a number on the scale each day, I’m reminded of why and how, which makes it even more meaningful.

And also trust your data

Our lives often require making decisions without all the information we’d like. I believe life is a blend of art and science, and while I generally trust my gut, I also rely on my data to tell my story.  While I too often don’t have the information I’d like for everything, I do have the ability to tap into my own health data helping me to better understand what’s really going on, keeps my instincts in check, and leads to more effective outcomes—and a happier me.

It improves my relationships with others

One of the things I look forward to most at the end of each day is writing my gratitude moment. I often write notes about people I care about, then take a screenshot and send it to them. It’s a small act, but it brightens both our days. I also love reading through my gratitude moments in my "My Stuff" box. I’m not great at journaling, but writing one sentence a day works for me, and scrolling through them always brings a smile. I’m grateful for a tangible record of what and who matters most, helping me stay focused on my priorities and strengthening my relationships.

I built Ourself to help you gain deeper insights and take meaningful action in your life. My hope is that we can all better uncover our stories and move forward with clarity and gratitude.

        - Adriana