For all the things that the millennial generation struggle with (buying a house, cultivating a career, monogamy), self-care seems to be one area where they flourish. So much so that it is said to be a multibillion-dollar industry, and whatever your particular strand of self-care needs, Shine may be the app you have been waiting for. Along with recently landing $5m (£3.5m) of investment, the startup has picked up more than two million users in two years, with people tuning in for affirmations, meditations and salutations.

Its primary focus is a chatbot that dishes out life advice in text messages and then offers guided audio therapies and blog content, depending on your needs. The app has been used in 189 countries, despite the fact that it is only formatted in English. As a millennial snowflake, I tried it for a week to see how I would fare: would it help me “thrive”, as it claimed?

Its daily messages in the form of affirmations (“Your pace wins your race”) come through in the morning, asking you to “check in” and consider how you are feeling. Depending on your answers, Shine will direct you to a particular track, affirmation or blogpost, such as “Find your flow” or “Hustle more mindfully”.

Then there are its five-minute audio guides that offer positive reinforcement for different times of the day. For more specific situations, there are longer ones, with affirmations such as “I am the CEO of my thoughts” and “How to stay woke and well”, where I am assured that “being woke does not mean your spirit is broke”.

If that is not enough, there are seven-day challenges, with one podcast each day to help you be productive or feel more fulfilled. All are set to ambient, hypnotic music, and require some element of breathing exercise. There is lots of “getting grounded”, and the podcasts are presented by people with job titles such as “emotional wellness coach” and “self-helpery nerd”. Though it can feel nauseatingly upbeat, the app has managed to perfect the supportive friend tone.

Using Shine felt like having a life coach in my pocket. Leaving scepticism aside, and accepting that some of its content is repetitive, it shows how automating therapies could help people – for the same price as a monthly Netflix subscription.