Everything, 30 at a time

Every meditation, breathing exercise, sleep story, focus session, guide and essay on SoftlyStill — 6,878 pieces, newest first, 30 to a page.

Focus25 min

25-minute data work session with rain on a window and a timer, when you have woken up too early

Sit down, press start, and work through the numbers for 25 minutes. One pomodoro, long enough to get somewhere and short enough to start.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

Beginner box breathing: 4 rounds for bedtime, when you want to finish something

Rounds of 2 · 2 · 2 · 2, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

10-minute noting meditation for anger, when it all piles up

Slow, spoken guidance for anger. A noting session you can do when it all piles up.

Begin →
Meditation3 min

3-minute softening meditation for loneliness, on a Sunday

A 3-minute softening session for loneliness, on a Sunday. No app, no account — press start.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

When grief arrives out of nowhere — where to start, when you have just finished work

Grief does not follow a schedule. The waves come less often over time, but they do not stop, and that is not a failure.

Read →
Focus45 min

45-minute editing session with a fireplace and a timer, when the day has been loud

Sit down, press start, and cut and tighten for 45 minutes. A single class period, the length most people can hold before the quality drops.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

Soft 4-7-8 breathing: 4 rounds for a hospital waiting room, when you are doing this for the first time

Rounds of 4 · 4 · 8, with the counting done for you.

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

15-minute guided body scan practice for brain fog — as sleep prep

Slow, spoken guidance for brain fog. A body scan session you can do as sleep prep.

Begin →
Meditation7 min

7-minute guided self-compassion practice for sleep — during a break

A 7-minute self-compassion session for sleep, during a break. No app, no account — press start.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

How to stop scrolling in bed — the unglamorous version, before you go back to something hard

The phone is not the problem. The fact that it is within reach and there is nothing else to do is the problem. Here is what actually helps.

Read →
Focus50 min

50-minute brainstorming session with vinyl crackle and a timer, when you feel fine and want to stay that way

Sit down, press start, and generate options for 50 minutes. Fifty minutes, the length of a therapy hour, with ten minutes off afterwards.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

7-11 breathing: 4 rounds for the morning after, if you are doing this in the middle of the day

Simple counts — 7 · 11 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

Softening for perfectionism: 3 minutes, on a rest day

Slow, spoken guidance for perfectionism. A softening session you can do on a rest day.

Begin →
Meditation12 min

Morning energy: 12-minute noting meditation, on a plane

A 12-minute noting session for morning energy, on a plane. No app, no account — press start.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

What to do when everything is too much — a plain-language guide, when you want to be left alone

Overwhelm is not a lack of capacity. It is too many open loops and no order to them. The fix is unglamorous.

Read →
Focus25 min

A 25-minute block for research, with a fan or air conditioner, if you have five quiet minutes

A single 25-minute block for research — with a note file open beside you.

Start the block →
Breathing2 min

Coherent 5-5 breathing exercise for anxious moments — when you need to stop thinking about work

Simple counts — 5 · 5 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation10 min

Gratitude meditation for jaw tension (10 min), early on

Slow, spoken guidance for jaw tension. A gratitude session you can do early on.

Begin →
Meditation20 min

20-minute grounding meditation for appreciation, on the road

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 20 minutes of grounding for appreciation, on the road.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

When the inner voice will not let something go — the two-minute version, if you are new to this

Self-criticism usually repeats because it is trying to prevent something. Arguing with it does not work. Understanding it sometimes does.

Read →
Focus45 min

A 45-minute block for applications and forms, with distant thunder, when you have tried everything else

A single 45-minute block for applications and forms — dull but finite.

Start the block →
Breathing3 min

6-2-6-2 breathing exercise for a grey day — if you are doing this instead of scrolling

Simple counts — 6 · 2 · 6 · 2 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation15 min

Meditation for overthinking: 15-minute breathing session, in the afternoon slump

Slow, spoken guidance for overthinking. A breathing session you can do in the afternoon slump.

Begin →
Meditation5 min

Meditation for anxiety: 5-minute letting go session, in the hour before an interview

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 5 minutes of letting go for anxiety, in the hour before an interview.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

Working in a noisy place without losing your mind — a realistic guide, when your attention is scattered

You cannot always control the noise. You can control what your attention does with it, and what you put in your ears.

Read →
Focus90 min

A 90-minute block for planning, with café murmur, when you have just finished work

A single 90-minute block for planning — on paper, so you can see it.

Start the block →
Breathing4 min

Slow box breathing exercise for a cold morning — when you need something unremarkable

Simple counts — 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 — and a circle that keeps time.

Breathe →
Meditation3 min

3-minute grounding meditation for anger, after work

Slow, spoken guidance for anger. A grounding session you can do after work.

Begin →
Meditation10 min

Gratitude for sadness: 10 minutes, before an exam

Nothing to learn and nothing to fix: 10 minutes of gratitude for sadness, before an exam.

Begin →
Guide3 min read

The five minutes after a difficult meeting, for people who have tried everything, when you have been meaning to start

Back-to-back meetings leave no room to come down. Five deliberate minutes changes the next hour.

Read →