A year ago, I started making Breeze because I needed something to calm me down fast during panic attacks.
At first, it was just a breathing app with a single button on the home screen. Whenever I felt a panic attack coming, I could tap it and start breathing.
As I kept using it, I began reaching for it in other moments too. On the way to school, I’d hold my phone and follow the breathing haptics as I walked. The original exercise felt too long for everyday stress, so I made a shorter one. Later, I wanted something for work too, to help me get into the right mood.
Nature sounds helped during panic attacks as well, and over time I found myself listening for longer. Coast is one of those sounds. Even when I’m somewhere noisy, listening to it makes me feel as though I’m living by the sea.
At night, breathing helped in a different way. I found that longer exhales made it easier to settle into sleep, and that became another exercise in Breeze.
Sometimes a dream stays with me after waking up, and I’ll want to write it down. Other times, it’s just something on my mind. Journaling felt like it belonged alongside breathing. Breathing helps me feel okay in the moment, while writing gives me a way to put what I’m feeling into words.
There are also things I find hard to share with other people. Having somewhere to write them down helps.
Over time, these entries built up. I started keeping related ones together, making collections of happy moments, dreams, reflections on my past, and thoughts about the world. When I read them again, I can see what was on my mind at a particular time in my life, and how differently I think about some things now.
Sometimes I’ll reply to an old entry and leave a message for my past self. Something supportive that I might have needed to hear then.
Most of what’s in Breeze came from these moments in my own life.
I hope it can be somewhere you feel comfortable coming to as well, whether you’re having a hard day or just want a little time to yourself.