I’ve been meditating on and off for 10 years.
Sometimes really trying. Other times barely touching it.
There were phases where I downloaded every app, listened to every teacher, tried every technique. Morning practice, evening practice, 5-minute sessions, 20-minute sessions, guided, unguided, body scan, breath focus, mantra, mindfulness, transcendental, loving-kindness.
And it kept failing.
Not spectacularly. Just… quietly. Consistently. Like a low-grade disappointment I carried around.
I’d start strong. Day 1, Day 2, maybe even Day 7. Then life would happen. I’d miss a day. Two days. Then the streak was broken and I’d feel like I’d failed again. So I’d give up for weeks or months before trying again with renewed determination.
The apps would congratulate me for coming back. “You’ve meditated 3 times this month!” Like that was an achievement instead of a reminder that I couldn’t stick with something “so simple.”
Here’s what nobody told me: The problem wasn’t me. The problem was that every meditation app treated me exactly the same.
The realization that changed everything: If you’ve tried meditation and it didn’t work, you don’t need to try harder. You need meditation that actually understands your brain. Try StillMind free and see what changes.
The Brain-as-Friend Revelation
One night I’m journaling (trying to figure out why I can’t stick with meditation again), and I write:
“My brain is doing this thing where it won’t shut up during meditation and I end up more anxious than when I started.”
Brain-as-friend. Like it’s a separate entity. Like I’m observing what my brain does, not identifying as my brain.
And I realized: I don’t talk about my brain the way meditation apps talk about “the mind.”
Meditation apps say: “Clear your mind. Still your thoughts. Let go of thinking.”
I’m over here like: “My brain just spent 10 minutes planning tomorrow’s meetings and replaying an argument from 2019. We’re not on the same page.”
The disconnect: Generic meditation assumes everyone’s brain works the same way. That we all just need to “relax and breathe.”
The reality: Some of us have ADHD brains that race at 100mph. Some of us have anxiety that manifests as physical tension. Some of us have insomnia that turns 2am into a existential crisis hour. Some of us have chronic pain that makes sitting still agonizing.
My brain is doing its own thing. And generic meditation has no idea.
The Specific Ways Meditation Failed Me
Let me get specific. Because “meditation didn’t work” is too vague.
Failure #1: The Racing Thoughts Problem
What meditation apps said: “Notice your thoughts and let them go like clouds passing by.”
What my brain did: Generated 47 new thoughts while I was trying to let go of the first one. Then got anxious about having so many thoughts. Then got meta-anxious about being anxious about thoughts.
The failure: Generic meditation treats racing thoughts like a bug. For some of us (hi, ADHD friends), racing thoughts are the operating system. You can’t “just let them go.”
What I needed: Meditation that expected racing thoughts. That worked with my brain, not against it. → See ADHD meditation approach
Failure #2: The “Relax and Sleep” Lie
What sleep meditations said: “Allow your body to relax. Feel yourself drifting peacefully to sleep.”
What actually happened: Lying there at 3am, more awake than before, now anxious about the meditation not working on top of anxious about not sleeping.
The failure: Sleep meditations promise you’ll drift off. But chronic insomnia doesn’t work that way. The harder you try to sleep, the more awake you feel.
What I needed: Meditation for being awake at 3am with less panic, not promises I’d fall asleep. → See insomnia meditation approach
Failure #3: The Generic Stress Category
What apps offered: Browse the library. Pick from: Work Stress, Relationship Stress, General Anxiety, Sleep, Focus, Morning Energy, Evening Calm.
What I actually needed: “Meditation for replaying that meeting where I said the wrong thing and now I’m spiraling about whether everyone thinks I’m incompetent.”
The failure: My stress isn’t a category. It’s a specific, vivid, weirdly detailed thing happening right now.
What I needed: Meditation for this exact moment, not a genre of moments. → See how AI creates specific meditations
Failure #4: The Toxic Positivity Problem
What meditation teachers said: “Just let it go. Be present. Accept what is. Find peace in this moment.”
What I felt: Gaslit. Because sometimes this moment sucks. Sometimes acceptance sounds like spiritual bypassing.
The failure: Generic meditation doesn’t acknowledge real struggles. It treats everything like it can be breathed away.
What I needed: Validation that 3am anxiety is real. That work burnout isn’t fixed by breathing. That chronic pain meditation complements treatment, it doesn’t replace it. → See burnout meditation approach
Why I Built StillMind
I’m a developer. I’ve built apps for 15 years. And I kept thinking:
“Why doesn’t meditation work like the rest of the internet works in 2025?”
Netflix doesn’t show you the same show as everyone else. Spotify doesn’t give everyone the same playlist. Amazon doesn’t recommend the same products to your grandma as it does to you.
So why do meditation apps treat everyone’s brain the same?
The answer used to be: because recording personalized meditations for every possible scenario is impossible.
Then AI happened.
And suddenly, I could build the meditation app I needed 10 years ago.
What Changed When I Built This for Myself
Before: “I should meditate” guilt cycle After: “Oh, I can meditate for this specific thing I’m dealing with right now”
Before: Scrolling meditation libraries hoping something fits After: 30 seconds to a meditation made for this exact moment
Before: Feeling like I’m failing at meditation After: Meditation that works with my brain, not against it
Free to download. See what changes when meditation understands you.
How StillMind Works Differently
Not going to bury the lede: It uses AI to generate personalized guided meditations.
But here’s what that actually means:
1. You Tell It What’s Actually Happening
Not “I’m stressed.” That’s too generic.
More like:
- “Can’t stop replaying the argument I had with my partner this morning”
- “Lying awake at 2am worrying about tomorrow’s presentation”
- “Burned out from back-to-back Zoom calls and feeling like a disembodied head”
- “ADHD brain won’t shut up and I’m supposed to be relaxing”
- “Hot flashes waking me up at 3am and I’m exhausted”
The difference: Meditation generated for this, not for “stress in general.”
2. It Understands Different Brains Work Differently
The app asks: Do you have ADHD? Chronic insomnia? Dealing with burnout? Menopause symptoms? Chronic pain? Seasonal depression?
Why this matters: Because meditation for ADHD needs to expect racing thoughts, not treat them as failure. Meditation for insomnia needs to work with being awake at 3am, not promise sleep. Meditation for burnout needs to acknowledge toxic work environments, not just say “breathe and relax.”
Generic meditation pretends everyone’s brain is the same. StillMind knows that’s bullshit.
3. It Adapts to How Much Guidance You Want
Some days: “Talk me through this step-by-step, I’m drowning.”
Other days: “Brief setup, long silence, gentle close. I got this.”
The app adapts. Same as your brain isn’t the same as everyone else’s brain, your brain today isn’t the same as your brain yesterday.
4. It Validates Instead of Bypasses
Generic meditation: “Let go of your thoughts and find peace.”
StillMind: “Your brain is doing the thing where it’s replaying that conversation. That’s not wrong. That’s what brains do. And for the next few minutes, we’re going to practice being present with what is, instead of rewriting what was.”
The difference: You feel seen instead of lectured.
If Meditation Failed You Before, It’s Not Your Fault
Here’s what I wish someone had told me 10 years ago:
You’re not bad at meditation. Generic meditation is bad at understanding you.
It’s not a moral failing that “clear your mind” doesn’t work when you have ADHD.
It’s not a personal weakness that sleep meditations don’t cure chronic insomnia.
It’s not your fault that “just breathe” doesn’t fix burnout from a toxic workplace.
The failure isn’t you. The failure is one-size-fits-all meditation trying to fit everyone’s completely different brains.
Why This Matters
Millions of people have tried meditation and given up.
Not because meditation doesn’t work.
Because generic meditation doesn’t work for their specific brain, their specific struggles, their specific 3am existential crisis.
And they blame themselves. Like I did. For 10 years.
That’s what I’m trying to fix.
What Actually Changes with Personalized Meditation
Not going to promise meditation will solve everything. It won’t.
But here’s what people notice:
The Relief of Being Understood
That moment when the meditation acknowledges your specific thing and you think: “Oh. This actually gets it.”
Not “stress in general.” This stress. Right now. The specific texture of this exact moment.
Less Friction to Starting
No more 10-minute scroll through meditation libraries hoping something clicks.
You tell the app what’s happening. 30 seconds later, you have a meditation made for this.
The shift: From “I should meditate” obligation to “Oh, I can meditate for this specific thing” tool.
Meditation for Real Life
Not just peaceful Sunday mornings.
Also:
- Chaotic Tuesday afternoons
- Sleepless Thursday nights (the 3am kind)
- Post-difficult-conversation evenings
- Pre-presentation mornings
- “Everything is too much” moments
- Sunday Scaries work dread
- Menopause hot flash wake-ups
- ADHD hyperfocus crashes
- Chronic pain flare-ups
- Seasonal depression winter darkness
Meditation that shows up for hard moments, not just easy ones.
Who This Is For
StillMind is for people who’ve tried meditation before and it didn’t work.
Specifically:
If Your Brain Races
ADHD meditation that expects racing thoughts. 2-minute sessions when attention is short. Movement options when sitting still feels impossible. No shame for fidgeting or mind-wandering.
If You Can’t Sleep
Insomnia meditation for being awake at 3am, not forcing sleep. Sleep onset struggles, middle-of-night wake-ups, early morning insomnia. No sleep hygiene lectures you’ve already heard.
If You’re Burned Out
Burnout meditation that acknowledges meditation won’t fix toxic workplaces. For Sunday Scaries, email paralysis, Zoom fatigue, quiet quitting guilt. Survival mode support, not toxic positivity.
If You’re Dealing with Specific Conditions
- Menopause/Perimenopause: Hot flash wake-ups, hormone rage, brain fog
- Seasonal Depression: 3pm darkness dread, winter motivation loss
- Chronic Pain: Pain-related sleep disruption, flare-up support
If Generic Meditation Has Made You Feel Like You’re Failing
You’re not failing. Generic meditation is failing you.
Try Meditation That Actually Understands Your Brain
Free to download. See what happens when meditation is built for you, not for everyone.
No “clear your mind” lectures. No toxic positivity. Just honest support for what you’re actually dealing with.
The Permission You Don’t Need (But I’m Giving Anyway)
You’re allowed to:
- Have a brain that races
- Need meditation that’s 2 minutes, not 20
- Be awake at 3am and not fall asleep to “calming sounds”
- Be burned out and need more than breathing exercises
- Try meditation again after it failed before
- Need something different than what worked for other people
Your brain isn’t broken. Generic meditation just wasn’t built for it.
What I Learned Building This
I started building StillMind because I was frustrated meditation apps didn’t work for me.
What I learned: Meditation works. Generic one-size-fits-all meditation doesn’t.
The difference between “I can’t meditate” and “I meditate regularly” isn’t willpower.
It’s whether meditation speaks your language.
When meditation acknowledges your ADHD racing thoughts instead of telling you to clear your mind, something shifts.
When meditation meets you in 3am insomnia instead of promising peaceful sleep, you exhale.
When meditation validates burnout instead of telling you to just relax more, you feel seen.
That’s what changes everything.
Not the meditation technique. The fact that it finally understands what you’re actually dealing with.
Try It
The invitation (not the sales pitch):
Download StillMind. Tell it what’s on your mind right now. Not the sanitized version. The real, specific, “this exact thing is happening” version.
30 seconds later: Your first AI-guided meditation.
What you’ll notice: It feels different than generic meditation libraries.
Why: Because it was created for this exact moment. Not for everyone having “stress.” For you, having this specific thing, with your specific brain.
Start With Meditation Made for Your Brain
Free to try. See what changes when meditation finally understands you.
If meditation failed you before, you weren’t the problem. One-size-fits-all meditation was the problem. And that’s finally fixable.