Guides, care notes and checklists written by the Stillwater team. They are general information, not medical advice — and they never replace a conversation with your practitioner.
Five-minute reset: breathing between meetings
note
A breath pattern that fits between two calls, with no app and no counting anxiety.
2 min · For Desk workers
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Sit or stand with your back against something. Breathe in through the nose for a slow count of four. Breathe out through the mouth for a count of six — longer out than in is the whole trick. Repeat six times. That is ninety seconds. For the remaining time, roll your shoulders once each way and look at something more than three metres away. Your nervous system will not know what happened.
Talking to your employer about time off for care
guide
A quiet, practical guide to the conversation you are dreading — with a draft email you can adapt.
4 min · For People working during care
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You are entitled to time for healthcare. When you ask, keep it simple: the date, the recurrence (weekly or one-off), and the impact on your work. You do not owe details of your diagnosis or your feelings. Draft: 'Hi — I need to attend a healthcare appointment on [date] and will be [late/away] for [time]. I will cover [deliverable] before I go. Let me know if you need anything from me.' Short, factual, done.
Eating well, gently
article
A short argument for adding before subtracting, and for meals that look like your real week.
5 min · For Anyone curious about nutrition support
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Most food advice starts with what to remove. Ours starts with what to add: one more vegetable at the meal you already cook, one glass of water before coffee, one proper sit-down breakfast a week. Energy follows rhythm more than it follows rules. If a change cannot survive a bad week, it is not a change — it is a performance.
Movement when life is busy
checklist
Seven two-minute movements you can do in a kitchen, a queue or a corridor.
2 min · For Everyone
Read
1. Slow neck turns — 60 seconds, eyes following the horizon. 2. Shoulder blade squeezes — 10 slow reps. 3. Wall sit, 30 seconds, knees kind. 4. Calf raises while waiting for the kettle. 5. One-leg balance while brushing your teeth. 6. Three slow breaths with hands on ribs. 7. A walk to the furthest window and back. Two minutes beats zero minutes, every single day.
Sitting with pain: a plain-language note
note
What 'pacing' actually means, and why resting well is a skill, not a failure.
4 min · For People living with persistent pain
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Pain is information, but it is loud and it exaggerates. Pacing is the practice of doing a little, resting before you have to, and building from a baseline you can repeat tomorrow. If you always stop only when it hurts, your body learns that pain is the signal to stop. Practise stopping before the signal, and the signal gets quieter. This is not weakness — it is training.
Preparing for your first appointment
guide
What to wear, what to bring, what to expect — and the one thing you do not need to prepare at all.
3 min · For Anyone new to Stillwater
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Wear what you can move in; bring a list of medications you take and any letters from your GP or consultant. Bring questions — they are the most useful thing in the room. You do not need to prepare an explanation of your pain or a tidy summary of your feelings. Arriving as you are is the point. Allow 90 minutes for a first visit: 15 to arrive, 60 in session, 15 to breathe before you leave.