Soft Starts: The Kind, Gentle, and Unhurried Ways

For the rest of the year, we’re exploring soft starts: the kind, gentle, and unhurried ways we enter our mornings, our projects, and our seasons.

Not with force, but with presence.

Our culture enjoys the rush. Rushing out of the door in the mornings, rushing to the next event, rushing on the road, rushing to the next big project, rushing through the week. The rush, the hurry, an endless cycle it seems.

But, I love this time of the year. Fall is so cozy, inviting, and special for a lot of reasons, especially slowing… it… down. 

And in the midst of creating and trying to succeed at something, it’s great to be still and enjoy the moment — and sometimes, how you start your mornings can billow throughout the rest of the day. 

Slowing It Down

Maybe your soft start looks like letting sunlight wake you instead of your phone — or writing in your journal first thing instead of scrolling. 

Maybe it’s making your coffee (or tea) and taking a short ‘notice’ walk — seeing and noticing the beauty around you that you may often overlook. 

Maybe it’s returning to your creative work with curiosity instead of urgency.

Wherever you are, mold a soft start into the day. 

While fleshing out my soft starts, I read this article by Angela Watson. 

She says:

Soft starts in the classroom refer to a gentle, flexible way to begin the school day, designed to help students transition smoothly into learning. Instead of jumping straight into academic tasks, students are given a calm, welcoming period at the start of the day where they can engage in low-stress activities such as:

-Reading

-Creative activities like drawing and journaling

-Completing puzzles, STEM activities, or playing quiet games

-Collaborative activities like light discussions or group projects

The purpose is to ease students into the learning environment, give them a chance to settle down, connect with peers, and mentally prepare for the day ahead. Soft starts are designed to foster a positive classroom atmosphere, reduce anxiety, and allow students to gradually shift into a learning mindset.

I mean, that all sounds perfect, right? Connection, reducing anxiety, and creating a calming space to learn. Soft starts are necessary, not only for children but for us as well.

A Rested Mind

And in a world obsessed with output, soft starts ask:

What if your best work comes from a rested mind?

The latest research on creative incubation shows that ideas often arrive when we step away, not when we push harder. Small pauses restore the brain’s problem-solving pathways.

‘Soft’ doesn’t mean you’re not trying.
Here, it means you’re being intentional and kinder to yourself. 

As you move through the days ahead, I hope you give yourself permission to begin the day more kindly, a bit gentler, and little softer.. and to let your creativity find its natural rhythm.

You don’t have to rush to matter.
Your presence is enough.
Your pace is enough.
And you, exactly as you are, are enough.

Here’s to soft starts, intentional days, and the kindness you extend to your work, your world, and yourself, especially around the holidays! 😉

Believing in your victory,

– Jess