Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "Compassion Break"?
The Compassion Break is the app's signature practice — a short, guided 3-step sequence you can complete in under two minutes. It's designed for moments when you're struggling, self-critical, or overwhelmed.
The three steps follow Dr. Kristin Neff's self-compassion framework:
- Mindfulness — Notice and acknowledge what you're feeling, without judgment. ("This is hard right now.")
- Common Humanity — Remind yourself that suffering is part of being human. ("Others feel this way too.")
- Self-Kindness — Offer yourself a kind, supportive response, as you would to a close friend.
You don't need to be in a specific place or have a lot of time. Most people do a Compassion Break right when they notice their inner critic getting loud.
What are the three pillars of self-compassion?
The app is built on Dr. Kristin Neff's three-pillar framework, which is the most extensively researched model of self-compassion:
- Self-Kindness: Responding to your own pain and failures with warmth rather than harsh judgment.
- Common Humanity: Recognizing that imperfection and difficulty are universal — not signs that something is uniquely wrong with you.
- Mindfulness: Holding your thoughts and feelings in balanced, open awareness — neither suppressing them nor getting swept away by them.
These three pillars work together. A practice that focuses on any one of them tends to activate the others over time.
Do I need a subscription to use the app?
No. The free tier is fully functional for core practice. You can complete Compassion Breaks, access a curated selection of guided exercises from each pillar, use the Compassion Journal, track your mood, and maintain a practice streak — all without paying anything.
Plus ($3.99/month) unlocks the full exercise library, removes ads, and enables cross-device sync for your journal and progress data. If the app helps you, consider Plus to support ongoing development and get sync — but the core self-compassion tools work completely without it.
How is this different from a meditation app?
Meditation apps teach you to observe your mind. This app teaches you to relate to yourself differently — specifically to respond to pain and self-criticism with kindness rather than judgment.
There is overlap: some practices include mindfulness meditation, and if you already meditate, you'll find familiar ground here. But the primary focus is self-compassion as a skill in its own right, structured around Kristin Neff's research rather than general mindfulness traditions. Many users find this app complements rather than replaces their meditation practice.
How do I use the Compassion Journal?
Open the Journal tab and tap New Entry. Write about something you're struggling with — a mistake you made, a self-critical thought that keeps coming up, or something that feels painful. The app then guides you through a structured reframing using the three pillars: acknowledging your feelings (mindfulness), recognizing this is a shared human experience (common humanity), and offering yourself something kind (self-kindness).
Your entry is saved privately. On the free tier, entries stay on your current device. Plus subscribers have their journal synced across all signed-in devices.
What does Plus give me?
Plus ($3.99/month) provides three things:
- Full Practice Library: Access to all guided exercises in each pillar, including longer sessions and more advanced practices.
- Cross-Device Sync: Your journal entries, mood data, and practice history sync securely across all your devices when you're signed in.
- No Ads: Banner ads are removed entirely.
AI-guided coaching (a personalized, conversational coaching layer) is planned for a future phase but is not yet available.
Can my therapist recommend this app to clients?
Yes, and several therapists already use the app personally and recommend it. The app is a self-help tool built on peer-reviewed research by Dr. Kristin Neff. It is not therapy and does not replace clinical care — the app makes this clear in its onboarding disclaimer and throughout.
If you are a therapist, the Practice Library and Compassion Break can serve as structured between-session homework. The Journal's guided reframing follows the same three-pillar structure you may already use in session. There is currently no clinical dashboard or client-management feature.
How does mood tracking work?
After completing a practice, the app prompts you with a brief mood check-in: select your current emotional state from a set of options. This takes about 5 seconds. Over time, your responses are visualized on the Progress tab, showing mood patterns before and after practices, and trends across days and weeks.
Mood data stays on your device (or syncs with Plus). It is not shared with anyone.
Can I use the app offline?
Yes. All Compassion Breaks and the core practice library are available offline. Guided audio content that is already downloaded will play without a connection. The Compassion Journal works offline — entries are saved locally and synced when you reconnect (Plus subscribers).
If you rely on the app in situations without reliable connectivity — for example, during a commute or in a rural area — you can browse the Practice Library while connected to ensure content is ready when you need it.
What happens to my data if I switch phones?
On the free tier without an account, your journal entries, mood history, and progress data live only on your current device. Switching phones means starting fresh.
If you sign in with Google or Apple (free feature) and subscribe to Plus, your data syncs via the Edgeless platform and will be available when you sign in on your new device. We strongly recommend signing in if you want to preserve your history long-term.
If you are on Plus and switching devices, sign in to the app on your new device with the same account and your journal, mood data, and streak history will restore automatically.
How do I browse the Practice Library?
Open the Practice tab to see the full library of guided exercises organized by pillar: Self-Kindness, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness. Each exercise shows a title, duration, and brief description before you start. Tap any exercise to read more and begin.
On the free tier, a curated selection of exercises from each pillar is available. Upgrading to Plus unlocks the full library, including longer sessions and more advanced practices.
What is in the educational content section?
The Learn section (accessible from the Home screen) contains research-backed articles about self-compassion. Topics include:
- The science behind self-compassion and Dr. Kristin Neff's research
- Common myths (self-compassion is not self-indulgence or self-pity)
- How each of the three pillars works in daily life
- Guidance on using the Compassion Journal and Compassion Break effectively
Articles are available to all users and do not require a subscription. Each article is marked as read once you complete it.
How do daily reminders and habit tracking work?
You can set a daily practice reminder from Settings > Daily Reminder. Choose a time and which days of the week the reminder should fire. Reminders are scheduled locally on your device — they do not depend on a server connection and work offline.
The habit calendar on the Progress tab shows green marks for each day you completed at least one practice. You can also set a weekly practice goal (e.g., 5 days per week) and track your streak — the number of consecutive days you've practiced.
Do ads appear during practices or journaling?
No. Banner ads appear only on the Home screen and the Practice list for free-tier users. Ads never appear during:
- An active Compassion Break or guided practice
- A journal entry (while writing or reading)
- A mood check-in
- Any screen where you are actively engaged in practice
If you see ads in any of these contexts, please contact support — this is a bug. Upgrading to Plus removes all ads immediately.
Can I export my data?
Yes, if you are a Plus subscriber. Go to Settings > Export Data and select CSV format. The export includes:
- Your complete practice history (date, practice name, duration, pillar)
- Journal entries (date, self-critical thought, compassionate response, emotional intensity rating, tags)
- Mood check-in records (date, self-criticism score, self-compassion score, overall mood score)
The file downloads in under 5 seconds and is saved to your device's Downloads folder (Android), Files app (iOS), or directly to your browser (web). Data export is not available on the free tier.
How does cross-device sync work?
Cross-device sync is a Plus feature. When you sign in with the same account on multiple devices, your journal entries, mood check-ins, practice history, and streak data sync automatically across all of them. Sync is near-real-time when both devices are connected to the internet.
If you write a journal entry while offline, it is saved locally and syncs automatically the next time the app is open with an internet connection. No data is lost during offline periods.
How do I contact support?
Use the Contact Support option in Settings. Include a description of the issue and your device type (iOS/Android/Web) and OS version if relevant. You can also reach us at support@edgeless.dev.
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