Let’s face it: the world is a mess.

Humanity is getting really ugly. Prices are up, patience is low and there is no such thing as compromise or integrity anymore. Honor and honesty have gotten the boot, replaced by a malignant and willful ignorance that revels in thumbing its nose at sincerity.

Which is why I work with dogs. I’m a full-time dog walker and part-time (when I can stay awake late enough) writer. But it’s still tough to find that peaceful, calm feeling that we need to simply get by without having to replace our constantly-gritting teeth. Sure, I guess there’s drugs or booze, but that’s not really my thing. Habits are so expensive!

A few Saturdays ago, I woke up to distant, tinkling piano sounds coming from the living room. Michael had the coffee made and the TV was tuned to something amazing: a cute little autumnal cafe scene with gently-falling leaves lakeside. Steam rose from cups of coffee and tea, pillows and opened books lay strewn about, and in the background? Gently. Playing. Jazz.

Also, there’s no people. Just rooms.

I sat down to my coffee and new-found joy: channels on YouTube entirely dedicated to calming, peaceful (and okay, yes, probably AI-generated) scenes of rooms designed to evoke calming, peaceful feelings. And while a much younger version of me would likely sneer at all of these channels, 56-year old me is in HEAVEN. Some channels, like Cozy Cabin Ambiance or Calmed By Jazz feature cozy rooms (often cabins, cafes or stately library rooms) scattered with candles, books and a fireplace with anonymous but not obnoxious jazz heavy on piano and bass playing in the background. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, there’s a cat or a dog sleeping nearby. You can even see their little chests rising and falling slightly as they breathe oh-so-peacefully. Outside, it might be raining or snowing, which you can hear, along with the fire crackling, in the quiet moments between songs.

Building on this, I found some channels (here’s one of my favorites at Cozy Timez) which feature similar scenes, usually set at night, with jazz replaced with fireplace and storm sounds. I started to turn these on as I was going to bed, and you know what? I’ve never fallen asleep so fast! It’s almost impossible to feel stress while these sounds are going on. Why is this the case? I know there’s probably a ton of studies on the calming effects of the sound of rain paired with a lovely fireplace and warm lighting, but most of the things I could find were related to ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) studies that all add up to: IT JUST RELAXES MOST OF US.

I’ll take it. While my world burns down around me, you’ll find me curled up in my favorite sofa corner, slowly nodding off to the pleasing sights and cozy feelings evoked by creators on the Tube of You. Not a bad way to go.