diff --git a/pkg/gui/gui.go b/pkg/gui/gui.go
index 9e2143d7..abb52281 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/gui.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/gui.go
@@ -132,10 +132,6 @@ type guiState struct {
 
 // NewGui builds a new gui handler
 func NewGui(log *logrus.Entry, dockerCommand *commands.DockerCommand, oSCommand *commands.OSCommand, tr *i18n.TranslationSet, config *config.AppConfig, errorChan chan error) (*Gui, error) {
-	previousViews := stack.New()
-	// push dummy initial string
-	previousViews.Push("")
-
 	initialState := guiState{
 		Platform: *oSCommand.Platform,
 		Panels: &panelStates{
@@ -150,9 +146,19 @@ func NewGui(log *logrus.Entry, dockerCommand *commands.DockerCommand, oSCommand
 			Project: &projectState{ContextIndex: 0},
 		},
 		SessionIndex:  0,
-		PreviousViews: previousViews,
+		PreviousViews: stack.New(),
 	}
 
+	/*
+		// debugging PreviousViews
+		go func() {
+			for {
+				<-time.After(time.Second * 2)
+				log.Println("HERE", initialState.PreviousViews.Len())
+			}
+		}()
+	*/
+
 	cyclableViews := []string{"project", "containers", "images", "volumes"}
 	if dockerCommand.InDockerComposeProject {
 		cyclableViews = []string{"project", "services", "containers", "images", "volumes"}
diff --git a/pkg/gui/layout.go b/pkg/gui/layout.go
index aa90d771..727b45a9 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/layout.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/layout.go
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) layout(g *gocui.Gui) error {
 	}
 
 	currView := gui.g.CurrentView()
-	currentCyclebleView := gui.State.PreviousViews.Peek().(string)
+	currentCyclebleView := gui.peekPreviousView()
 	if currView != nil {
 		viewName := currView.Name()
 		usePreviouseView := true
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) layout(g *gocui.Gui) error {
 			}
 		}
 		if usePreviouseView {
-			currentCyclebleView = gui.State.PreviousViews.Peek().(string)
+			currentCyclebleView = gui.peekPreviousView()
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) layout(g *gocui.Gui) error {
 	}
 
 	if gui.g.CurrentView() == nil {
-		v, err := gui.g.View(gui.State.PreviousViews.Peek().(string))
+		v, err := gui.g.View(gui.peekPreviousView())
 		if err != nil {
 			viewName := gui.initiallyFocusedViewName()
 			v, err = gui.g.View(viewName)
diff --git a/pkg/gui/subprocess.go b/pkg/gui/subprocess.go
index 404c2b82..61d3e1e9 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/subprocess.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/subprocess.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) RunWithSubprocesses() error {
 				break
 			} else if err == gui.Errors.ErrSubProcess {
 				// preparing the state for when we return
-				gui.State.PreviousViews.Push(gui.currentViewName())
+				gui.pushPreviousView(gui.currentViewName())
 				// giving goEvery goroutines time to finish
 				gui.State.SessionIndex++
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) RunWithSubprocesses() error {
 				}
 
 				// pop here so we don't stack up view names
-				gui.State.PreviousViews.Pop()
+				gui.popPreviousView()
 				// ensuring we render e.g. the logs of the currently selected item upon return
 				gui.State.Panels.Main.ObjectKey = ""
 			} else {
diff --git a/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go b/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go
index eeb53fd0..d7a327d4 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/view_helpers.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) nextView(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	gui.resetMainView()
-	gui.State.PreviousViews.Pop()
+	gui.popPreviousView()
 	return gui.switchFocus(g, v, focusedView, false)
 }
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) previousView(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	gui.resetMainView()
-	gui.State.PreviousViews.Pop()
+	gui.popPreviousView()
 	return gui.switchFocus(g, v, focusedView, false)
 }
 
@@ -104,8 +104,28 @@ func (gui *Gui) newLineFocused(v *gocui.View) error {
 	}
 }
 
+func (gui *Gui) popPreviousView() string {
+	if gui.State.PreviousViews.Len() > 0 {
+		return gui.State.PreviousViews.Pop().(string)
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
+
+func (gui *Gui) peekPreviousView() string {
+	if gui.State.PreviousViews.Len() > 0 {
+		return gui.State.PreviousViews.Peek().(string)
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
+
+func (gui *Gui) pushPreviousView(name string) {
+	gui.State.PreviousViews.Push(name)
+}
+
 func (gui *Gui) returnFocus(g *gocui.Gui, v *gocui.View) error {
-	previousViewName := gui.State.PreviousViews.Pop().(string)
+	previousViewName := gui.popPreviousView()
 	previousView, err := g.View(previousViewName)
 	if err != nil {
 		// always fall back to services view if there's no 'previous' view stored
@@ -123,7 +143,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) switchFocus(g *gocui.Gui, oldView, newView *gocui.View, returnin
 	// we assume we'll never want to return focus to a popup panel i.e.
 	// we should never stack popup panels
 	if oldView != nil && !gui.isPopupPanel(oldView.Name()) && !returning {
-		gui.State.PreviousViews.Push(oldView.Name())
+		gui.pushPreviousView(oldView.Name())
 	}
 
 	gui.Log.Info("setting highlight to true for view " + newView.Name())