Calm in the moment
Three tools and a handful of plain answers, for when anxiety is happening now rather than in theory: a breathing pacer, a 5-4-3-2-1 grounding guide, and what to do in a panic attack, including when it needs a 911 or 999 call. Everything runs on the page. Nothing you do here is saved.
Start here
Pick by what's loudest. If it's your body, a racing heart or fast breath, open the box breathing pacer and follow the square for a minute or two. If it's your mind, far away or stuck in a loop, try the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding guide. If it's a sudden wave of fear with chest pain or shaking, go to what helps during a panic attack, which starts with when to call for emergency help.
In this section
- 4-7-8 breathingBreathe along with a free 4-7-8 timer: in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. How to do it, what the few studies found, and when to stop. Nothing is saved.
- Box breathingFollow a box breathing pacer (4-4-4-4) on your phone, free and private. Also 4-7-8 and a longer exhale, what the studies found, and a printable guide.
- Breathing exercises for anxietyFive breathing exercises for anxiety with a free pacer: cyclic sighing, a longer exhale, belly, box and 4-7-8 breathing. What trials found, and when to stop.
- Grounding techniquesWalk through the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique one sense at a time, free and private, plus 9 other grounding techniques and an honest look at the evidence.
- Box breathing vs 4-7-8Box breathing vs 4-7-8 breathing, side by side: the counts, the one head-to-head study, which suits sleep or stress, and a third pattern that did better.
- How to calm anxietyHow to calm anxiety in the next five minutes and in the days after: slow breathing, grounding, naming the feeling, checking the worry, and when to get help.
- How to calm down when angryHow to calm down when you're angry: slow your body first, step away with a return time, and skip venting. What a review of 154 anger studies found.
- How to fall asleep fastHow to fall asleep faster tonight, from sleep research: a 5-minute bedtime to-do list, the 20-minute rule, what to think about in bed, and what doesn't help.
- How to stop overthinkingHow to stop overthinking, from research on worry and rumination: switch from why to how, set a worry time, step back, and test the prediction. With examples.
- Panic attackWhat a panic attack is, what it feels like, what helps in the moment and after, and when chest pain or other symptoms need emergency care. With sources.
- Racing thoughts at nightWhy your mind races when you lie down, and what sleep research says helps: worry earlier, a 5-minute to-do list, a scene to picture, and when to see a doctor.
One works through the body, one through attention
Slow breathing is the better-studied of the two. In healthy adults, breathing at under 10 breaths a minute went with feeling more relaxed and less anxious, though the review's authors called the evidence limited.1
Grounding turns your focus outward, to what you can see, hear and touch. It's widely taught in trauma care, and it hasn't yet been tested on its own in trials.2
- Heart racing, breath fast or shallow: Slow breathing with a longer breath out, in the box breathing pacer.
- Foggy, far away, or stuck in a loop: 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, one sense at a time.
- A sudden wave of fear with strong body symptoms: The panic attack page, which starts with when to get help.
Anxiety rarely picks a convenient place, which is why these run on a phone; Joel's story is the longer version of why.
If a tool makes you feel worse, stop and breathe normally. That tells you something about which tool to skip next time.
Think of the last time anxiety spiked. What did you notice first: a thought, a feeling in your body, or something around you?
Answer this with Joy