Home/Tools
For right-now moments

The Toolkit

Concrete things you can do in the next sixty seconds. Bookmark this page; it's easier to find a tool you've already saved than to search for one mid-storm.

Press Ctrl+D /⌘+D to save this for later

If you're in crisis right now, please reach a human.

These tools are for moments of distress, not for emergencies. Trained crisis counselors are available 24/7, free and confidential.

India: Call 14416 US/Global: Call 988 Text HOME to 741741
Quick Tools

Use a skill,
right now.

You don't need to read everything first. Pick what you need in this moment.

Breathing exercise

Paced Breathing · T.I.P.P. Skill

4 · 4 · 6 · 2

In for 4 · Hold 4 · Out for 6 · Hold 2

From the T.I.P.P. skill: Paced Breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system.

Bring yourself back

Ground yourself

When your head is spinning or you feel like you're floating outside your body, these are the exercises that pull you back fastest.

an in-the-moment exercise

5 · 4 · 3 · 2 · 1 grounding

When your mind is racing or you feel detached from your body, force your senses back online, one at a time.

5

see

4

feel

3

hear

2

smell

1

taste

Self-Soothe

with the Six Senses

Tap a sense to explore examples

Body-first techniques

Six anchors you can use anywhere.

Each one shifts your body chemistry, not just your thoughts. That's why they work even when reasoning won't.

Cold water on your face

Splash cold water on your face, or hold an ice cube. This triggers the mammalian dive reflex: your heart rate drops within seconds. This is the fastest way out of a panic spike.

Box breathing (4-4-4-4)

In for 4. Hold for 4. Out for 4. Hold for 4. Repeat 5 times. Slower than 4-7-8 and gentler on lightheadedness, this works well when sitting at a desk.

Tense, then release

Pick a muscle group (like fists, shoulders, or jaw). Tense as hard as you can for 5 seconds, then release. Work up the body. This burns the adrenaline off without leaving your chair.

Push against a wall

Push hard against a wall or counter for 30 seconds. Or carry something heavy: a stack of books or a bag of laundry. Proprioception is grounding when nothing else is.

One specific song

Not a playlist. Pick ONE song you know by heart. Play it. Sing along, even just in your head. Familiar music recruits memory networks that pull you out of panic.

Take the shower

When all else fails, try warm water: 10 minutes, no decisions required. Skin contact + warmth + sound + the structural reset of leaving the room you were spiraling in.

Beyond this page

Other places to go.

Tele-MANAS

Free, 24/7, India: call 14416 or 1800-891-4416 (NIMHANS)

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Free, 24/7, US/Global: call or text 988

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741: anonymous text-based support

Behavioral Tech (Linehan Institute)

Find a DBT-trained clinician near you

International Association for Suicide Prevention

Crisis lines by country, worldwide

Skills are only useful
if you practice them.

Anchorleaf's DBT Handbook contains all worksheets and handouts in a fully searchable format, wherever you are.