Quick strategies for right now

1. Name 5 things you can see around you.
2. Notice 4 things you can feel, your feet, the chair, your clothes.
3. Listen for 3 things you can hear.
4. Find 2 things you can smell.
5. Notice 1 thing you can taste.

It gently pulls your attention out of the spiral and back into the room you're actually in.

1. Breathe in through your nose for a slow count of 4.
2. Hold gently for 4.
3. Breathe out through your mouth for 4.
4. Hold empty for 4, then begin again.

Slow, even breathing tells your nervous system the danger has passed. Three or four rounds is enough.

1. Take a normal breath in through your nose.
2. On top of it, sip in a little more air to fully fill your lungs.
3. Let it all go in one long, slow sigh out through your mouth.
4. Repeat 1 to 3 times.

This double inhale is the quickest known way to lower stress in the body, often in under a minute.

1. Run your wrists under cold water, or splash your face.
2. Or hold something cold, like ice or a cold drink, against your cheeks.
3. Stay with the cold for around 30 seconds and breathe out slowly.

Cold on the face triggers a reflex that naturally slows your heart rate and takes the edge off intense feelings.

1. Pause and ask, "what am I actually feeling?"
2. Put one word to it, out loud or in your head, "this is panic," "this is grief."
3. Add where you feel it, "tight chest," "buzzing hands."

Simply naming an emotion calms the alarm part of the brain. You don't have to fix it, just notice it.

1. Notice the urge or feeling rising, like a wave building.
2. Don't fight it or act on it, just watch it and keep breathing.
3. Remind yourself it will peak and fall, usually within a few minutes.
4. Stay with it until it softens, even a little.

No feeling lasts forever. Riding the wave instead of fighting it helps it pass more gently.