Choose what feels right for you — all tools are valid, all feelings are welcome.
🌱
Grounding
5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
When your mind is racing, bring yourself back to right now using your senses.
👀 5 SeeName 5 things you can see around you
✋ 4 TouchFeel 4 different textures near you
👂 3 HearNotice 3 sounds in the room
👃 2 SmellFind 2 scents you can notice
👅 1 TasteNotice 1 taste in your mouth right now
💚Take your time with each sense. There's no rush. You're safe right now.
🫧
Breathwork
Box Breathing
Slow your nervous system down with this simple 4-count breathing pattern.
4Inhale
4Hold
4Exhale
4Hold
- 1Breathe in slowly through your nose for 4 counts
- 2Hold your breath gently for 4 counts
- 3Breathe out slowly through your mouth for 4 counts
- 4Hold empty for 4 counts — then repeat 3–5 times
💙Even one round can help. Your breath is always available to you.
🌊
Emotional Regulation
Riding the Wave
Emotions are like waves — they rise, peak, and pass. You don't have to fight them.
- 1Name the emotion: "I am noticing I feel ____"
- 2Find it in your body — where do you feel it? Chest, throat, stomach?
- 3Rate its intensity from 1–10 right now
- 4Observe without judging — just watch it like a cloud passing
- 5Take 3 slow breaths and notice: does anything shift?
🧡Feelings aren't facts, and they won't last forever. You can handle this.
🛟
Distress Tolerance
TIPP Skills
When distress feels overwhelming, change your body chemistry fast.
- TTemperature: Hold ice, splash cold water on your face, or hold a cold drink
- IIntense exercise: 20 jumping jacks, a brisk walk, dancing — move your body
- PPaced breathing: Breathe out longer than you breathe in (e.g. 4 in, 6 out)
- PProgressive relaxation: Tense each muscle group for 5 sec, then release
💜These are crisis tools for the hardest moments. Keep them in your back pocket.
🌸
Self-Compassion
Compassion Break
Treat yourself the way you'd treat someone you love who was hurting.
- 1Place one hand on your heart. Feel its warmth.
- 2Say to yourself: "This is a moment of suffering."
- 3Say: "Suffering is part of being human. I'm not alone in this."
- 4Ask: "What do I need to hear right now?" Say it to yourself.
- 5Try: "May I be kind to myself. May I give myself what I need."
🌺You deserve the same kindness you'd give a dear friend. Always.
🔍
Cognitive Reframing
Thought Check-In
Gently question thoughts that are making things harder — not to dismiss them, but to see more clearly.
- 1Write down the thought that's bothering you
- 2Ask: "Is this 100% true? What's my evidence?"
- 3Ask: "Am I mind-reading, catastrophising, or all-or-nothing thinking?"
- 4Ask: "What would I tell a friend who had this thought?"
- 5Write a more balanced thought — even a 10% shift helps
💛You're not trying to think positively — just more fully and fairly.
🧘
Body-Based
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Release tension stored in your body, one muscle group at a time.
- 1Find a comfortable position — sitting or lying down is fine
- 2Start at your feet: squeeze tight for 5 seconds, then release
- 3Notice the contrast between tension and relaxation
- 4Move slowly upward: calves → thighs → stomach → hands → arms → shoulders → face
- 5End with 3 slow, deep breaths
🩵Your body holds so much. This is a way of telling it: you can let go now.
🍃
Mindfulness
Present Moment Pause
You don't need to meditate for an hour. Even 2 minutes of presence makes a difference.
- 1Stop what you're doing. Sit comfortably.
- 2Close your eyes or soften your gaze downward
- 3Notice your breath — don't change it, just observe it
- 4When your mind wanders (it will!), gently bring it back — no judgment
- 5Stay for 2–5 minutes. That's it. That counts.
🪸Mindfulness isn't about clearing your mind — it's about noticing, gently, again and again.
💡 Tip: Print this page or screenshot individual cards to save on your phone. Use Ctrl+P / Cmd+P to print.
A Note on Safety
These resources are meant to support you between sessions — they are not a substitute for professional care.
If you are in crisis or immediate danger, call 911 (or your local emergency number) or go to your nearest emergency room. You can also call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) for 24/7 support.
For specific situations, please reach out to the appropriate service in your area — for example, a domestic violence hotline, an addiction treatment program, or psychiatric emergency services.
These tools are designed for times when you feel stable enough for outpatient therapy. If you feel you need more support than that, please reach out for a higher level of care.
Alesia Dundiak, MA, LAC — trueandhuman.com