Free to read
Anxiety guides
Eleven guides, each one answering a single question and then getting out of the way. Every claim is sourced and dated, the wording matches the strength of the evidence, and none of them will tell you a breathing exercise treats anything.
Last reviewed:
In the moment
For a spike of anxiety or a panic attack that is happening now.
- How to stop a panic attackSlow your out-breath, name what is around you, and let the wave pass. Panic attacks are frightening but not dangerous, and most last five to twenty minutes.
- How to calm anxiety fastThe quickest things you can do are a long slow exhale, cold water, movement and naming what is around you. Here they are ranked by how fast they tend to work.
- Grounding techniques for anxietyGrounding pulls attention out of a spiral and back into the room. Six techniques — 5-4-3-2-1, counted breathing, cold water, mental maths, movement and touch.
- How to help someone having a panic attackStay, keep your voice low, and breathe out slowly with them. What to say, what not to say, and when a panic attack needs emergency services instead.
Nights and sleep
For the hours when there is nothing else competing for your attention.
- How to sleep with anxietyGet the worries out of your head before bed, keep the same wake time, and use a long slow exhale. What to do when anxiety keeps you awake — and what to skip.
- How to stop overthinking at nightMove the thinking earlier with a worry window, write the loop down, and give your attention a job. Practical steps for the 2am replay, and when to ask for help.
- Morning anxietyWaking up anxious is common and partly physiological — cortisol peaks near the time you wake. A five-minute first routine, what makes mornings worse, and when to ask for help.
Techniques and everyday situations
The patterns themselves, and the places anxiety tends to show up.
- Box breathing, step by stepBox breathing is in for four, hold four, out four, hold four. Here is how to do it properly, how long for, the evidence behind it, and when it is the wrong choice.
- 4-7-8 breathing, step by stepIn for four, hold for seven, out for eight. How to do 4-7-8 breathing properly, the evidence for long exhales, the mistakes people make, and when to skip the hold.
- Anxiety at workNose-only breathing, feet on the floor, a two-minute walk. Techniques you can use at a desk or in a meeting without anyone noticing, plus what to do afterwards.
- How to reframe negative thoughtsWrite the thought down word for word, find the evidence for and against it, then write a version you actually believe. A CBT-style thought record in eight steps.
Interactive tools
Several of these guides pair with a tool you can run in the browser — a breathing pacer and a grounding walkthrough. They are at free anxiety tools, and there is a one-screen version for an acute moment at panic attack help.
How these guides are written
By the relif team, not by clinicians, and we do not publish a “medically reviewed” badge we cannot stand behind. Instead: named and dated primary sources, systematic reviews and randomised trials preferred over single studies, and language matched to evidence — “may help” and “research suggests”, never “cures” or “treats”. Where the evidence is weak, the guide says so.
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Wellness Disclaimer: relif is a wellness and self-care companion designed to support your emotional wellbeing. It is not a medical device, does not provide medical advice, and is not a substitute for professional healthcare, therapy, or counseling. If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis helpline immediately.
