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One-page cheat sheets

Print them. Stick them on the fridge. Save them in your notes app.

Box breathing (4-4-4-4)

  1. →Breathe IN through your nose for 4 counts.
  2. →HOLD for 4 counts.
  3. →Breathe OUT through your mouth for 4 counts.
  4. →HOLD for 4 counts. Repeat 4 cycles.
  5. →Use when: panic rising, before a scan, can't sleep.

Catch the thought (CBT)

  1. →1. Situation, what triggered it?
  2. →2. Thought, what did your mind say?
  3. →3. Feeling, what's the emotion + intensity (1–10)?
  4. →4. Distortion, is this catastrophizing / mind-reading / fortune-telling?
  5. →5. Reframe, what would you tell a friend?

Defuse a feared thought (ACT)

  1. →Say: 'I'm noticing the thought that…'
  2. →Then: 'I'm noticing that I'm noticing the thought that…'
  3. →Thank your mind: 'Thanks, mind.'
  4. →Ask: 'What action moves me toward what matters in the next 10 minutes?'

Grounding 5-4-3-2-1

  1. →5 things you can see
  2. →4 things you can touch
  3. →3 things you can hear
  4. →2 things you can smell
  5. →1 thing you can taste

Carer's 3-minute reset

  1. →Stop. Sit. Both feet on the floor.
  2. →One slow exhale, twice as long as the inhale.
  3. →Name one feeling without judging it.
  4. →Name one thing you need in the next hour.
  5. →Send one message asking for it, or write it down.