Anxiety & panic5 min read
What is actually happening in your body during a panic attack
Racing heart, numb hands, the certainty that something is deeply wrong. None of it is dangerous — and knowing why makes it shorter.
Things that help, written plainly — no therapy required.
Start with an exercise you can do in the next three minutes. Read the longer pieces when you have the space for them.
- 3 minutes
Breathing that calms panic
Panic speeds your breath up; slowing the out-breath tells your body the alarm can stop.
Show me howClose
- Sit down. Let your shoulders drop.
- Breathe in through your nose for 4 counts.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth for 6.
- Repeat ten times. Expect the fear to peak before it falls.
- When your mind races
Naming, five ways
Grounding pulls attention out of the spiral and back into the room you are actually in.
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- Name five things you can see.
- Four you can touch — say the texture out loud.
- Three you can hear.
- Two you can smell, one you can taste.
- At 3am
When sleep will not come
Lying in bed fighting for sleep teaches your brain that bed is a place of struggle. Breaking that link is what works.
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- If you have been awake more than 20 minutes, get up.
- Sit somewhere dim — no phone, no screens.
- Do something quiet and dull until you feel sleepy.
- Then back to bed. Get up at your usual time regardless.
- Anxiety & panic4 min read
Why reassurance stops working after a while
Checking, googling and asking “are you sure?” lower anxiety for ten minutes and raise it for a week. What to do instead.
- Depression & low mood6 min read
Do it first, feel like it later
Depression tells you to wait until you have the energy. The energy almost always comes after the doing, not before it.
- Stress & burnout5 min read
Tired but wired: when rest stops resting you
Burnout is not a lack of sleep. It is a lack of recovery — and the two need different repairs.
- Depression & low mood6 min read
Being kind to yourself without lying to yourself
Self-compassion is not affirmations. It is the way you speak to yourself on the days you fall short.
- Sleep5 min read
Awake at 3am: what to do instead of trying harder
The harder you chase sleep, the further it goes. A short, unglamorous routine works better than willpower.