How you feel
Feeling overwhelmed?
Too much at once and no idea where to start. When everything feels urgent, the first step is to pause, breathe and shrink the moment down to something manageable.
See suggestions for feeling overwhelmed in the app.
Shrink it down
You don't have to do it all today. Take one slow breath, then choose just the next small thing. Box breathing gives a busy mind a simple shape to hold on to.
Release the tension
Overwhelm often lives in the body: tight shoulders, a clenched jaw. A quick round of progressive muscle relaxation can help you let some of it go.
Breathing exercises for feeling overwhelmed
- Gentle PauseA slow, longer exhale tells your body it is safe to soften. The perfect reset.
- Box BreathingFour equal sides: in, hold, out, hold. Steady and grounding when your mind is busy.
- The Double SighTwo quick sips of air in, one long sigh out. One of the fastest ways to let tension go.
- Triangle BreathThree equal steps to give restless energy a simple shape to follow.
- One-Minute ResetThe quickest way back to yourself. Sixty seconds, a few slow breaths, done.
- Soft BellyBreathe low and slow into your belly. A simple way to switch off the stress response.
- Cooling BreathSip cool air in through pursed lips, then breathe out slowly through the nose. Lovely when you feel hot and bothered.
- Resonance BreathingAbout six slow breaths a minute: the natural rhythm where heart and breath fall into step.
Guided relaxations
- Leaves on a StreamLet thoughts float by without chasing them
- The 5 · 4 · 3 · 2 · 1 LandingA grounding walk through your senses
- The Tea Cup RitualTurn an ordinary cup into a pause
- Cloud WatchingTwo minutes of wide, open sky
- Two-Minute Desk ResetA quick unknotting for busy days
- Forest BathingA slow wander beneath tall, quiet trees
Kind words
One thing at a timeYou don't have to do it all today. Just the next small thing. Then the one after that.
Breathe firstBefore you fix, plan or answer, breathe. The world can wait for one slow breath.
It's okay to say noEvery no to something draining is a yes to yourself. Boundaries are a form of self-respect.
Slow is still movingThere is no race. Going gently is still going.