🧠 Journal Insight Engine

Activates your parasympathetic nervous system to slow your heart rate. Works in minutes and you can do it anywhere.

• Breathe IN for 4 counts (feel your belly expand, not just your chest)
• HOLD for 4 counts
• Breathe OUT slowly for 4 counts
• HOLD for 4 counts
• Repeat 4–6 times. Notice your heart rate slow.

Brings you back to the present moment by engaging all five senses. Excellent for dissociation, spiralling thoughts, or panic.

• Name 5 things you can SEE right now
• Name 4 things you can TOUCH or feel
• Name 3 things you can HEAR
• Name 2 things you can SMELL (or two you love)
• Name 1 thing you can TASTE

Say them out loud if you can. It helps more than you'd think.

Based on the mammalian diving reflex — cold water on your face rapidly slows your heart rate. Surprisingly fast and effective for acute distress or a very bad moment.

• Run cold water and splash your face 3–5 times
• Or hold your wrists under cold running water for 30 seconds
• Breathe slowly while you do it
• Notice the physical shift — it's real

Pulls attention from anxious thoughts into physical sensation. Particularly useful for dissociation or when you're carrying tension you didn't notice.

• Sit or lie comfortably. Close your eyes if that feels okay.
• Start at the crown of your head — notice any tension or tingling
• Slowly move down: forehead, jaw (is it clenched?), neck, shoulders
• Continue to chest, stomach, arms, hands
• Down to hips, thighs, calves, feet, toes
• Wherever you notice tension: breathe into it, let it soften on the exhale

Your brain responds to vividly imagined safety almost the same way it responds to real safety. Build this slowly so it feels real — it becomes a refuge you can return to anytime.

• Close your eyes. Breathe slowly.
• Imagine a place where you feel completely safe and calm — real or invented, no rules
• Notice the colours, the light, the temperature
• What can you hear? What does it smell like? What's underfoot?
• Spend 2–5 minutes just being there. Let your body relax.