About AnxietyTools
AnxietyTools is a free, independent educational project. No sign-up, no ads, no data harvesting — just short exercises you can do the moment anxiety rises.
Why it exists
Most anxiety help online is either a paywalled app or a wall of clinical text you have to read while already overwhelmed. AnxietyTools does the opposite: it gives you one short, guided exercise to do with your body right now, and gets out of the way. Everything is free and works without an account.
The approach — body first
When anxiety spikes, reasoning with your thoughts rarely helps in the moment, because the alarm is running in the body: fast shallow breathing, a racing heart, tension in the face and jaw. The exercises here work on that physical layer first — a long slow exhale, gentle facial release, structured attention — to send the nervous system a signal that the threat has passed. Calmer thoughts tend to follow, not lead.
How exercises are chosen
Every practice on this site is a well-established, low-risk technique: paced breathing (including 4-7-8 and box breathing), slow-exhale breathing, 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding, and gentle facial/eye release. These are the same tools taught in cognitive-behavioural and dialectical-behaviour therapy for acute anxiety. Nothing here requires equipment, and none of it carries the overclaim risk of supplements or unproven protocols.
Your privacy
This site does not track you. There are no analytics, no advertising pixels, and no cookies — nothing about your visit is stored or shared. If you choose to donate, the payment is handled by WayForPay under their own privacy terms; we never see your card details.
What this is not
AnxietyTools is not therapy and not medical advice. The exercises help in the moment, but they do not treat an anxiety disorder. If anxiety limits your daily life, please talk to a qualified professional — and if you are in crisis, use the helplines listed at the bottom of every page.
Where the methods come from
- Weil, A. — 4-7-8 (‘relaxing breath’) technique, based on pranayama breathing.
- Research on slow-paced breathing and heart-rate variability (vagal tone, parasympathetic activation).
- 5-4-3-2-1 sensory grounding — a standard distress-tolerance skill in dialectical-behaviour therapy (DBT).
- Box breathing — paced breathing widely used for acute stress regulation.