Tools for the in-between moments.

Box Breathing

Anxiety · Grounding · 2–4 min

Four equal counts to calm the nervous system fast.

How to do it

1. Sit upright and relax your shoulders.
2. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4.
3. Hold your breath for 4.
4. Breathe out through your mouth for 4.
5. Hold for 4, then repeat for about 8 rounds.

Start Box Breathing

4-7-8 Breath

Sleep · Stress relief · 2–3 min

Inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8. A parasympathetic reset.

How to do it

1. Rest the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth.
2. Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4.
3. Hold your breath for 7.
4. Exhale fully through your mouth for 8, with a soft whoosh.
5. Repeat for about 7 rounds.

Start 4-7-8 Breath

5-4-3-2-1 Senses

Trauma · Grounding · 3 min

Anchor out of dissociation, one sense at a time.

How to do it

1. Name 5 things you can see.
2. Notice 4 things you can feel, like your feet on the floor.
3. Listen for 3 things you can hear.
4. Find 2 things you can smell.
5. Notice 1 thing you can taste.

Start 5-4-3-2-1 Senses

Physiological Sigh

Instant stress relief · 1–2 min

Two inhales + one long exhale. Fastest known way to lower stress in real time.

How to do it

1. Take a deep breath in through your nose.
2. Without exhaling, take a short second inhale to top up your lungs.
3. Let out one long, slow exhale through your mouth.
4. Repeat for 1 to 2 minutes.

Start Physiological Sigh

Butterfly Hug

Trauma · EMDR-informed · 2–5 min

Bilateral self-tapping to soothe activation and integrate emotion.

How to do it

1. Cross your arms over your chest so each hand rests below the opposite collarbone.
2. Interlock your thumbs to form a butterfly.
3. Tap your hands alternately, left then right, at a slow steady pace.
4. Breathe slowly and notice what comes up without judging it.
5. Continue for 2 to 5 minutes.

Start Butterfly Hug

Body Scan

Somatic awareness · 3 min

Sweep attention head-to-toe, noticing what's there without changing it.

How to do it

1. Sit or lie down comfortably and soften your gaze.
2. Bring attention to the top of your head, then your face and jaw.
3. Move slowly down through your neck, shoulders, arms and hands.
4. Continue through your chest, belly, hips, legs and feet.
5. Finish by sensing your whole body at once.

Start Body Scan

Vagal Hum

Polyvagal · Calming · 2 min

Humming on the exhale stimulates the vagus nerve and downshifts your system.

How to do it

1. Sit comfortably and close your lips.
2. Breathe in through your nose for 4.
3. Hum “mmm” as you exhale for 8, feeling the vibration in your chest and throat.
4. Repeat for about 10 rounds.

Start Vagal Hum

Thought Record (CBT)

CBT · Reframing · 8–10 min

Catch a hot thought, weigh the evidence, and find a kinder, truer alternative.

How to do it

1. Describe the situation that upset you.
2. Name the emotion and rate its intensity from 0 to 100.
3. Write down the hot thought that carries the most charge.
4. List the evidence for and against that thought.
5. Write a balanced alternative thought and re-rate the emotion.

Start Thought Record (CBT)

Couples Check-in

Couples · Connection · 15 min

A weekly 15-min ritual: appreciation, what worked, what hurt, one ask.

How to do it

1. Sit together without distractions for about 15 minutes.
2. Take turns answering each prompt: appreciation, what worked, what was hard, understanding, one ask, looking ahead.
3. The listener listens to understand, not to fix, then reflects back what they heard.
4. End by thanking each other for showing up.

Start Couples Check-in

Common questions

What is box breathing?

Box breathing is a paced breathing technique with four equal counts: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold for 4. Repeating it for 2 to 4 minutes slows your breathing and heart rate, which can ease anxiety and help you feel grounded.

How do you do 4-7-8 breathing?

Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4 counts, hold your breath for 7, then exhale fully through your mouth for 8. The long exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is why many people use it to wind down before sleep. Start with 4 to 7 rounds.

What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?

It is a sensory grounding exercise that brings your attention back to the present. You name 5 things you can see, 4 you can feel, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you can taste. Therapists often suggest it for panic, anxiety and dissociation.

What is a physiological sigh?

A physiological sigh is two inhales through the nose, the second a short top-up, followed by one long exhale through the mouth. It is one of the fastest known ways to lower stress in real time, and a few rounds over 1 to 2 minutes is usually enough to feel a shift.

What is the butterfly hug?

The butterfly hug is a self-soothing technique from EMDR therapy. You cross your arms over your chest and tap each shoulder alternately, left then right, while breathing slowly. The bilateral tapping can help calm emotional activation. It supports, but does not replace, EMDR with a trained therapist.

What is a CBT thought record?

A thought record is a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) exercise for examining a distressing thought. You note the situation, your emotion and its intensity, the automatic thought, and the evidence for and against it, then write a more balanced alternative. Re-rating the emotion afterwards shows how much it has shifted.

Are these exercises free, and is my data stored?

Every practice is free with no sign-up. Nothing you type or tap is uploaded or saved. Everything runs in your browser and is cleared when you close the practice.

Can therapists share these practices with clients?

Yes. Each practice has a copy-link button that creates a direct link to that exercise, so therapists can send clients a specific practice to use between sessions. Inside the MelloMinds app, therapists can also assign and track therapeutic activities for clients.