A library of CBT/DBT-inspired self-help exercises. Every one can be done alone or with Shrinks guiding you through the fields. None of them are treatment.
This exercise is here for moments when your thoughts are spiralling and you want something specific to do. It uses your senses to gently bring you back to the room.
1Name 5 things you can see. Take your time.
2Name 4 things you can feel — the chair, your feet, fabric on your skin.
3Name 3 things you can hear, near or far.
4Name 2 things you can smell (or two smells you like).
5Name 1 thing you can taste, or one slow breath.
This is a self-help exercise, not therapy. If things feel worse, please reach out to a professional or a crisis line.
CBT10 min
Thought record
For when a thought is looping. We'll slow it down together, notice what's driving it, and try on a kinder, more accurate version.
1Situation: what happened, in one line?
2Feeling: name it, and rate 0–100.
3Automatic thought: the exact words in your head.
4Evidence for and against that thought.
5A more balanced thought you can actually believe.
Thought records are a self-help tool. They aren't a substitute for therapy, especially if the same thought keeps returning.
Self-compassion8 min
A letter to yourself
Write to the version of you that's struggling — the way you'd write to a friend. This is a small, private practice, not homework.
1Picture yourself earlier today or this week.
2Write one sentence naming what's hard, without softening it.
3Write what a kind friend would notice about your effort.
4Write one thing you'd tell them to try, gently.
5Read it back tomorrow. That's the whole exercise.
If writing about yourself feels destabilising, close the page. This tool is optional and not a treatment.
Behaviour3 min
Micro-step for a heavy day
On flat days, small is not a failure — small is the strategy. Pick one thing you can finish in three minutes.
1Fill a glass of water and drink half.
2Open a window for one minute.
3Write one sentence about tomorrow.
If low mood or lack of energy persists for weeks, please consider speaking to a professional.