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AnxietyAidTools

Evidence-based mental health tools

Printable reference guides

Anxiety Cheat Sheets

Evidence-based printable cheat sheets for anxiety, panic, grounding, DBT skills, and breathing exercises. Designed to be read in hard moments, not filled in. High-resolution PDF and PNG formats included with Pro.

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Anxiety coping skills cheat sheet with six illustrated techniques: physiological sigh, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, cold reset, name it to tame it, worry window, and movement
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Anxiety Coping Skills Cheat Sheet

Printable anxiety coping skills cheat sheet: six fast, evidence-backed techniques with steps and the science behind each. High-resolution PDF and PNG included with Pro.

6 techniques One page
Grounding techniques cheat sheet with five illustrated categories: body, senses, mind, soothing, and anchor statements
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Grounding Techniques Cheat Sheet

Printable grounding techniques cheat sheet: 20 techniques in five categories for anxiety, panic, and dissociation, including 5-4-3-2-1. PDF and PNG guide.

20 techniques One page
DBT skills cheat sheet showing four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness with skills like TIPP, STOP, ACCEPTS, and DEAR MAN
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DBT Skills Cheat Sheet

Printable DBT skills cheat sheet covering all four modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. PDF and PNG guide.

17 techniques One page
Panic attack cheat sheet with five numbered steps, three calming facts, and a cut-out wallet card
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Panic Attack Cheat Sheet

Printable panic attack cheat sheet: five steps to get through a panic attack, three facts that calm the fear, and a cut-out wallet card. PDF and PNG guide.

5 techniques One page
Supporting someone having a panic attack cheat sheet with four consent-based support steps, helpful scripts, what to avoid, emergency medical red flags, and gentle aftercare with professional support options
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Supporting Someone Having a Panic Attack Cheat Sheet

Supporting someone having a panic attack: consent-based steps, grounding scripts, what to avoid, and emergency red flags. Printable PDF guide.

15 techniques One page
After a panic attack cheat sheet with three gentle first hour reset steps, three postpone items, support preferences, and emergency safety guidance
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After a Panic Attack Cheat Sheet

What to do after a panic attack: gentle first-hour steps, rest-of-day recovery, support preferences, and emergency safety boundaries. Printable PDF.

9 techniques One page
Breathing exercises cheat sheet with timing diagrams for box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing, the physiological sigh, and coherent breathing
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Breathing Exercises Cheat Sheet

Printable breathing exercises cheat sheet: box breathing, 4-7-8, the physiological sigh, and coherent breathing with visual timing diagrams. PDF and PNG guide.

4 techniques One page
Printable feelings wheel with six core emotions (happy, surprised, fearful, sad, angry, calm) and 24 precise feeling words in a color-coded circle
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Feelings Wheel Printable

Printable feelings wheel: 6 core emotions and 24 precise feeling words on one A4 page. Find the word that fits, because naming it is half the taming.

30 techniques One page
Cognitive distortions cheat sheet with ten pastel cards, one per thinking trap, each showing a definition and an example quote, plus a one-question reframe strip at the bottom
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Cognitive Distortions Cheat Sheet

Cognitive distortions cheat sheet: the 10 most common thinking traps with plain definitions, real examples, and a one-question reframe. Printable PDF.

10 techniques One page
Printable emotion regulation skills cheat sheet with six pastel bands: name it precisely, check the facts, opposite action, ride the wave, protect the basics with PLEASE, and build positives on purpose.
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Emotion Regulation Skills Cheat Sheet

Printable emotion regulation skills PDF: six evidence-informed skills to name feelings precisely, check the facts, act opposite, and ride the wave.

6 techniques One page
Distress tolerance skills cheat sheet with a featured TIPP section at the top and pastel cards for STOP, ACCEPTS, self-soothe through the five senses, and radical acceptance.
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Distress Tolerance Skills Cheat Sheet

Printable distress tolerance skills PDF: TIPP, STOP, ACCEPTS, self-soothe, and radical acceptance on one page. Plain-language DBT crisis survival skills.

8 techniques One page
Mindfulness exercises cheat sheet showing six practice cards: the one-minute anchor, body scan lite, mindful walking, the first-sip ritual, thoughts as weather, and one chore fully, each with steps and why it works.
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Mindfulness Exercises Cheat Sheet

Mindfulness exercises cheat sheet: six short practices for beginners - a one-minute breath anchor, body scan, mindful walking, and more. Printable PDF.

6 techniques One page
Printable positive affirmations for anxiety sheet with twelve pastel cut-out cards in a grid, each with a dashed cutting line and one short affirmation, plus tips on believability and reading slowly.
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Positive Affirmations for Anxiety

Printable positive affirmations for anxiety: 12 cut-out cards with honest, believable lines to read when worry spikes. A4 and US Letter PDF formats.

12 techniques One page
Printable anxiety journal prompts cheat sheet with five pastel bands: morning check-in, worry dump, evidence check, evening unload, and proof collecting, each holding three numbered prompt cards.
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Anxiety Journal Prompts

Anxiety journal prompts you can answer in two minutes: 15 printable questions across morning check-ins, worry dumps, CBT evidence checks, and more.

15 techniques One page
How to Stop Overthinking cheat sheet with a decision flowchart that asks whether you can act on a worry in the next 48 hours, a YES branch leading to a next step and calendar slot, a NO branch with three loop interrupters, and three rule cards below.
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How to Stop Overthinking

Stop overthinking with a printable flowchart: one question sorts real problems from rumination, plus the 2-round rule, night rule, and a 7pm worry window.

7 techniques One page
Coping skills for kids printable cheat sheet showing eight pastel skill cards: balloon breathing, the 5 senses detective, butterfly hug, squeeze the lemons, turtle time, blow the worry away, teddy breathing buddy, and color hunt, with a tips strip for grown-ups.
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Coping Skills for Kids

Coping skills for kids printable: 8 playful calm-down tricks like balloon breathing, the butterfly hug, and turtle time, written for ages 4-10. Printable PDF.

8 techniques One page
Calm down corner kit printable with a kid-facing poster showing four numbered calm down steps in pastel bands, a dashed cut line, and two grown-up cards listing corner supplies and ground rules
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Calm Down Corner Kit

Calm down corner printable for parents and teachers: a kid-facing poster with 4 calm down steps plus a grown-up setup guide on one page. Printable PDF kit.

4 techniques One page
Self-care checklist printable with three columns of tickable items: seven daily anchors like water before coffee and outside light, five weekly resets like reaching out to one person, and four monthly check-ins like booking a postponed appointment.
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Self-Care Checklist

Printable self care checklist with 16 realistic daily, weekly, and monthly items you can actually tick off - maintenance, not spa days. Printable PDF download.

16 techniques One page
Morning anxiety cheat sheet with a fact box explaining the cortisol awakening response and six numbered pastel steps for the first hour, from the 10-minute phone rule to giving the day's dread an appointment
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Morning Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Morning anxiety cheat sheet: a six-step first-hour routine that works with your cortisol spike instead of against it. Printable PDF for calmer wake-ups.

6 techniques One page
Racing thoughts at night cheat sheet with five numbered pastel steps: bedside brain dump, 15-minute rule, cognitive shuffle, slow body scan with long exhales, and the no-clock rule, plus a night fact panel about the 3am brain
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Racing Thoughts at Night Cheat Sheet

Racing thoughts at night? A one-page 1am protocol: the bedside brain dump, the 15-minute rule, the cognitive shuffle, and the no-clock rule. Printable PDF.

6 techniques One page
Test anxiety cheat sheet printable showing a three-phase timeline: four Before steps for the study week, night, and morning, three During protocols for starting the test, blanking out, and time panic, and one After rule about skipping the post-mortem.
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Test Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Printable test anxiety cheat sheet with a before, during, and after exam plan: a 30-second start ritual, a blank-out protocol, and time-panic steps.

8 techniques One page
Social anxiety conversation scripts cheat sheet with twelve speech-bubble cards in four pastel groups: openers, follow-up questions, graceful exits, and awkward-moment recoveries, plus a fact box about the spotlight effect
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Social Anxiety Conversation Scripts

Social anxiety conversation scripts: 12 word-for-word openers, follow-up questions, graceful exits, and awkward-moment saves. Printable PDF sheet.

12 techniques One page
Printable vagus nerve exercises cheat sheet with eight pastel cards: the long exhale, humming and singing, cold on the face, gargling, the ear trick, eyes-right reset, laughing out loud, and slow belly breathing, plus a short strip explaining what the vagus nerve actually is.
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Vagus Nerve Exercises Cheat Sheet

Printable vagus nerve exercises cheat sheet: 8 quick, low-risk ways to activate your body's calm system, from long exhales to cold water. PDF download.

8 techniques One page
Printable anger management cheat sheet with three zones: a five-step cool-down timeline, prevention cards covering personal kindling, the anger iceberg, and a week-long log, plus a no-excuses repair script with an example apology.
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Anger Management Cheat Sheet

Printable anger management skills PDF: a 5-step cool-down plan, your personal kindling, the anger iceberg, and a repair script for after a blow-up.

9 techniques One page
Printable stress relief techniques cheat sheet with two columns: five 2-minute resets on the left including the physiological sigh and cold water on the wrists, five 20-minute restores on the right including a phone-free walk and one absorbing hobby block, and a stress rule of thumb strip along the bottom.
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Stress Relief Techniques Cheat Sheet

Printable stress relief techniques cheat sheet: five 2-minute resets that stop a stress spike and five 20-minute restores that refill you. PDF download.

10 techniques One page
Self-compassion exercises cheat sheet showing the three ingredients of self-compassion, five practice cards including the Friend Test and Self-Compassion Break, and a myth-buster box about laziness
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Self-Compassion Exercises Cheat Sheet

Printable self-compassion exercises PDF: 5 short practices like the Friend Test and the Self-Compassion Break, plus the 3 ingredients of kinder self-talk. Printable PDF.

5 techniques One page
Boundary setting scripts cheat sheet with quote cards in four pastel groups: saying no at work, family and friends, the broken record technique with a sample exchange, and digital boundaries, plus a note about guilt after healthy boundaries
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Boundary Setting Scripts Cheat Sheet

Boundary setting scripts you can say word for word: kind, firm lines for work, family, and group chats, plus the broken record technique. Printable PDF.

10 techniques One page
Body map cheat sheet explaining physical anxiety symptoms in the head, chest, stomach, hands, and legs with what helps for each
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Physical Symptoms of Anxiety, Explained

Printable body map of the physical symptoms of anxiety: what a racing heart, dizzy head, churning stomach, and jelly legs actually are, and what helps each one.

5 techniques One page
Progressive muscle relaxation script cheat sheet with nine numbered muscle groups from hands to feet and tense-release instructions
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Progressive Muscle Relaxation Script

Printable progressive muscle relaxation script: a follow-along sequence through 9 muscle groups with exact tense-and-release instructions. PDF and PNG guide.

9 techniques One page
Interview anxiety cheat sheet with before, during, and after phases including the blank-out recovery move and arousal reframing
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Interview Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Printable interview anxiety cheat sheet: prep that actually calms nerves, in-the-room moves for blank-outs and racing hearts, and the no-replay rule for after.

8 techniques One page
Public speaking anxiety cheat sheet with preparation, walking up, during, and recovery move sections
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Public Speaking Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Printable public speaking anxiety cheat sheet: prep moves, walking-up rituals, on-stage recovery lines, and why audiences see a fraction of your nerves.

10 techniques One page
Fear of flying cheat sheet with three phases: booking to boarding, takeoff and cruise, and the spiral moments, plus three fact cards
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Fear of Flying Cheat Sheet

Printable fear of flying cheat sheet: nine moves for nervous flyers, from seat choice and the sounds script to riding out the mid-air fear spikes.

9 techniques One page
Printable gratitude journal prompts cheat sheet with five pastel cards of three numbered prompts each - tiny things, people, the ordinary rescue, hard-won, and right now - plus a keep-it-working rules card.
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Gratitude Journal Prompts

Printable gratitude journal prompts: 15 questions in five sets, from ten-second moments to hard-won wins, plus two rules that keep entries fresh.

15 techniques One page
Coping with grief cheat sheet: a one-page printable covering what grief actually looks like, getting through a wave, grief bursts, the firsts, how the body keeps grieving, and when to reach for more help.
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Coping with Grief Cheat Sheet

Coping with grief printable: what grief waves feel like, getting through a wave, grief bursts, planning the firsts, and when to reach for more help.

6 techniques One page
ADHD Overwhelm cheat sheet with a featured unfreeze move band, six pastel strategy cards covering shrinking the doorway, externalizing everything, body doubling, the one-surface rule, transition ramps, and movement snacks, plus a fact strip titled this is not laziness.
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ADHD Overwhelm Cheat Sheet

ADHD overwhelm strategies that work with your wiring: a printable one-pager with the unfreeze move, body doubling, transition ramps, and movement snacks.

7 techniques One page
Distraction Techniques for Anxiety cheat sheet with a permission strip explaining distraction is a skill, five category bands (mental, physical, absorbing, social, creative) each holding two to four technique cards, and a fact box comparing distraction with avoidance.
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Distraction Techniques for Anxiety

Distraction techniques for anxiety on one printable page: 15 ideas across mental, physical, absorbing, social, and creative, plus the rule that stops avoidance.

15 techniques One page
Self-esteem boosters cheat sheet with six pastel activity cards including the Evidence Log, Kill the Comparison Scroll, Do Hard Things Small, the Values Check, Talk to Yourself by Name, and the Micro-Win Stack, plus a fact box comparing self-esteem and self-compassion
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Self-Esteem Boosters Cheat Sheet

Printable self esteem activities: 6 evidence-informed boosters like the Evidence Log and Micro-Win Stack, plus a self-esteem vs self-compassion fact box.

6 techniques One page
Fight flight freeze cheat sheet explaining the smoke alarm threat system, the body signs of fight, flight, and freeze with what helps each, plus a fawn response note
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Fight, Flight, Freeze: Your Alarm System Explained

Printable fight flight freeze poster: how each stress response feels in the body, what helps each one, plus fawn. Made for psychoeducation and classrooms.

4 techniques One page
Guided imagery scripts cheat sheet with three read-aloud calming scripts: the safe place, the container, and the slow shoreline
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Guided Imagery Scripts Cheat Sheet

Printable guided imagery script PDF: three read-aloud calming scripts - the safe place, the container, and a breath-synced shoreline. Record and replay.

3 techniques One page
Phone call anxiety cheat sheet with a strip explaining why calls feel worse than texts, before-the-call prep moves, during-the-call scripts, a five-rung exposure ladder, and a 15-second voicemail script card
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Phone Call Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Phone call anxiety cheat sheet: a 3-bullet prep script, an opening formula that always works, a 5-rung practice ladder, and a voicemail script. Printable PDF.

8 techniques One page
Printable positive affirmations for kids sheet with twelve pastel cut-out cards in a grid, each with a dashed cutting line and one short kid-voice affirmation, plus a strip of tips for grown-ups.
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Positive Affirmations for Kids

Printable positive affirmations for kids: 12 cut-out cards with brave, believable lines in a kid's own voice, plus tips for grown-ups. A4 and US Letter PDF formats.

12 techniques One page
Beat the Sunday Scaries cheat sheet with a fact box on why Sunday evenings hit, a Friday fix band showing a first-hour Monday plan on a sticky note, five pastel Sunday move cards, a Monday mercy card, and a perspective note
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Beat the Sunday Scaries

Sunday scaries relief that starts on Friday: a printable cheat sheet with one Friday fix, five Sunday evening moves, and an easier Monday plan. Printable PDF.

7 techniques One page
Grounding techniques for kids cheat sheet showing six pastel game cards: the Detective Game, Strong Tree, Ice Cube Magic, the Color Hunt, Push the Wall, and Rainbow Breathing, plus a strip of tips for grown-ups.
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Grounding Techniques for Kids

Grounding techniques for kids made playful: six printable games like Strong Tree and Rainbow Breathing that calm big feelings fast. Printable PDF cheat sheet.

6 techniques One page
Driving anxiety cheat sheet with two zones, before you drive and while driving, plus a graded practice ladder diagram, the setback rule, and a highway mini-card
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Driving Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Printable driving anxiety cheat sheet: eight tips for nervous drivers, from the graded practice ladder to the pull-over permission and the setback rule.

8 techniques One page
Health Anxiety Cheat Sheet showing a five-step checking loop diagram from noticing a sensation to more scanning, five rule cards covering googling, reassurance, body scanning, the one-doctor deal, and postponing worry, and a compassionate closing note.
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Health Anxiety Cheat Sheet

Health anxiety tips on one printable page: the checking loop, the googling rule, a reassurance budget, the one-doctor deal, and the postpone trick.

5 techniques One page
Printable work stress cheat sheet with three in-the-moment resets including the 90-second window gaze and the meeting-to-meeting exhale, five structural habits including single-tasking sprints and the shutdown ritual, and a dark boundary line strip with a script for saying no to overload.
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Work Stress Cheat Sheet

Printable work stress cheat sheet: three desk-legal resets, five workplace stress management habits, and one boundary script on a single page.

9 techniques One page
Burnout recovery cheat sheet showing an honest opener about energy debt, the three signatures of burnout, and a four-phase recovery ladder from stopping the bleeding to renegotiating your workload
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Burnout Recovery Cheat Sheet

Burnout recovery plan guide: the 3 signatures of burnout and a 4-phase recovery ladder, from stopping the bleeding to renegotiating your load.

4 techniques One page
H.A.L.T. check-in cheat sheet with four colorful quadrant cards for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired, complete with body signals and immediate responses.
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H.A.L.T. Check-In: Meet the Need Before Solving the Problem

Printable HALT check-in PDF: identify hungry, angry, lonely, and tired states. Meet your body's basic needs before reacting to urgent problems.

4 techniques One page
Cheat sheet titled How to Ask for What You Need When You're Anxious, showing four humane support-request scripts across quiet company, practical help, space, and postponing conversations, plus a reframe on clear requests and safer alternatives
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How to Ask for What You Need When You’re Anxious

Humane, ready-to-use scripts to ask for quiet company, practical help, space, and conversational pauses when anxious. Printable PDF.

4 techniques One page
After a difficult conversation cheat sheet featuring three immediate reset steps, three reflection prompts, three next moves, and gentle recovery guidance
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After a Difficult Conversation: Reset Before You React

What to do right after a difficult conversation: reset your body, sort facts from assumptions, and choose a clean next move. Printable PDF.

9 techniques One page
Printable cheat sheet titled When You Feel Shut Down or Numb, featuring a reframe on low energy, four pastel cards with low-pressure doorways, and a closing note on gentle recovery.
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When You Feel Shut Down or Numb

Printable guide for when you feel shut down, numb, or low on energy. Four gentle doorways to help you reconnect without forcing.

4 techniques One page

Print it, pin it, use offline

Cheat sheets are one-page quick reference posters designed to be printed and kept where anxiety finds you. Available in A4, US Letter, and PNG formats in your Pro dashboard.

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