Twelve things to do. Each one small enough to start before you finish reading about it.
This is the library behind Now. If you already know how you feel, go there and it will hand you one thing. If you would rather look at the whole set and choose for yourself, this is that page.
Nothing here is treatment. Nothing here is therapy. These are ordinary practices, described plainly, with an honest label on each about what actually supports it.
How to read the labels
Every label opens. Tap What supports this? and you get the exact claim, what was measured, what it does not establish, and the sources. Research, tradition and ordinary reasoning are different kinds of support, not rungs on one ladder.
Research Published research supports this specific claim.
Mixed research Research exists and does not agree.
Tradition We can name where the practice comes from. That is provenance, not proof.
Everyday reasoning No claim beyond the obvious.
Not established We have not found reliable evidence either way.
Calm it
Breathe
Change the out-breath and the rest of you follows more often than not. This is the smallest available lever and the only one you carry everywhere.
Six slow breaths 60 seconds
In through the nose for a count of four.
Out through the mouth for a count of six.
Six rounds. Do not force the count; let it be roughly right.
One long exhale 30 seconds
Breathe in normally.
Let the out-breath go on longer than feels necessary.
Three times. Then stop and notice nothing in particular.
What supports this?
Research
Published research supports this specific claim. That does not mean it will work for you, and it does not make this a treatment.
Claim
Voluntary slow breathing can increase vagally mediated heart-rate variability.
What was measured
Who was studied: Mostly healthy adults, across 223 studies. What they did: Voluntary slow breathing, commonly around six breaths a minute. Compared with: Spontaneous breathing or no-intervention control, varying by study. What was measured: Vagally mediated heart-rate variability, measured by instrument.
What the evidence suggests
Increases during the breathing, immediately after a single session, and after repeated sessions.
What it does not establish
This is a physiological measurement, not a feeling and not a health outcome. It does not establish that you will feel calmer, and it says nothing about treating any condition. It does not extend to breath retention or fast breathing, which are different practices.
Sources
- Laborde, S., et al. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 138, 104711. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Open the source
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
What supports this?
Mixed research
Research on this claim exists and does not agree. Some studies find an effect and others do not. The sources below include the ones that found nothing.
Claim
Breathing practices can reduce self-reported stress, anxiety and low mood.
What was measured
Who was studied: 785 adults for stress, across 12 randomised trials. What they did: Breathwork programmes, longer and more structured than a single minute. Compared with: Non-breathwork control conditions. What was measured: Self-reported stress, anxiety and depression scales.
What the evidence suggests
Small: stress g = -0.35, anxiety -0.32, depression -0.40.
What it does not establish
Moderate risk of bias in most trials, wide variation between them, little long-term follow-up, and publication bias not ruled out. The authors ask for caution rather than enthusiasm. These were programmes, not the sixty seconds offered here.
Sources
- Fincham, G. W., Strauss, C., Montero-Marin, J., and Cavanagh, K. (2023). Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Scientific Reports, 13, 432. Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Open the source
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
What supports this?
Not established
We have not found reliable evidence either way. It is here because people find it useful, and we would rather say we do not know than imply we do.
Claim
This particular one-minute exercise will calm this particular person now.
What it does not establish
The research above concerns groups and averages, and mostly longer practice than this. It cannot say what one minute will do for one person on one evening. That part is yours to find out.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Do not do this if you feel faint, and do not hold your breath. Breath retention and rapid breathing are not on this site. If you have a heart or lung condition, ask your doctor before making breathing a practice.
Ground
When the mind has left the room, the senses are the way back into it. This is not a metaphor; it is just where your attention goes instead.
Five things 60 seconds
Name five things you can see.
Four you can hear. Three you can touch.
Say them under your breath. Do not skip to the end.
Feet on the floor 45 seconds
Put both feet flat on the ground.
Press down and feel the floor press back.
Stay there until you have felt it properly.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
Naming what you can see and hear puts your attention somewhere specific.
What it does not establish
Nothing is being asserted about your nervous system, your brain or any condition. Attention is somewhere, and this puts it somewhere you choose.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Let go
Not forgiveness. Not acceptance. Just setting something down for the length of one practice, on the understanding that you may pick it up again afterwards.
Put it on the table 90 seconds
Say what you are carrying, out loud or in your head, in one sentence.
Say: not for the next ninety seconds.
Then sit. It will come back. Say it again and sit again.
Unclench 60 seconds
Find where you are holding it: jaw, shoulders, hands, stomach.
Tighten it deliberately for five seconds.
Let it go and leave it alone.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
Setting something down for a fixed few minutes is possible even when resolving it is not.
What it does not establish
It does not make a problem smaller and it is not a way of dealing with one. Something is carried differently for a few minutes, which is sometimes all that is available.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Move it
Move
Strong feeling is physical before it is anything else. Moving does not make it untrue. It gives it somewhere to go that is not a message you will regret.
Walk to the end and back 3 minutes
Stand up and leave the room you are in.
Walk to a fixed point. Turn around at it.
Come back at the same pace. Do not take the phone.
Push something that will not move 45 seconds
Stand facing a wall and push hard against it.
Ten seconds. Rest. Twice more.
Anger is fuel. Spend it where nobody gets hurt.
What supports this?
Research
Published research supports this specific claim. That does not mean it will work for you, and it does not make this a treatment.
Claim
A single bout of physical activity is followed, on average, by a modest improvement in mood shortly afterwards.
What was measured
Who was studied: 4,671 participants across 103 studies, varied health status. What they did: One bout of physical activity, varied in type and intensity. Compared with: Control conditions without exercise. What was measured: General mood, state anxiety and depressive symptoms, self-reported shortly afterwards.
What the evidence suggests
General mood g = 0.34, anxiety 0.50, depressive symptoms 0.41.
What it does not establish
Substantial variation between people that the authors could not explain by health status, intensity, type of exercise, activity level or weight. The average hides large individual differences, so it cannot predict what this will do for you. Short-lived, and not a treatment.
Sources
- Weinstein, A. A., van Aert, R. C. M., Donovan, K., Muskens, L., and Kop, W. J. (2024). Affective responses to acute exercise. Psychosomatic Medicine, 86(6), 486-497. Meta-analysis. Open the source
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Work within what your body currently does comfortably. If something hurts, that is the end of the practice, not a thing to push through.
Express it
Write
A thought that keeps circling is usually a thought that has never been finished. Writing finishes the sentence, which is often enough for it to stop.
The unsent version 5 minutes
Write what you actually want to say, to the person you want to say it to.
Do not soften it. It is not going anywhere.
When you stop, delete it or keep it. Either is fine. Do not send it tonight.
Three lines before bed 3 minutes
What happened. What I felt. What is still open.
One line each. No more.
Close the book.
What supports this?
Mixed research
Research on this claim exists and does not agree. Some studies find an effect and others do not. The sources below include the ones that found nothing.
Claim
Writing about a difficult experience improves how a person feels afterwards.
What was measured
Who was studied: Healthy adults without PTSD in one analysis, adult trauma survivors in the other. What they did: Expressive writing, typically three or four short sessions. Compared with: Neutral writing, waiting list, or psychotherapy. What was measured: Depressive symptoms, and post-traumatic symptoms.
What the evidence suggests
Healthy adults: g = 0.09 at post-test, 0.03 at follow-up and not significant. Trauma survivors: SMD -0.43 against waiting list, while psychotherapy reached -0.78.
What it does not establish
The firm finding here is a negative one: brief self-directed writing has no lasting effect on low mood in people who are broadly well, and that null result is clean. The benefit that does exist was found in trauma survivors with support in place, not on a web page at 11pm, and it still underperformed therapy.
Sources
- Reinhold, M., Burkner, P.-C., and Holling, H. (2018). Effects of expressive writing on depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 25(1), e12224. Meta-analysis. Open the source
- Gerger, H., Werner, C. P., Gaab, J., and Cuijpers, P. (2021). Expressive writing treatments for adult trauma survivors. Psychological Medicine, 52(15), 3484-3496. Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Open the source
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Understand it
Notice
Before deciding anything about a feeling, find out what it actually is. Most of what we call one thing turns out to be two.
Where is it 60 seconds
Close your eyes and find the feeling in your body.
Chest, throat, stomach, jaw, hands.
Do not change it. Just know where it is.
Name it once 45 seconds
Say one word for what this is.
If the word is wrong, say a better one.
Stop when it fits. Do not explain it to yourself.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
Knowing what you are dealing with is the beginning of dealing with it.
What it does not establish
This is not emotional assessment and it is not a diagnosis of anything. Naming a feeling accurately is ordinary self-description.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Reflect
A question asked properly does more than an answer supplied quickly. These are the questions worth asking before you decide anything.
What is actually true 3 minutes
Write what you know for certain about this. Facts only.
Underneath, write what you are assuming.
Look at the size of the second list.
Whose problem is this 90 seconds
Ask: is this mine to solve, or am I carrying it for someone.
Ask: what part of it is actually mine.
Do only that part.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
Separating what you know from what you are assuming makes the difference visible.
What it does not establish
It does not make the assumptions wrong, or the decision easier. It only shows you the size of each list.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Choose
For the state where you are not upset so much as stuck between two things. This does not decide anything for you, and it has no opinion about what you should do. It makes the decision easier to look at, which is a different and smaller claim.
Name the decision 2 minutes
Finish this sentence in one line: I am deciding whether to…
If it takes two sentences, it is two decisions. Separate them.
Then write what you know for certain, and underneath, what you do not know yet.
Can this be undone 90 seconds
Ask one question: if this turns out wrong, what does it cost to reverse.
Easily reversed, and waiting mostly costs you time. Not reversible, and it should not be decided tonight, or while the feeling is strong.
Most decisions people agonise over are the reversible kind.
Wait, or act 3 minutes
Write what actually happens if you wait a week. Not what you fear. What happens.
Then write what actually happens if you act tomorrow.
Read both. Often one of them is much shorter than it felt.
The smallest informative step 60 seconds
Not the decision. The smallest thing that tells you something you do not know.
Write it as: if it is nine tomorrow, then I will…
Say where you will be and what the first action is.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
Writing down what you know, what you do not know, and whether a decision can be undone makes the decision clearer to look at.
What it does not establish
It does not tell you what to do, weigh your options for you, or make a decision more likely to be right. Nothing here predicts how a decision will turn out, and a page cannot know your situation.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
What supports this?
Research
Published research supports this specific claim. That does not mean it will work for you, and it does not make this a treatment.
Claim
An intention written as if X then Y is carried out somewhat more often than the same intention held in mind.
What was measured
Who was studied: 642 tests across many domains and populations. What they did: Naming in advance the when, the where and the what of an action. Compared with: Holding the same goal without a plan. What was measured: Whether the intended behaviour happened.
What the evidence suggests
Pooled d = 0.36. Corrected for publication bias, as low as d = 0.15. The widely quoted 0.65 is the 2006 figure.
What it does not establish
The authors report substantial publication bias and extreme variation between studies. It does not establish that planning works for hard or long-term goals, for addiction, or for anything needing treatment. It is a small nudge in how often an intention becomes an action.
Sources
- Sheeran, P., Listroma, O., and Gollwitzer, P. M. (2025). The when and how of planning: meta-analysis of implementation intentions in 642 tests. European Review of Social Psychology, 36(1), 162-194. Meta-analysis. Open the source
- Gollwitzer, P. M., and Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. Meta-analysis. Open the source
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
If a decision involves your health, your safety, your money or the law, this page is not the right tool and does not pretend to be. Take it to someone qualified in that thing. Nothing here predicts how any decision will turn out.
Share it
Connect
Loneliness lies about how far away people are. The correction is almost always smaller than it feels.
One message, no agenda 2 minutes
Pick someone you have not spoken to in a while.
Send something with no request in it. Thinking of you is enough.
Put the phone down. Do not wait for the reply.
Say one true thing 3 minutes
Tell one person one accurate sentence about how you are.
Not fine. The real one.
You do not have to explain it afterwards.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
Contact with another person changes the situation you are sitting in.
What it does not establish
It does not fix loneliness, and it is not a substitute for the relationships or the support a person may actually need.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Act on it
Start
Stuck is rarely about the whole task. It is about the first move, which is always smaller than the thing you are imagining.
Two minutes only 2 minutes
Name the smallest first piece of it.
Do that piece and nothing else.
Stop when the two minutes are up, even if you want to continue.
If, then 60 seconds
Finish this sentence: if it is nine tomorrow, then I will do the following.
Say where, and what the first action is.
Write it where you will see it.
What supports this?
Research
Published research supports this specific claim. That does not mean it will work for you, and it does not make this a treatment.
Claim
An intention written as if X then Y is carried out somewhat more often than the same intention held in mind.
What was measured
Who was studied: 642 tests across many domains and populations. What they did: Naming in advance the when, the where and the what of an action. Compared with: Holding the same goal without a plan. What was measured: Whether the intended behaviour happened.
What the evidence suggests
Pooled d = 0.36. Corrected for publication bias, as low as d = 0.15. The widely quoted 0.65 is the 2006 figure.
What it does not establish
The authors report substantial publication bias and extreme variation between studies. It does not establish that planning works for hard or long-term goals, for addiction, or for anything needing treatment. It is a small nudge in how often an intention becomes an action.
Sources
- Sheeran, P., Listroma, O., and Gollwitzer, P. M. (2025). The when and how of planning: meta-analysis of implementation intentions in 642 tests. European Review of Social Psychology, 36(1), 162-194. Meta-analysis. Open the source
- Gollwitzer, P. M., and Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 69-119. Meta-analysis. Open the source
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Focus
Overthinking is attention with nowhere to land. Give it one thing and it usually takes it.
One task, phone away 10 minutes
Choose one thing. Put the phone in another room.
Work on only that until the time is up.
When you notice you have drifted, come back without comment.
Close the open loops 3 minutes
List every unfinished thing that is on your mind.
Write them all down. That is the whole practice.
They are still unfinished. They are no longer being held.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
It is hard to circle one thought while attending to something else.
What it does not establish
Nothing here is a claim about attention as a faculty, about focus training, or about any condition affecting concentration.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Leave it alone
Pause
The gap between the feeling and the action is the only part of this you control, and it can be widened deliberately.
Ninety seconds before you reply 90 seconds
Do not answer yet. Put the device face down.
Breathe out slowly until the time is up.
Then decide whether you still want to say it.
Sleep on it overnight
Write the decision down as a question.
Do nothing about it tonight.
Read the question again in the morning before anything else.
What supports this?
Everyday reasoning
No claim beyond the obvious. Nothing is being asserted here about your body or your mind.
Claim
The gap between a feeling and an action can be widened deliberately.
What it does not establish
It does not establish that waiting produces a better decision, only that the decision is then made at a different moment.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
Do nothing
Not a technique. Not meditation. Three minutes in which you are not required to improve anything, including yourself.
Sit for three minutes 3 minutes
Sit. Do not fix your posture or your breathing.
Let the thoughts do whatever they do.
When it is over, notice what is still there and what is not.
What supports this?
Tradition
We can show this teaching belongs to an identifiable tradition and name where it comes from. That is a statement about provenance, not about accuracy, and it is not evidence that the practice does what the tradition says it does.
Claim
Sitting quietly without doing anything is a long-established practice appearing in many traditions.
What it does not establish
That a practice is old and widespread is a statement about where it comes from, not about what it does. Nothing here claims an effect on your mind or your body, and this is not meditation instruction.
Sources
None. No research claim is being made here.
Last reviewed
14 September 2026
If none of this is the right size
Some things are not a three-minute problem. If you are frightened for your safety, if you cannot see a way through, or if this has been going on for weeks, none of the practices on this page is the right tool. Talk to a doctor, or to somebody you trust, today.
Thenow is wellness education. It is not medical or psychological treatment, not diagnosis, and not a substitute for professional care. Twelve pathways are live. More join as they are written and labelled honestly.