Feeling stressed or anxious? Dealing with a creeping case of the SADs? On the verge of a freak out but not sure if you’re mostly just hungry? Enter Emotional Rescue. The brainchild of local writer Audra Williams, the form gets you to break down your feelings step by step:

What am I upset about right now? 

How upset/panicked am I on a scale of 1 to 10? 

Have I eaten? 

Am I tired? 

It encourages contemplation and constructive action:

What could I do to self-soothe right now? 

Is it a good time to approach a loved one about what is upsetting me? If not, what would be a better time? 

Am I operating based on assumptions? What questions could I ask to make sure? 

Filling in the Emotional Rescue form even part-way is almost immediately calming. Firstly, it slows down the panicked, upset parts of your brain and makes room for more helpful, reasoned thought. Secondly, it focuses your attention on the moment, so you can honour your feelings without getting carried away by them. And lastly, it can sometimes lead to great revelations: oh, I’m mad at my partner because I’m sleepy. I’m not really mad. Or right, now is not the time to whine to my mom about my health problems, she’s dealing with some of her own. Whatever the issue, this handy form is a great thing to have bookmarked on your phone for some self-help on the go.