Free self-help resources for strong emotions and distress
Some feelings arrive so fast and so strongly that it is hard to think. You might snap at someone you love, shut down, or reach for something that numbs the feeling and then regret it.
Emotions themselves are not the problem. They carry information. The difficulty comes when they feel unbearable and the only options seem to be fighting them or escaping them.
Much of the free help for this comes from dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), which has a strong research base for intense emotions. It teaches skills for getting through a crisis moment, understanding and changing emotions over time, and staying present. CBT and acceptance-based approaches add tools for anger and for noticing thoughts without being swept along by them.
Below you will find a workbook, skills handouts, anger guides, a WHO stress guide, a free mindfulness app and a German page.
If you are harming yourself, feel unsafe, or have thoughts of ending your life, please do not rely on self-help. Contact a crisis line, your GP or emergency services (112 across the EU, 999 in the UK).
Facing Your Feelings (CCI workbook)
Centre for Clinical Interventions, WA Health · Workbook · mixed · English
A four-module workbook on distress intolerance. It covers accepting distress through mindfulness, improving it with soothing or activating activities and problem-solving, and putting together a personal distress tolerance plan.
A rare free, structured programme on tolerating emotions, from a public specialist clinic.
For: Adults who experience difficult emotions as unbearable · Free to download for personal use; copyright Government of Western Australia, not openly licensed.
Distress tolerance skills
Get Self Help (Carol Vivyan, CBT therapist) · Worksheet · DBT · English
Free handouts on DBT crisis survival skills, such as distraction, self-soothing and riding out urges. Printable and short enough to keep in a bag.
Clear DBT skills summaries from a clinician-made library many NHS therapists use.
For: People who need quick ways to get through an emotional crisis · Free for personal use and use in therapy; not to be reproduced elsewhere.
Emotion regulation skills
Get Self Help (Carol Vivyan, CBT therapist) · Worksheet · DBT · English
Free handouts on the DBT emotion regulation skills, including naming emotions and reducing vulnerability to them. Works well alongside the distress tolerance sheets.
Free and practical, based on a well-researched approach.
For: People who want to understand and change emotional patterns over time · Free for personal use and use in therapy; not to be reproduced elsewhere.
STOPP technique
Get Self Help (Carol Vivyan, CBT therapist) · Worksheet · CBT · English
A simple five-step pause for moments when emotions surge: stop, take a breath, observe, pull back and practise what works. The page explains each step, with a short video and advice on how to practise it.
Easy to remember and useful in the moment, from a clinician-made library many NHS therapists use.
For: Anyone who reacts quickly and regrets it later · Free for personal use and use in therapy; not to be reproduced elsewhere.
DBT worksheets
Therapist Aid · Worksheet · DBT · English, Spanish
Printable DBT worksheets covering distress tolerance, emotion regulation and related skills. Some have Spanish versions.
Clearly designed, clinician-made worksheets.
For: People learning DBT skills alone or with a therapist · Standard PDFs free to download; copyright Therapist Aid LLC. A paid professional plan adds fillable versions.
Emotion exploration worksheets
Therapist Aid · Worksheet · mixed · English, Spanish
Worksheets and tools for noticing, naming and understanding emotions. A gentle starting point if feelings tend to blur together.
Practical, clinician-made prompts.
For: People who find it hard to name what they feel · Standard PDFs free to download; copyright Therapist Aid LLC. A paid professional plan adds fillable versions.
Problems with anger self-help guide
NHS inform (NHS 24, Scotland) · Guide · CBT · English
An online guide in steps that helps you understand your anger, notice early warning signs and try practical ways to manage it. Free with no sign-up.
From a national NHS service and based on CBT.
For: Adults whose anger is causing problems for them or others · Free to read online; copyright NHS 24.
Managing Anger guide (CNTW)
Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust · Guide · CBT · English, British Sign Language
A booklet on managing anger written by NHS clinical psychologists. It comes as a leaflet, an easy read version, audio and a BSL video.
Short, practical and accessible.
For: Adults who want a short booklet or audio on anger · Free to download; printed copies are sold to support the Trust's charity.
Doing What Matters in Times of Stress
World Health Organization · Guide · ACT · English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Chinese
An illustrated guide with audio exercises that teaches grounding and unhooking from difficult thoughts and feelings in a few minutes a day. Translations into dozens of languages are linked from the WHO page.
Field-tested by the WHO and easy to use when emotions run high.
For: Anyone who gets caught up in difficult thoughts and feelings · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Mindfulness Coach (app)
US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD · App · mindfulness · English
A free app with a gradual, self-guided mindfulness training programme, 12 audio-guided exercises and progress tracking. Made for veterans but open to everyone.
A free app from a US government team that develops mental health tools.
For: Adults who want to build a simple, regular mindfulness practice · Free to download on iOS and Android; US government app.
Tipps zum Umgang mit Gefühlen
Gesundheitsportal, Austrian Federal Ministry of Health · Website · psychoeducation · German
A German page with practical tips for noticing and handling feelings. A related page on the same portal covers anger.
Official public information in German.
For: German speakers · Free to read online; copyright of the publisher.
Functions of Emotions (Noba module)
Noba Project · Book · psychoeducation · English
A short academic chapter on what emotions are for, inside us and between people. Helpful background for anyone learning to treat feelings as information.
Free, open textbook material from university researchers.
For: Readers curious about why we have emotions at all · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Emotion (Psychology 2e, section 10.4)
OpenStax, Rice University · Book · psychoeducation · English
A free textbook section on the main theories of emotion and how body and mind interact. Background reading rather than a programme.
Peer-reviewed open textbook from a university publisher.
For: Readers who want the science of emotion · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Questions people ask
What is distress tolerance?
Distress tolerance means being able to get through a painful moment without making things worse, for example by lashing out or harming yourself. It comes from DBT and includes skills such as distraction, self-soothing and accepting what you cannot change right now. The CCI workbook and Get Self Help handouts both teach it.
Can I learn DBT skills on my own?
Many people learn some DBT skills from free handouts and find them useful. Full DBT, though, combines skills groups with individual therapy and is designed for people with very intense emotions or self-harm. If that describes you, self-help is a good addition but not a replacement for specialist support.
How do I calm down quickly when an emotion takes over?
Short, physical skills work best in the moment: slowing your breathing, splashing cold water on your face, or naming five things you can see. The STOPP technique gives you a simple pause before reacting. Practise these when you are calm, so they are easier to reach for when you are not.
When should I get professional help for strong emotions?
Get help if emotions regularly lead to self-harm, risky behaviour, damaged relationships, or heavy drinking or drug use, or if you feel unsafe. A GP can refer you to talking therapy. If you are in danger now, call emergency services (112 across the EU, 999 in the UK).