When you’re staring into the abyss, the first step is to find solid ground.

This is not about “positive vibes” or ignoring the dark. You have to understand what you feel, what you’re experiencing this very moment.

It’s not about “facing your fears” crap. It’s about knowing the roots of what you are afraid of…

This is about finding the right tools to know and withstand it.

Urgent Help (Philippines)

If you are in crisis, the first step is to connect with someone who can listen. These are free, confidential, and available 24/7. You don’t have to say who you are. You just have to reach out.

A Note on Courage: Making this call is not weakness. It is an act of defiance. It’s you, in the middle of the storm, choosing to find an anchor. That is strength.

National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) Crisis Hotline

• Phone: 1553 (Luzon-wide, toll-free)
• Phone: 0917-899-8727 (Globe/TM)
• Phone: 0966-351-4518 (Globe/TM)
• Phone: 0908-639-2672 (Smart/Sun/TNT)

In Touch Community Services

• Phone: 8893-7603 (Landline)
• Phone: 0917-800-1123 (Globe)
• Phone: 0922-893-8944 (Sun)

DOH Substance Abuse Helpline

• Phone: 1550 (Nationwide)

Personal Coping Tools

When your mind is loud and the panic is rising, you need a circuit breaker. These are not cures. They are anchors. They are designed to pull your mind from that (the future, the past, the panic) and plant it in this (the right now).

The 5-4-3-2-1 Approach is a tool to pull you out of your head and back into your body. Do it now. Wherever you are.

• 5: LOOK. Name five things you can see. The crack in the ceiling. The dust on your screen. The color of your shirt. The shadow under the door.
• 4: FEEL. Name four things you can feel. The fabric of your clothes. The floor under your feet. The tension in your neck. The phone in your hand.
• 3: HEAR. Name three things you can hear. The hum of the fan. A car outside. Your own breathing.
• 2: SMELL. Name two things you can smell. Old coffee. Soap on your skin. The rain. If you can’t smell anything, name two smells you like.
• 1: TASTE. Name one thing you can taste. The water you just drank. The air in your mouth.

Repeat it as many times as you need.

“The Void” Journal. Your thoughts are not you. They are visitors. Instead of fighting them, give them a place to exist outside of your head where you can understand them better.

• Get a pen and paper.
• Write down everything. The “unorthodox” thoughts. The twisted ones. The ugly ones. The ones you think make you a monster.
• Do not judge it. Do not correct the spelling. Just let the poison flow from your mind onto the paper.
• When you are done, you have a choice. You can keep it. You can burn it. You can rip it to shreds. The act of writing it down is the act of coping. You’ve shown it the door.