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CalmAnchor: Panic Attack Help

CalmAnchor is a panic attack help app for iPhone that walks you through 5-4-3-2-1 grounding and guided breathing, one tap from your Lock Screen. Rate how intense the panic feels, name what you can see, touch, hear, smell and taste, then take six slow breaths (in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, out for 4) with a live countdown on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. You can also start it from the Action Button, Control Center, Siri or your Apple Watch, and feel each breath as a gentle pulse. Between episodes, check in on your mood, keep a calm streak and follow a 30-day plan built around your triggers. As calm becomes a habit, you earn badges and climb 20 ranks on your Anchor Pass. Your entries stay on your iPhone: no account, no ads.

Download on the App Store

Calm support when anxiety hits

CalmAnchor Panic SOS with a Lock Screen widget and 5-4-3-2-1 grounding
CalmAnchor guided breathing with a live countdown in the Dynamic Island
CalmAnchor on Apple Watch, with the Action Button, Control Center and Siri
CalmAnchor badge celebration for the Storm Tamer badge
CalmAnchor Anchor Pass rank card and badge wall
CalmAnchor mood and anxiety trend charts
CalmAnchor home screen with the SOS button, Anchor Pass and next badge
CalmAnchor weekly recap story showing mood by day
CalmAnchor private journal with no account and no ads

How it works

  1. When panic hits, tap the Panic SOS widget on your Lock Screen or the SOS button in the app. Rate how intense it feels, then name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you can taste.
  2. Breathe along for six slow breaths: in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, out for 4. A live countdown runs on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island. Calming affirmations follow, then you rate how you feel now.
  3. Between episodes, check in on your mood and anxiety, keep your calm streak going, and with Premium follow a 30-day healing plan built around your triggers and see your anxiety patterns change over time.

Features

Free

  • Panic SOS: 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, six guided breaths, calming affirmations, and a before-and-after intensity check
  • Panic SOS Lock Screen widget that opens straight into a guided session
  • Live breathing countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island
  • Home Screen widget with your streak, today's mood and a daily affirmation
  • Quick mood and anxiety check-ins on a 1–10 scale
  • Calm streak and calendar, with a grace day that keeps your streak alive after one missed day (once every 30 days)
  • Coping techniques library: 4-7-8 breathing, box breathing, 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, body scan, thought record, progressive muscle relaxation, the cold water technique and cognitive defusion
  • Crisis helplines in the app for the country your iPhone is set to (20 countries, including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US), with your local emergency number
  • A daily reminder at the time you choose
  • An "I Stayed Calm Today" card you can share

Help from anywhere (free)

  • An Apple Watch app: Panic SOS on your wrist, with breaths you can feel
  • Start Panic SOS from the Action Button, Control Center, Siri or Spotlight
  • Haptic breathing: feel each breath with your eyes closed
  • Optional voice guidance through grounding and breathing
  • Optional Apple Health: mindful minutes, mood as State of Mind, and your heart rate before and after a session

Earn your calm rank (free)

  • 50 badges to unlock, from First Anchor to secret ones like Night Watch
  • An Anchor Pass with 20 ranks, from First Breath to Zen Anchor, whose finish turns from Sea Glass to Pearl as you climb
  • Celebrations for streaks, badges and new ranks, with cards you can share
  • Daily quests and XP
  • Your week in calm: a story recap of your sessions, moods and wins

CalmAnchor Premium

  • A personalized 30-day healing plan built around your triggers, such as work stress, social situations, health worries, money, relationships, sleep, uncertainty, perfectionism, crowds and loneliness
  • A guided journal: mood before and after, triggers, three gratitudes, a daily affirmation and free writing
  • Progress analytics: mood trend, anxiety levels and journaling impact over 7 days, 30 days or all time

Put calm one tap from your Lock Screen.

Download on the App Store

Who it's for

People who get panic attacks or anxiety attacks and want help in the moment; anyone looking for grounding techniques, the 5-4-3-2-1 method or breathing exercises for anxiety; and people who want to track their mood and anxiety triggers or keep an anxiety journal.

CalmAnchor is a self-help and wellness tool and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or your local emergency number.

Privacy

Your journal, mood and panic entries stay on your iPhone. CalmAnchor has no account and no sign-up, and it shows no ads. The App Store privacy label lists only purchase history and a device identifier, used to handle subscriptions and not linked to you. If you turn on Apple Health in Settings, CalmAnchor also saves your sessions and mood check-ins to the Health app on your device; nothing is sent to us.

Languages

English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Italian.

Price

CalmAnchor is free to download. Panic SOS, the widgets, mood check-ins, streaks and the coping techniques library are free. CalmAnchor Premium adds the 30-day healing plan, the journal and progress analytics:

  • Weekly$4.99
  • Monthly$9.99 (3-day free trial for eligible new subscribers)
  • Yearly$49.99 (3-day free trial for eligible new subscribers)
  • Lifetime$79.99, one-time purchase

Prices are in US dollars and vary by country. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage or cancel them in your Apple ID settings.

Frequently asked questions

How does CalmAnchor help during a panic attack?

It walks you through 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, then six slow breaths (in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, out for 4), then calming affirmations. You rate how intense it feels before and after.

What is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique?

You name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell and 1 you can taste. Focusing on your senses brings your attention back to the present.

Can I open it from my Lock Screen?

Yes. Add the Panic SOS widget to your Lock Screen, and one tap opens a guided session. You can also start it from the Action Button, Control Center or Siri. While you breathe, a live countdown shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.

Is CalmAnchor free?

It's free to download, and Panic SOS, the widgets, mood check-ins and streaks are free. CalmAnchor Premium is available weekly, monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime purchase.

Does CalmAnchor have badges and streaks?

Yes. You can earn 50 badges and climb 20 ranks on your Anchor Pass, from First Breath to Zen Anchor. Your calm streak also has a grace day: it can survive one missed day, once every 30 days.

Does CalmAnchor work on Apple Watch?

Yes. The Apple Watch app starts Panic SOS from your wrist and guides six slow breaths with taps you can feel. Finished sessions count toward your streak and badges on your iPhone.

Does CalmAnchor work with Apple Health?

Yes, if you turn it on in Settings. It saves Panic SOS sessions as mindful minutes and mood check-ins as State of Mind, and can show your heart rate before and after a session.

Do I need an account?

No. There's no sign-up.

Is my journal private?

Yes. Your journal, mood and panic entries are stored on your iPhone. The App Store privacy label lists only purchase history and a device identifier, used to handle purchases and not linked to you.

Is CalmAnchor a replacement for therapy?

No. It's a self-help and wellness tool and isn't a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (US) or your local emergency number.

Which devices and languages does it support?

iPhone with iOS 18 or later, with Lock Screen and Home Screen widgets, plus an Apple Watch app for watchOS 11 or later. It's available in English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Italian.

Ready for the next time anxiety hits?

Download on the App Store

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