Whether you are autistic, exploring a possible diagnosis, supporting an autistic family member, or looking for services, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming. ASD resources aren’t only for young children—support may be helpful throughout adolescence and adulthood as needs, goals, and circumstances change.
1. Autism Help and Information | Autism Speaks You can find the information that you need by searching by topic or life stage. There is also the ability to apply filters such as the level of support needs (some support, moderate amount of support, intensive support) of the person with ASD.
4. Autistic Self Advocacy Network The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to ASD. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities.
5. 100 Day Kit School Age Children This 100 Day Kit was created to help you make the best possible use of the next 100 days in the life of your child. It contains information and advice collected from trusted and respected experts on ASD and from parents like you.
6. Autism diagnosis | Autism Speaks Whether you’re looking for information about the diagnostic criteria for ASD, navigating the process of getting an autism diagnosis for your child, or exploring the steps involved in getting a diagnosis as an adult, you’ve come to the right place.
7. Autism Navigator Autism Navigator® is a web-based instructional program developed by the Florida State University Autism Institute to increase the capacity of primary care, early intervention, and other service providers, as well as families, to better serve young children with or at risk for ASD.
8. Center for Parent Information and Resources All the materials found on the CPIR Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve.
9. Child Mind Institute | Transforming Children’s Lives The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families experiencing mental health and learning disorders through excellence in science, education, and care.
10. Families | Organization for Autism Research The diagnosis of ASD is a life-changing event. Through informed action and the use of treatments and interventions that match your autistic child’s development, you can enhance your child’s quality of life.
11. Family Voices All children, youth, and families, especially those with special health care needs and disabilities, experience their best health and quality of life.
12. Organization for Autism Research | Helping Families Today The Organization for Autism Research (OAR) is dedicated to improving the lives of autistic individuals, their families, and supporters by funding practical research and providing valuable resources.
13. Sesame Workshop-Autism Sesame Workshop is a global nonprofit organization with a mission to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.
These resources offer practical information, tools, and support to help autistic adults navigate healthcare, relationships, independence, self-advocacy, and everyday life.
16. Adult Autism Health Resources Helping adults to navigate the health care system as well as communicate and advocate for high-quality care in collaboration with their clinical providers.
17. Adults on the Spectrum — American Autism Association The American Autism Association encourages healthy lifestyles, fosters independence and inclusion, and promotes personal empowerment to better the quality of life for people with ASD.
18. Autism Grown Up Autism Grown Up, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is entirely online. We create and provide resources for autistic people and all members of an autistic person’s support network, including family members, teachers, clinicians, therapists, professionals, peers, employers, and other important stakeholders.
19. Autism Resources for Adults (PDF) A comprehensive resource guide for autistic adults covering diagnosis, mental health, relationships, education, employment, benefits, housing, independent living, and community support.
21. Autistic Adults Welcome Pack (PDF) This booklet will be helpful for you if you have just found out you are autistic (through diagnosis and/or self identification).
22. Engaging Activities for Autistic Adults: A Comprehensive Guide Meaningful activities for autistic adults aren’t a luxury, they’re a proven lever for mental health, social connection, and daily functioning. The right activities reduce anxiety, provide sensory regulation, build genuine friendships, and create the kind of purposeful structure that turns an overwhelming week into a manageable, even enjoyable one.
ASDscreening tools can help identify signs and characteristics that may be associated with autism and indicate when a more comprehensive evaluation may be helpful. These screenings are not diagnostic, but they can be a useful first step for individuals and families who have questions or concerns. The following free screening tools are available for different age groups.
Autism and Therapy | Neurodivergent Insights Autism acceptance in therapy means recognizing that autistic people have unique strengths and challenges and tailoring therapy to be more autistic friendly. It means understanding that the goal of therapy is not to “cure” autistic people but to support us in achieving our goals and living fulfilling lives.
Who are you when the things that once defined you are suddenly gone?
Recovery After Stroke
That was one of the questions at the heart of my recent conversation with Bill Gasiamis on Recovery After Stroke. I joined Bill to talk about having a stroke at 42 and what came afterward—not only the physical recovery, but the loss of my career and, along with it, much of the identity I had built around what I did.
We talked about what it was like to suddenly find myself without the roles and accomplishments that had once told me who I was, and the long process of figuring out who I might become next.
Talking about my stroke is very different now than it was in the early years of recovery. With time, I’ve been able to look beyond what happened medically and think more about everything the stroke changed.
Identity Loss
Losing my career was difficult, but losing the identity attached to that career was something I wasn’t prepared for. This conversation gave me an opportunity to talk about that part of recovery—the part that doesn’t always show up on a scan or in a rehabilitation plan.
I think one reason identity loss can be so difficult is that we often don’t realize how much of ourselves we’ve attached to our roles until one of them disappears. We describe ourselves by what we do, the relationships we have, the responsibilities we carry, and the things we’ve accomplished. When one of those pieces is suddenly taken away, the question becomes much bigger than, “What do I do now?” It becomes, “Who am I now?” Stroke forced me to confront that question much earlier in life than I ever expected.
One reason I continue to share my experience is that recovery after stroke can be incredibly isolating, particularly when the struggles aren’t visible to other people. There can be an expectation that once the immediate crisis has passed, life simply resumes. Mine didn’t. It took time to understand that rebuilding a life wasn’t necessarily the same thing as rebuilding the life I had before.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to share this part of my recovery after stroke and am glad to share our conversation here. You can listen to the full episode below.
Final Thoughts
Recovery after stroke isn’t always about getting back to who you were before. Sometimes, it’s about discovering who you are now. I hope sharing my story helps someone else navigating that same uncertain space between the life they had and the life they’re still learning to build.
If you or someone you love is navigating recovery after stroke, you don’t have to figure out every part of recovery alone. There are organizations offering information, connection, and support for both stroke survivors and their families. A few places to start include:
American Stroke Association — Stroke recovery information, an online Support Network, local stroke support groups, and caregiver resources.
Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) — Information, advocacy, and connections to state and community resources that may be useful when recovery after stroke involves cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or other acquired brain injury-related challenges.
Stroke Family Warmline — A resource from the American Stroke Association providing information, support, and connection to services for individuals and families navigating recovery after stroke. Call 1-888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653).
Stroke Onward — Resources focused specifically on the emotional journey after stroke, including rebuilding identity and creating a rewarding life after stroke.
And, of course, there are the stories of other survivors. Sometimes simply hearing from someone who understands recovery after stroke and what it is like to lose pieces of your old life, and slowly begin building something new, can make the road ahead feel a little less lonely.
Sometimes you need support, but you don’t necessarily need therapy or another generic mental health forum. You need people who actually understand the specific thing you’re going through. That’s what makes this collection of support communities different.
I searched beyond the usual resources to find more than 60 free online support communities for everything from loneliness, grief, and brain injury to family estrangement, religious trauma, chronic illness, personal growth, and some surprisingly specific life experiences.
Many of these are smaller or lesser-known support communities you probably won’t find on a typical resource list. Whether you’re looking for advice, encouragement, friendship, a place to vent, or simply the reassurance that someone else gets it, there’s a good chance you’ll find your people here.
Give Us The Floor (GUTF) is a US-based non-profit organization providing 2SLGBTQIA+ youth across the US with a supportive community of their peers when they need it most in a safe, online environment. Our inclusive discussion groups and community-wide channels provided through our free mobile app give 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their allies a safe space to break the isolation and shame cycles they so often experience.
Trained youth facilitate the confidential and anonymous groups, and participants help each other talk through prevalent mental health and social issues such as depression, loneliness, anxiety, identity, discrimination, bullying, relationships, domestic violence, and body image. Though we specialize in support for Queer and Trans youth, all who share our mission to provide a safer, more supportive world for Queer and Trans youth are welcome to join our community!
The Peer Way connects people through shared lived experiences. Peers exchange insights, offer encouragement, and validate one another, building understanding, perspective, and meaningful connection in a space built on trust.
On The Peer Way peer support platform, members can:
Share experiences anonymously without fear of judgment
Connect with peers who understand what you’re going through
Reflect and grow using our 4 Pillars wellness framework
Join supportive circles around specific topics or interests
Over 1,000 support group meetings are scheduled on HeyPeers each month, and every one of them is led by a Certified Peer Supporter, or an organization-trained peer supporter. Whenever you are ready, there is a group for you.
ShareWell is an online peer support platform offering live support groups, 1-on-1s with peer specialists, and workshops led by coaches. With over 6,000 recurring support groups and more than 100 daily options, members can connect with people who understand what they’re going through and find ongoing support that fits their needs.
Togetherall believes no one should be excluded from instant access to mental health support from real people when they need it. We’re on a mission to make this a reality. With Togetherall, entire populations can have a safe place to connect, share and discuss what’s on their mind with peers in support communities. Our diverse community is active day and night, monitored and moderated 24/7 by licensed mental health clinicians.
A safe authentic connection to our peers is a primary indicator of wellness. However, the shame, isolation, and social stigma surrounding many common adverse experiences prevent us from connecting when we need it the most.
Our primary mission is to connect people who are navigating similar challenges. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to share their journey, to find support, and to offer guidance and encouragement to others.
Advocates offers free, virtual peer support groups via Zoom. These include mental health support groups, as well as social and recreational groups. Facilitated by members of the Advocates peer support team, these groups are open to anyone in the community, not just people served by Advocates. Participation is confidential.
In the Rooms hosts over 150+ live video meetings, virtual AA meetings and 12-step meetings online every week, run by fellowship chairpeople who invite members to share amongst the group. With a meeting attendance confirmation option, members can track the meetings they attend.
DBSA online groups and support communities offer people living with depression or bipolar disorder a safe, welcoming space to share experiences, discuss coping strategies, and support one another with hope. All groups are free of charge.
Emotions Matter offers peer support groups for individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The curriculum, developed by people with lived experience, emphasizes:
Peer experience as a reference point for recovery
Socialization in a safe, judgment-free space with community support
Solution-focused strategies, empowerment, and problem-solving
ANAD pioneered peer support groups for eating disorders, and today we are the largest resource of our kind in the country. Our peer groups provide a free, virtual space where anyone can find community. We believe that everyone deserves a place to feel seen and supported, providing an accessible environment for all stages of the journey toward healing.
The road to mental health begins with you; but it helps to know you’re not alone. At TherapyTribe, we believe that individuals become empowered to help themselves and others when they feel a part of something larger. Our free online support community offers members a convenient and safe place to connect.
We’ve combined members from five long-standing support websites to create one fantastic wellness community. Join the larger conversation on wellness and peer support, or limit your interactions to your core support communities – the choice is yours.
DailyStrength is a free online peer-support community where people can connect with others facing similar mental health, health, and life challenges. The site offers support groups covering topics such as depression, anxiety, grief, addiction, relationships, chronic illness, and caregiving. Members can share experiences, ask questions, offer encouragement, and participate in discussions within topic-specific communities.
If you have been touched by cancer, your American Cancer Society is here to help. We want to make sure you know about the rich resources provided by your American Cancer Society and our partners.
MyLifeLine® is a trusted online space from the Cancer Support Community that makes it easy to update the people who care about you, request their support, and connect with peers who understand the cancer experience.
Side by Side is a UK-based online peer support community where you can:
Talk about your mental health
Connect with others who understand what you’re going through
We all know what it’s like to struggle sometimes. Side by Side gives you a safe place to listen, share and be heard. Whether you’re feeling good right now or having a hard time, the Side by Side community is a safe place to share experiences and listen to others. Support communities are available to all, 24/7. Side by Side is moderated daily from 8am to midnight.
You don’t have to recover alone. You are worthy of a community free of judgment. You deserve a trauma-informed space full of support, understanding, and fellow travelers to journey the path of recovery with you.
Our gatherings and identity-based groups and support communities are informed by the SHE RECOVERS Intentions & Guiding Principles. They are hour-long, topic-focused, and voluntarily facilitated by SHE RECOVERS Certified Professionals and trained community space holders. A free authenticated Zoom account is required to attend.
Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
ADAA’s anonymous peer-to-peer online anxiety and depression support group is a friendly, safe and supportive place for individuals and their families to share information and experiences. As a member of ADAA’s online community you can connect with other people experiencing anxiety and depression and related disorders, contribute to ongoing conversations or start your own conversation with a question or a post about your journey.
Autistic and Neurodivergent people can benefit from speaking with peers who have similar life experiences and can understand the challenges with communication, social interactions, relationships, workplace issues, and sensory sensitivities. We have had our support group program for over 20 years and are here to provide safe and confidential options for our support communities.
Recommended by leading mental health experts, LiveWell support groups are strategically designed to educate, inspire, and empower you to take control of your own depression and mental health self-care. In a supportive community of peers, learn research-based strategies for reducing symptoms and relapses of depression, and for living a more meaningful, connected, and productive life.
All virtual groups are free and confidential. No insurance, diagnosis or registration required.
Groups are open to all people ages 19+. Teens can join an online group here.
The Compassionate Friends offers “virtual chapters” through an Online Support Community (live chats). This program was established to encourage connecting and sharing among parents, grandparents, and siblings (over the age of 18) grieving the death of a child.
The support communities and rooms supply support, encouragement, and friendship. The friendly atmosphere encourages conversation among friends; friends who understand the emotions you’re experiencing. There are general bereavement sessions as well as more specific sessions.
The purpose of our support groups is to create safe spaces where group members share experiences about parenting no matter where they are on the parenting journey. Our groups are free, confidential, and open to anyone who identifies as a caregiver. They are run by volunteer facilitators who are trained in our Parents Helping Parents Mutual Aid Support Group Model.
Please join us in discussions about living with experiences (auditory and visual) that others may not experience and that we may not always understand. This virtual support group is peer run and free to all without any referral or payment needed.
This virtual support group is a safe space to process and safely share struggles with feelings and thoughts of suicide. This group is peer-run and free to all without any referral or payment needed.
Samaritans SafePlace meetings are caring suicide grief support groups facilitated by trained volunteers who have also lost a loved one to suicide. SafePlace is not a professional therapy group but a forum for sharing resources with fellow survivors, for exploring feelings often not understood by others, and for finding and giving support through the long process of grieving. Meetings are free, ongoing, and available on a drop-in basis.
Now Matters Now hosts free, online peer-led support meetings throughout the week. These meetings offer a place to connect. Members share their stories, practice evidence-based coping skills together, and learn from one another. Everyone is welcome, exactly as they are. You can choose to join without audio or video.
Step Up For Mental Health’s goal is clear: we believe peer support saves lives! We have support groups in a virtual or in-person setting for people who are dealing with a host of issues from lived experiences, caregivers, young adults, seniors, people coping with disabilities and chronic pain diseases that are affecting one’s mental health, along with isolation and other health-related issues.
Join us throughout the month as we tackle important topics that individuals and families struggle with. We have structured events and/or open-ended conversations based on the current group. Join us! Together, we can make a difference in each other’s lives.
Bi+ Talk: Peer Support Group
Caregivers
Women Peer Groups
Young Adult (18-29)
50+ Peer Support Group
Fibrioylma and Chronic Pain
Black, Racism, and Mental Health Peer Support Group
Patchwork support groups are intended to offer a safe space to process feelings and experiences related to life as a transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or intersex person. Support groups are educational and supportive in nature and offer opportunities for self care only.
Self-Injury Recovery & Awareness or “SIRA” for short, focuses on filling the massive gap of care for the self-injury community by teaching them how to heal from the inside-out, through a peer-to-peer support group model.
S.A.F.E. Alternatives – Dial 1-800-DON’T-CUT (800-366-8288) for self-injury crisis support and therapy referrals.
Shout 85258 free and confidential UK-based text support service is there for moments when you are dealing with self-harm and need support to get to a calmer place.
Our own message boards and chat room are open to anyone who is trying to overcome self-harm. We don’t just focus on simply stopping self-harm, but on finding alternative ways to cope, and on tackling the issues that caused or lead up to the self-harm in the first place.
Although our main focus is on self-injury, people who are trying to overcome other forms of self-harm, such as eating disorders and drug or alcohol misuse, are very welcome. People who have recovered from self-injury or related issues are also more than welcome.
Our chat is a peer support community for people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and other mental illnesses. We are a friendly and welcoming group of people who are here to support each other.
MyOpioidRecoveryTeam is a free online community for people living with opioid use disorder and the people who care about them. Here, you can connect with others who truly understand, share your story, and find practical, medically reviewed information about symptoms, treatments, and research.
This is a free virtual support group for people living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This is a place for us to support, encourage and learn from each other. While this group is primarily for people with OCD, loved ones and professionals are also welcome to attend and receive support.
This group is facilitated by a team of wonderful peer facilitators who take turns running the group. Each of them has OCD and so truly understands the experience. While the group is free, we welcome donations to cover the cost of running the group.
All support groups are hosted by Hand to Hold’s Family Support Specialists, staff members who have lived experience as a NICU parent. Groups are provided at no cost to NICU parents before, during and after their NICU stay. Available in both English and Spanish.
With the online program, you can login in at any time or day to connect to useful information and support. Caregivers create an anonymous profile so you can communicate comfortably with your workshop peers. Get full access to an alumni community for continued support after your online workshop is completed.
Cleveland Clinic Hospice Bereavement Support Groups are focused on caring for you through compassionate listening and quality grief education. The free services are provided to anyone needing support on their grief journey.
Virtual open support groups offer a dependable, non-judgmental space to connect with others. Regardless of where you are in your process or how long it has been since your loss, you are welcome to join us on Zoom for community and peer support.
Virtual support groups at HeartLight are led by trained peer facilitators who are fellow grievers. Each meeting will last approximately 90 minutes. Group size typically will range from 3 to 10 people.
Our support groups are designed to care for individuals, families, children, and communities experiencing loss. Our core loss-specific grief groups are led by professionals, often meeting for 8-week sessions to discuss coping strategies for those affected by loss.
All grief support groups are offered free, at no cost to participants. We also provide grief support for communities in the form of individualized 1:1 grief support consultations, group grief consultations, and grief education workshops.
Meet with stroke and brain injury survivors, caregivers and loved ones. This group is free and open to the community. • Receive information and resources • Reinforce inner strengths • Learn self-care strategies • Develop encouraging peer relationships • Continue a life of meaning and purpose
Meet others near you who care about happiness and want to support you to take action. Groups are positive-psychology-based meet-ups created by Action for Happiness. The sessions follow practical themes and offer safe and encouraging connections month after month.
Share your story and discover mutual support and compassion. Connect with others to combine wisdom to improve your growth, authenticity and happiness. Sign up and show up – it’s free!
Together Estranged is a community created by estranged adult children to find belonging and support. We understand how hard it is to feel heard about your estrangement – that’s why we’re here.
Together Estranged (TE) is an entirely volunteer-led organization that provides peer-led support groups and events intended for community connection and mutual support. Participation is voluntary, and attendees are encouraged to share only what they feel comfortable disclosing.
Rise Center for OCD and Anxiety is currently offering a free, virtual support group for OCD and related disorders (body dysmorphic disorder, hoarding disorder, body-focused repetitive disorders, illness anxiety, etc). This group is open to individuals who suffer from these disorders, as well as their family and friends. The purpose of the group is to provide a safe space to discuss relevant topics, give support and encouragement, and create a sense of community.
Welcome to our global community! We are glad you are here. This is an open space where everyone belongs, and everyone is welcome. We warmly invite you to nourish your daily practice by engaging as a member of our online support communities and through in-person and virtual Grateful Gatherings.
KindSpring is a place to practice small acts of kindness. For over a decade the KindSpring user community has focused on inner transformation, while collectively changing the world with generosity, gratitude, and trust. The site is 100% volunteer-run and totally non-commercial. It is a shared labor of love.
Every Thursday we meet online: a small group, seven seats, and 90 minutes held by clear rules. You speak as much or as little as you choose. The group listens without advice, judgment, or fixing. Everyone commits to confidentiality: what is said in the Circle stays in the Circle.
The I-CONNECT Foundation aims to: serve the older population by connecting socially isolated older adults to our community; help enhance quality of life by providing social connections via technology; and promote brain health through meaningful conversations. Our support communities pair older people with trained volunteers for fun and engaging video chats.
KindnessRX offers free online groups and support communities for adults living with mental health challenges, chronic pain, and brain injury. Our community is built around kindness, understanding, and the healing power of being with people who truly get it. These online support communities give you a steady place to land each week.
Mayo Clinic Connect offers online support communities that connect people. Mayo Clinic Connect is a public website, moderated by Mayo Clinic staff. It connects people to share and learn from each other’s health experiences.
Finding people who truly understand what you’re going through can make a difficult or lonely experience feel a little less isolating. Online support communities make that connection possible, even when the people who understand you best happen to live hundreds or thousands of miles away.
The support communities on this list are especially valuable because many focus on experiences that don’t always get much attention elsewhere.
Whether you’re coping with a loss, navigating a major life change, trying to feel less alone, or simply looking for people who get it, there may be a community here for you. You don’t have to participate right away, either.
Sometimes simply reading other people’s stories is enough to remind you that whatever you’re going through, you’re far from the only one.
You probably know more about mental illness than people did a generation ago. Terms like anxiety, trauma, ADHD, boundaries, narcissism, and self-care have become part of everyday conversation. But with more awareness has come a lot more misinformation. Social media has blurred the line between clinical terms and pop psychology, and some of the “facts” repeated online aren’t facts at all.
So, how much do you really know about mental illness?
This quiz will put your knowledge to the test with questions about mental illness, treatment, psychology, myths, and some facts that may genuinely surprise you. Whether you’re a mental health professional, a psychology buff, or simply someone who spends a little too much time reading about the human mind, see how well you do.
And fair warning: a few of these are designed to make you think twice.
Safety planning isn’t about handing someone a form and hoping they stay alive. It’s a collaborative, honest conversation about what keeps a person here when everything in them is telling them to leave. A good safety plan is personal, specific, and written in a person’s own language.
I created this worksheet because many safety plans are either too clinical to be useful or so vague they don’t actually help in a crisis. This safety plan is designed for real-world use—in therapy sessions, crisis calls, hospital discharge planning, and at home.
If you’re someone who’s struggling, use with a professional or a support person you trust.
What Makes a Safety Plan Effective?
A safety plan needs to be clear, specific, and easy to follow in the moment when thinking feels scrambled. It should be written collaboratively and, in the person’s, own words, not in clinical language. The goal is simple: create a step-by-step path that keeps a person safe when they’re overwhelmed or in crisis.
While safety planning is important, suicide prevention starts long before a crisis. Taking care of your mental health, staying connected with supportive people, addressing problems before they become overwhelming, and knowing where to turn for help can all make a difference. Pay attention to changes in your mood, thoughts, behaviors, and ability to cope, and reach out early when something does not feel right. Keep your safety plan and crisis resources somewhere easy to find, and let trusted people know how they can support you. Most importantly, remember that you do not have to have everything figured out, and you do not have to carry the hardest moments alone. Sometimes the goal is simply to get through the next hour, the next night, or the next day. Give yourself the chance to see what comes next. Your story is still being written.
Conflict is a normal part of any relationship, but how couples handle it can make the difference between growing closer and slowly pulling apart. Healthy conflict isn’t about never arguing or always agreeing. It’s about learning how to disagree without attacking, shutting down, or losing sight of the fact that you’re on the same team. The 25 free resources for conflict in relationships below include worksheets, assessments, videos, interactive tools, research-based exercises, and guides.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Couples Coach is a free app designed to help couples strengthen their relationships and improve communication. It includes guided exercises, relationship assessments, and practical tools for managing conflict, increasing connection, and working through common relationship challenges. Although developed by the VA, Couples Coach is available for anyone to use.
Utah State University’s Effective Communication Skills: Resolving Conflicts guide offers practical strategies for handling disagreements more constructively. It covers skills such as active listening, using “I” statements, understanding different communication styles, taking breaks when emotions become overwhelming, and working together to solve problems. The guide can help you communicate more effectively while preventing everyday disagreements from escalating.
Utah State University’s P.A.U.S.E. strategy offers a practical way to manage strong emotions before they take over during conflict. The guide explains how emotional and physiological reactions can make productive communication difficult and provides a step-by-step approach for slowing down, regulating your response, and returning to the conversation more calmly and intentionally.
Love Is Respect’s Conflict Resolution guide explains how to handle disagreements in healthy, respectful ways. It covers communication, compromise, boundaries, and finding solutions that work for both people while emphasizing that conflict should never involve threats, control, or abuse. The guide can also help you recognize the difference between normal relationship conflict and unhealthy behavior.
The American Psychological Association’s How to Resolve Conflicts guide provides a simple framework for working through disagreements constructively. It introduces the IDEAL approach, which involves identifying the problem and feelings involved, exploring possible solutions, evaluating your options, acting on a solution, and learning from the outcome. The framework can be used to approach conflict more thoughtfully and collaboratively.
The American Psychological Association’s guide to healthy relationships offers research-based strategies for building and maintaining a strong partnership. It covers healthy communication, handling disagreements constructively, maintaining emotional connection, and recognizing when recurring problems may require additional support. The guide also explains how couples can approach conflict as a problem to solve together rather than a battle to win.
Therapist Aid’s Relationship Conflict Resolution worksheet provides practical strategies for handling disagreements in healthier, more productive ways. It teaches five conflict-resolution skills, including focusing on the problem rather than the person, reflective listening, using “I” statements, taking a time-out when emotions become overwhelming, and working toward a resolution. The free worksheet can be downloaded, printed, or completed digitally.
Penn State Extension’s Dealing with Conflict guide offers practical strategies for handling disagreements more effectively in a variety of relationships. It covers active listening, using “I” statements, asking questions for clarification, paying attention to tone and body language, managing emotional reactions, and apologizing when appropriate. The guide also explores different conflict-management styles and how your approach can influence the outcome of a disagreement.
PositivePsychology.com’s Conflict Resolution Worksheets collection offers practical exercises designed to help couples work through disagreements more constructively. The worksheets explore underlying concerns, encourage active listening and perspective-taking, and help partners identify solutions that address both people’s needs. The collection also includes exercises for reflecting on past conflicts and developing healthier approaches to future disagreements.
Psychology.com’s Relationship Satisfaction Test is a free, confidential 16-question assessment based on the validated Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-16). It takes about four minutes and measures overall relationship satisfaction, including feelings of connection, teamwork, and whether the relationship is meeting your needs. After completing the assessment, you’ll receive a score with a plain-language explanation of what your results may mean.
Repair offers free, interactive tools designed to help couples communicate more effectively and work through conflict together. Its Skills section teaches evidence-inspired relationship strategies and includes short quizzes, while guided Repair Sessions walk partners through disagreements step by step. Couples explore their perspectives, emotions, triggers, accountability, and possible solutions, all directly in their browser with no account or download required.
South Denver Therapy’s free Couples Communication Workbook is a comprehensive 58-page resource with more than 50 exercises couples can complete together. It includes a relationship assessment, communication patterns quiz, active listening tools, conflict-resolution and fair-fighting exercises, repair strategies, weekly check-ins, and activities for strengthening emotional connection. The workbook is completely free to download with no credit card required. (You must enter an email address to receive the download.)
UC Berkeley’s Greater Good in Action offers a free 15-minute exercise designed to help couples approach disagreements from a different perspective. You’ll reflect on a recent conflict from the viewpoint of a neutral third party who wants the best for both partners. The research-based exercise can help reduce emotional distress, increase empathy, and encourage more constructive responses during future disagreements. A free printable PDF version is also available.
Regent University’s Charis Institute offers a free Time Out Module for couples whose arguments have become too heated to resolve productively. The resource includes a brief demonstration video and a downloadable worksheet to help each partner identify personal warning signs that emotions are escalating. Couples can use these signs to recognize when it’s time to pause an argument and return to the conversation when they can communicate more effectively.
In this TED Talk, renowned relationship researchers Drs. John and Julie Gottman explain why conflict itself isn’t necessarily a sign of an unhealthy relationship. Drawing on decades of research with couples, they explore what separates constructive disagreements from destructive ones and share strategies for approaching conflict with greater understanding, curiosity, and connection.
Biola University’s Center for Marriage and Relationships offers a free video exploring the difference between healthy and harmful conflict. Chris Grace, PhD, and Alisa Grace discuss common destructive patterns such as criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling and offer practical strategies for responding differently. The 50-minute video also covers emotional flooding, gentle ways to start difficult conversations, taking healthy time-outs, identifying the emotions beneath an argument, and repairing connection after conflict.
Cleveland Clinic’s guide to stonewalling explains what happens when one partner emotionally withdraws or shuts down during conflict and why this pattern can damage a relationship over time. Psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, discusses intentional and unintentional stonewalling and offers practical strategies for changing the pattern, including recognizing when you’re shutting down, taking a purposeful time-out, communicating your needs, practicing empathy, and returning to difficult conversations when you’re ready to engage more productively.
Mind Remake Project’s Resources for Love, Sex, & Relationships is a large collection of free tools for building healthier relationships. Resources include relationship and communication assessments, couples workbooks, worksheets, videos, guides, and interactive tools covering communication, intimacy, boundaries, attachment, conflict, and relationship satisfaction. The collection is especially useful if you want to explore several different aspects of your relationship in one place.
PositivePsychology.com’s Conflict Resolution in Relationships & Couples guide offers research-informed strategies and practical exercises for working through disagreements more constructively. It covers purposeful listening, managing strong emotions, finding win-win solutions, improving communication, and preventing unresolved issues from building resentment. The guide also includes several free exercises and worksheets couples can use to identify recurring conflicts, better understand each other’s needs, brainstorm solutions, and conduct regular relationship check-ins.
Texas Woman’s University’s Relationship Resources page offers a collection of practical information for building healthier relationships and communicating more effectively. It covers communication during disagreements, active listening, “I” statements, nonverbal communication, healthy versus unhealthy relationship patterns, sexual communication and consent, and common barriers to effective listening. The page includes specific examples and strategies couples can use to communicate more clearly and resolve conflicts more constructively.
The Gottman Institute’s Managing Conflict in Relationships guide offers three practical “conflict blueprints” for navigating disagreements as a couple. Drawing on relationship research, it covers managing current conflicts, healing past emotional injuries, and handling recurring problems that may never be completely resolved. The guide includes strategies for expressing needs respectfully, listening without interrupting, calming heated conversations, making repair attempts, taking responsibility, apologizing, and finding compromises that respect both partners’ needs.
The University of Florida’s SMART Couples program offers a collection of free resources for couples coping with relationship problems and challenges. Topics include constructive conflict, destructive communication patterns, mindfulness, and understanding why communication skills alone may not solve every relationship problem. The page also includes a downloadable guide with 10 rules couples can use to handle disagreements more constructively.
The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center offers a large collection of free resources designed to help couples strengthen their relationships and navigate common challenges. The library includes tip sheets on communication, active listening, trust, forgiveness, infidelity, financial stress, commitment, chronic illness, emotional cheating, and blended families. Couples can explore individual topics or use the collection to find practical strategies for communicating more effectively and working through problems together.
This research review examines which types of communication actually help couples during conflict and finds that there may not be one approach that works in every situation. The authors explore constructive and destructive communication patterns, including cooperation, opposition, affection, validation, defensiveness, and direct versus indirect communication. The review offers a more nuanced look at how the effectiveness of different communication styles can depend on the couple and the problem they’re trying to solve.
The Healthy Relationships Initiative’s Toolkit for Couples offers free resources designed to help couples build healthier, stronger relationships. The toolkit encourages partners to reflect on their relationship, have deeper conversations, strengthen their connection, and develop skills for navigating challenging areas together. It’s designed for couples at different stages, whether your relationship is generally going well, you’re struggling with particular issues, or you’re experiencing more serious difficulties. A free PDF version of the complete toolkit is available.
Stress is unavoidable, but there are plenty of ways to make it more manageable. Whether you’re dealing with everyday stress, feeling overwhelmed, or approaching burnout, having the right tools can help. I’ve put together 25 free stress management resources, including guides, workbooks, worksheets, videos, and practical exercises from trusted mental health and healthcare organizations. Whether you have three minutes to try a breathing exercise or want to work through an entire stress management workbook, there’s something here to help you find stress management strategies that work for you.
The American Psychological Association’s guide offers 11 evidence-based strategies for handling everyday stress in healthier ways. Tips include identifying your stressors, getting enough sleep, exercising, strengthening social connections, practicing mindfulness, reframing unhelpful thoughts, and setting realistic expectations. The guide also explains how changing the way you think about and respond to stressful situations can make stress feel more manageable.
The National Institutes of Health’s Emotional Wellness Toolkit offers practical strategies for managing stress and building emotional resilience. It includes tips for getting quality sleep, practicing mindfulness, strengthening social connections, developing healthier coping skills, and finding ways to manage difficult emotions. The toolkit also provides simple actions you can incorporate into everyday life to support your emotional well-being.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s Stress resource explores the science behind several popular approaches to stress management. It covers deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga, explaining what researchers have learned about each technique. It’s an especially useful resource if you want to understand not only how to manage stress, but what the evidence says about which approaches may actually help.
The National Institute of Mental Health’s I’m So Stressed Out! guide explains the difference between stress and anxiety and offers practical strategies for coping when you feel overwhelmed. Tips include journaling, exercise, mindfulness and relaxation exercises, maintaining healthy routines, and identifying your personal stress triggers. The guide also explains how to recognize when stress or anxiety may be interfering enough with daily life that it’s time to seek additional help.
Kaiser Permanente’s interactive stress tool helps you estimate your current stress level based on major life changes you’ve experienced during the past six months. After completing the assessment, you’ll receive a score ranging from low to high stress, along with information about what your results mean. The tool also connects you with practical tips and videos for coping with stress and making small changes to reduce its impact.
The CDC’s Managing Stress guide offers practical, evidence-based strategies for coping with everyday stress and preventing it from becoming chronic. It covers common signs of stress and simple ways to manage it, including taking breaks from news and social media, journaling, spending time outdoors, practicing gratitude, connecting with others, getting enough sleep, and staying physically active. The page also links to additional free mental health and stress-management resources.
Mental Health America’s Self-Help Tools collection offers interactive resources for understanding and managing stress and supporting your overall mental health. You can take a stress test, work through interactive self-help tools, complete worksheets, track physical symptoms and emotions, and explore strategies for changing unhealthy thoughts and habits. It’s a particularly useful resource if you prefer hands-on activities rather than simply reading about stress management.
Verywell Mind’s 18 Effective Stress Relief Strategies offers a variety of practical techniques for managing both immediate and long-term stress. Strategies include walking, exercise, yoga, meditation, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, creative activities, gratitude, positive self-talk, social support, and reducing unnecessary stressors. The guide can help you experiment with different approaches to find the stress-relief strategies that work best for you.
Cleveland Clinic’s guide to stress explains what stress is, how it affects the body, and how to recognize common physical and emotional symptoms. It also offers practical ways to manage and prevent stress, including exercise, relaxation techniques, healthy eating, adequate sleep, setting boundaries, and connecting with supportive people. The guide also explains when stress may be a sign that it’s time to seek professional help.
Positive Psychology’s Stress Management guide offers practical techniques for reducing stress and preventing burnout. Strategies include identifying your stressors, practicing mindfulness and relaxation, improving time management, exercising, strengthening social connections, and developing healthier thought patterns. The guide also includes stress-management exercises, worksheets, and additional resources that can help you build better coping skills.
The American Institute of Stress’s Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory is an interactive assessment that helps you estimate how much stress you may be experiencing based on major life events. You select events you’ve experienced within the past year, such as changes in relationships, work, finances, health, or living circumstances. The tool calculates a stress score and provides information about what your results may mean for your risk of stress-related health problems.
Mind Remake Project’s guide to burnout explains how chronic stress can affect your emotional and physical well-being and how to recognize warning signs before you reach a breaking point. It covers common signs and risk factors for burnout and offers practical strategies for recovery, including setting boundaries, prioritizing rest, simplifying daily demands, reducing overstimulation, establishing healthy routines, and reconnecting with activities that bring you joy.
The American Psychological Association’s Stress Management Tools collection includes five short, science-based videos that demonstrate techniques you can use when you’re feeling stressed. Exercises include controlled breathing, focusing your attention, progressive muscle relaxation, grounding, and recognizing positive experiences. The APA also provides a downloadable stress-management cheat sheet you can save or print for quick reference.
This short guided breathing exercise offers a quick way to calm your mind during moments of stress, anxiety, or burnout. In just three minutes, the practice guides you through intentional breathing designed to slow things down, refocus your attention, and give your mind and body a brief break when you’re feeling overwhelmed.
Mayo Clinic’s Stress: What Is It and How Do We Manage It? 55-minute video explains how stress affects the mind and body and offers practical strategies for managing it. The video covers techniques including mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing, physical activity, changing negative thought patterns, and strengthening social support. It’s a useful option if you prefer watching or listening to information rather than reading a guide.
Cornell Health’s Stress Management guide explains how stress affects the mind and body and how to recognize when stress levels may be getting too high. It offers practical strategies such as improving sleep and exercise, connecting with others, letting go of perfectionism, reframing negative thoughts, meditating, and spending time in nature. The guide also includes several five-minute stress busters, including deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, visualization, and taking a quick change of scenery.
UC Davis Health’s Stress Management guide offers practical tools for understanding and managing everyday stress. It covers common sources and signs of stress and provides strategies for responding more effectively, including relaxation techniques, healthier habits, changing unhelpful thought patterns, and identifying ways to reduce or cope with stressors. The guide can help you better understand your own stress response and develop healthier ways of managing it.
Purdue University’s Manage Stress Workbook provides practical exercises for understanding your personal stressors and developing healthier ways to cope with them. It includes activities for identifying signs and sources of stress, examining how you respond to stressful situations, practicing relaxation and mindfulness, and building habits that support overall well-being. The workbook format makes it especially useful if you want to actively practice stress-management skills rather than simply read about them.
NAMI’s Managing Stress guide provides practical strategies for recognizing and coping with stress before it becomes overwhelming. It covers ways to identify personal stressors, recognize physical and emotional warning signs, develop healthy coping skills, practice relaxation, and strengthen your support system. The guide also emphasizes self-care and building everyday habits that can make it easier to manage stressful situations.
TalkPLUS’s Stress Workbook provides practical exercises for understanding stress and learning healthier ways to manage it. It explores common symptoms and causes of stress and offers strategies for tackling problems, managing worries, improving relaxation, and making helpful lifestyle changes. The workbook includes activities and worksheets that allow you to apply the techniques to your own stressors and develop a personalized approach to coping with stress.
The American Institute of Stress’s 10 Proven Stress Management Techniques guide offers practical, research-informed strategies for reducing stress and improving overall well-being. Techniques include deep breathing, meditation, exercise, spending time in nature, improving sleep, practicing gratitude, connecting with others, and using relaxation exercises. The guide provides simple approaches you can incorporate into everyday life to help manage stress and build greater resilience.
The Mental Health Foundation’s How to Manage and Reduce Stress guide explains what stress is, how it can affect your health, and how to recognize when it may be becoming a problem. It offers practical strategies for managing stress, including identifying your triggers, exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep, building supportive relationships, practicing mindfulness, and taking time to relax. The guide also encourages you to recognize what you can control and seek additional support when stress becomes difficult to manage.
Therapist Aid’s Stress Management collection offers free worksheets and exercises designed to help you better understand and cope with stress. Resources include tools for identifying stressors, practicing relaxation and mindfulness, improving self-care, managing emotions, and developing healthier coping strategies. Many of the worksheets can be downloaded and printed, making this a useful resource for practicing stress-management skills on your own.
The Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre’s Practical Guide to Stress and Stress Management explains how stress affects both the mind and body and offers practical ways to cope with it. The guide covers recognizing personal stressors and warning signs, relaxation and breathing techniques, physical activity, healthy routines, problem-solving, and strengthening social support. It also provides exercises and strategies you can use to better understand your own stress and develop healthier ways of responding to it.
Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Stress Management Tools guide provides simple techniques for calming your body and mind during stressful moments. It includes practical exercises such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, mindfulness, and other relaxation strategies. The tools are designed to be easy to practice and can help you develop quick, healthy ways to cope when stress starts to build.
Knowing something about yourself and actually putting that knowledge into practice are two different things. You can understand why you procrastinate, recognize an unhealthy pattern, know that you can’t control everything, and still find yourself doing the exact same things you’ve always done. Being human is inconvenient that way.
I created these free worksheet packets to help turn reflection into something a little more practical. Each packet focuses on a different part of being human, including identity, relationships and connection, control and uncertainty, happiness and wanting, and fear and failure. The exercises are designed to help you examine your own patterns, beliefs, choices, and experiences rather than simply tell you what you should think or do.
There’s no right way to work through them. You can complete an entire packet, choose the exercises that interest you, use them for journaling and self-reflection, or return to them when a particular area of your life needs attention. Some questions may be easy. Others may make you stop and think longer than you expected. That’s probably where the interesting stuff is.
The career we almost pursued. The relationship that might have lasted. The city we never moved to. The talent we never developed. The person we were before loss changed everything.
Psychologists call these counterfactuals—mental simulations of how life might have unfolded if we had made different choices or experienced different circumstances. While these thoughts are a normal part of being human, they often cluster around specific themes. Some people repeatedly imagine lives filled with greater adventure. Others dwell on missed opportunities, lost relationships, unrealized potential, or the person they might have become.
I call these recurring imagined alternatives the Shadow Life.
Your Shadow Life isn’t a fantasy life. It’s unlived versions of yourself your mind returns to again and again. It reflects what you value most, what you grieve, and what you still long for. In many cases, it also points toward unmet psychological needs that continue to shape your decisions today.
The assessment below isn’t a diagnostic tool. Instead, it’s an opportunity for self-reflection. As you answer each question, don’t overthink your responses. Choose the answer that best reflects how often these thoughts naturally arise for you. At the end, you’ll discover which Shadow Life most often visits you—and what it may be trying to teach you.
Sometimes our greatest regrets aren’t telling us to look backward.
They’re quietly pointing us toward the life we still have time to build.
Take this short quiz to discover your Shadow Life, the unlived version of your life that still lingers in your thoughts, regrets, and “what ifs.” You might be surprised.
Your highest score doesn’t define your personality. It identifies the unlived life your mind returns to most. That life isn’t your enemy. It is your teacher.
For years, Mind Remake Project has been my home for sharing evidence-based mental health resources, practical tools, and educational content for clinicians, students, and anyone interested in psychology. That mission isn’t changing.
What is changing is that I’ve finally created a separate space dedicated to my writing.
While Mind Remake Project will continue to focus on mental health education, my author website is where I’ll share updates on my books, works in progress, bonus content, and the ideas that inspire my writing.
Many of my books explore themes that overlap with psychology—including identity, regret, resilience, recovery, and the stories we tell ourselves—but they’ll also include memoir, narrative nonfiction, and projects that don’t necessarily fit within the educational focus of Mind Remake Project.
If you’ve enjoyed my articles here, I think you’ll enjoy what’s coming next.
On my author website, you can:
Learn about current and upcoming books
Download free reader resources
Read exclusive articles and behind-the-scenes updates
Follow my writing journey
Join my mailing list to hear about future releases before anyone else
Writing has become one of the most meaningful parts of my life, and I’m grateful to everyone who has encouraged me along the way. Whether you’ve been following Mind Remake Project for years or you’ve only recently discovered my work, thank you for being part of this journey.
I hope you’ll stop by, explore the site, and join me as this next chapter unfolds.
