A minimal, open-source grounding app for overwhelming moments.

Anchor is a simple tool for when emotions feel overwhelming. It provides gentle phrases and reminders to help you stay grounded during moments of panic, anxiety, sadness, or anger.

Design Philosophy:

• Minimal — Clean, distraction-free interface
• Private — All data stays on your device
• Customizable — Add your own phrases and modes
• Evidence-based — Techniques backed by science and reviewed by experts

Important: Anchor is not a medical tool or therapy replacement. It's simply a reading tool that provides phrases you can reflect on during difficult moments. If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, please reach out to a professional or crisis helpline.

• Six Built-in Modes — Panic, Anxiety, Sadness, Anger, Grounding, and Values
• Custom Modes — Create your own modes with personalized names
• Custom Phrases — Add, edit, or hide phrases for any mode
• Multi-language — English, Spanish (Español), and Portuguese (Português)
• Five Themes — Black, Dark, Light, White, and Auto (follows system)
• Cross-platform — iOS, Android, and Web
• Privacy-first — No accounts, no analytics, no tracking
• Evidence-based — Techniques backed by science and reviewed by mental health experts

• Node.js (LTS version recommended)
• Expo CLI

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/NicoDeGiacomo/anchor.git
cd anchor

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the development server
npm start

After starting the development server:

anchor/
├── app/                # Screens and navigation (Expo Router)
│   ├── (tabs)/        # Tab screens (home, settings, about)
│   └── mode/          # Mode display screen
├── components/        # Reusable React components
├── content/           # Phrase data (JSON, multi-language)
│   ├── panic/
│   ├── anxiety/
│   ├── sadness/
│   ├── anger/
│   ├── grounding/
│   └── values/
├── contexts/          # React Context providers (language, theme)
├── hooks/             # Custom React hooks
├── utils/             # Utility functions
├── assets/            # Images, fonts, icons
└── scripts/           # Build scripts

1. Open the app and go to Settings
2. Under any mode, tap Edit Phrases
3. Add new phrases or hide existing ones

1. Go to Settings
2. Tap Add Mode
3. Enter a name for your custom mode
4. Add phrases to your new mode

In Settings, you can:

• Switch between English, Spanish, and Portuguese
• Choose from five themes: Black, Dark, Light, White, or Auto

• Expo ~54.0 — React Native framework
• React Native 0.81 — Cross-platform mobile development
• React 19 — UI library
• TypeScript — Type-safe JavaScript
• Expo Router — File-based routing
• AsyncStorage — Local data persistence
• Reanimated — Smooth animations

Anchor's grounding techniques are:

• Evidence-based — Rooted in established psychological practices
• Expert-reviewed — Techniques reviewed by mental health professionals
• Research-informed — Based on proven methods for managing anxiety and panic

We are committed to providing scientifically-validated approaches you can trust.

Anchor is designed with privacy as a core principle:

• 100% Local — All your data (phrases, settings, preferences) is stored only on your device
• No Accounts — No sign-up, no login required
• No Analytics — We don't track your usage
• No Network — The app works completely offline

Contributions are welcome! Whether it's:

• Reporting bugs
• Suggesting features
• Adding translations
• Improving documentation
• Submitting pull requests

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on how to get started.

See PUBLISHING.md for detailed instructions on building and publishing to:

• iOS App Store
• Google Play Store
• Web

If you find Anchor helpful and want to support its development:

• Ko-fi
• Cafecito

• GitHub Repository
• LinkedIn

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.

Made with care for those moments when you need a gentle anchor.