About · safety · evidence
How NotBroken works, and how to use it safely
A plain-language guide to the directory and the five tools — what each one does, why it can help, what to be careful about, where to get urgent help, and who made all of this.
Please read first
NotBroken is a free directory and a set of general wellness tools. Nothing here is medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, none of the tools are medical devices, and using them does not replace care from your own doctor, therapist or health team. The tools are intended for adults (18+). If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line now — see crisis support.
Discover — the directory
The home page of NotBroken is a curated, searchable directory of resources for metabolic health, mental health, neurodiversity and recovery: practitioner directories, therapists, support groups and communities, activity and cooking groups, events, organisations and healing programs from around the world. Every listing shows what it does, who it helps and what it costs, and can be filtered by cost, region, format and audience, printed, or saved as a PDF.
How to use it
- Search by condition, place, approach or organisation name, or use the filters (cost, region, format, audience). Filters combine, and the URL updates so you can share a filtered view.
- Use Save as PDF in the sidebar to keep a copy or print it. A filtered view prints only the matching listings.
- Links open in a new tab. Every listing was checked when the edition was compiled (the date is on the cover), but organisations change — always confirm details with the provider.
Safety notes
- Listings are informational and are not endorsements or recommendations. NotBroken has no commercial relationship with any listed organisation and receives no payment for inclusion.
- Check the credentials, registration and fees of any practitioner or program yourself, and involve your own clinician before changing medication or treatment — including any form of tapering or dietary therapy.
- If a listing is out of date, harmful or missing, please get in touch.
Breathe
Breathe guides you through four paced-breathing patterns — Deep Sigh (a double inhale through the nose followed by a long exhale), 4-7-8, Box breathing (equal inhale, hold, exhale, hold) and 5-5 coherent breathing — with an expanding and contracting circle to follow and optional sound cues.
How to use it
- Pick a pattern, then tap the circle to begin. Breathe in as the circle grows and out as it shrinks; hold when it pauses.
- Use the speaker button to turn the cues on or off. A few minutes is enough; there is no need to push for a long session.
- Sit or lie comfortably. Breathe through your nose if you can, gently — the aim is slow and easy, not deep and forceful.
Why it can help
Slow, paced breathing with a long exhale is one of the quickest ways to nudge the body from a stressed state towards a calmer one. Breathing at roughly five to six breaths a minute increases heart-rate variability and vagal activity, and short daily practices of exhale-emphasised breathing have been shown to improve mood and lower physiological arousal.
Safety notes
- Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, tingly, light-headed or short of breath — this can happen if you breathe too deeply or too fast.
- Do not use it while driving, in water, or in any situation that needs your full attention.
- If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or have a history of panic attacks, fainting or dissociation, check with a clinician before using breath-holding patterns (4-7-8, Box). The 5-5 pattern has no holds.
- Breathing exercises are a self-care aid, not a treatment for anxiety disorders. If anxiety is affecting your life, talk to a health professional.
Calm
Calm is a visual and audio aid for bilateral stimulation: two clouds light up alternately from left to right while, with headphones on, a soft tone moves from ear to ear. You follow the clouds with your eyes at a speed you choose. It borrows one element used in EMDR therapy but it is not EMDR therapy and is not designed to process traumatic memories on your own.
How to use it
- Put headphones on (optional but recommended), set a comfortable speed with the slider, then tap the clouds to start and tap again to stop.
- Keep your head still and let only your eyes move. A couple of minutes is a reasonable session; stop sooner if you feel worse rather than better.
- Use it as a way to settle — while breathing slowly, or before sleep — not as a way to deliberately revisit distressing events.
Why it can help
Alternating left–right attention loads working memory, which in laboratory studies makes distressing images feel less vivid and less intense while the stimulation continues. Many people find the gentle rhythm settling in the same way as rocking or a steady walk. EMDR itself is a recognised, clinician-delivered trauma therapy; the evidence for self-guided bilateral stimulation on its own is limited, so treat Calm as a comfort tool rather than a treatment.
Safety notes
- Not a substitute for therapy. If you have PTSD, complex trauma, a dissociative disorder or another serious mental-health condition, talk to a qualified professional before using it, and consider using it only with their guidance.
- Strong feelings can surface. Stop immediately if you feel overwhelmed, activated, detached or distressed, ground yourself (feet on the floor, name five things you can see) and reach out for support.
- The moving visuals may not suit people with photosensitive epilepsy, migraine triggered by motion, or eye or vestibular conditions.
- Never use it while driving or operating machinery. Keep headphone volume low.
Sleep
Sleep generates brown, pink or white noise on your device, can add a slow bilateral panning tone that drifts between your ears, and has a nap timer that stops everything with a soft bell. The large play button plays a recorded sleep audio track (about 29 MB, downloaded the first time you play it); the noise and the panning tone are generated locally and work offline.
How to use it
- Press play, then use the Noise tab to choose a sound and set the volume, the Panning tab for the drifting tone, and the Timer tab to set a nap length.
- Start with the volume low — just enough to mask what is bothering you. Brown noise is the deepest and gentlest; white is the brightest.
- If your device is in Lockdown Mode or a very restricted browser, Sleep automatically switches to pre-recorded copies of the same sounds; use your device's volume buttons in that case.
Why it can help
Steady, featureless sound can mask sudden noises (traffic, neighbours, a partner's snoring) that would otherwise wake you or stop you dozing off, and a fixed nap length prevents the long afternoon sleep that makes the night harder. Research on noise as a sleep aid is mixed and mostly low quality, so think of it as a comfort that helps some people in some environments rather than a proven remedy.
Safety notes
- Keep the volume low, especially with earbuds, and avoid sleeping in earbuds for long periods — prolonged loud sound can damage hearing and irritate the ear canal.
- Do not use continuous noise near infants at more than a low volume or close to the cot.
- Persistent trouble sleeping, loud snoring, gasping in your sleep or daytime exhaustion can be signs of a treatable sleep disorder — see a clinician rather than relying on sound.
- Do not use it as an alarm for anything safety-critical, and never while driving.
Move
Move is a timer for Interval Walking Training (IWT): you alternate a few minutes of brisk walking (about 70% of your effort — you can talk, but not sing) with a few minutes of easy walking, for as many sets as you like up to a maximum time. Audio and visual cues tell you when to change pace, so you can keep your phone in your pocket.
How to use it
- Set the fast and slow interval lengths (the classic protocol is 3 minutes each), choose a maximum session length, and press Start. Choose whether to begin with a fast or a slow interval.
- Warm up with a few minutes of easy walking, wear supportive shoes, and pick a safe route with an even surface.
- Aim for five or more sets, four or more days a week, if that suits you; build up gradually over weeks.
Why it can help
In studies of middle-aged and older adults in Japan, five months of interval walking improved aerobic fitness and leg strength and lowered blood pressure more than the same amount of continuous moderate walking, with benefits maintained over years in people who kept it up. Interval walking is free, needs no equipment, and is easier to sustain than running for many people.
Safety notes
- Talk to your doctor before starting if you have heart disease, chest pain, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes with complications, joint or balance problems, are pregnant, or have been inactive for a long time.
- Stop and seek help if you get chest pain or pressure, severe breathlessness, dizziness, or pain in the neck, jaw or arm.
- Keep the cue volume low enough to hear traffic and your surroundings; stay visible and hydrated; avoid extreme heat.
- The timer keeps your screen awake while it runs — it will use more battery on long walks.
Track
Track is a private daily journal. In seven short steps you can record how your day was, vitals and metabolic readings you have measured yourself (for example blood glucose or ketones), sleep, food, exercise, substances, and the medicines, herbs or supplements you took, plus a few words about your mental state. Track charts your own entries over time and can export a PDF for your own records or a JSON backup. Everything stays on your device — there is no account and nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Fill in what matters to you and skip the rest; the journal autosaves as you go. Use the arrows or the progress bar to move between steps, and the date field to view or edit another day.
- Use Manage to keep a list of small daily tasks and tick them off, and the chart button to see trends.
- Back up regularly with the export button (JSON) and keep the file somewhere safe — clearing your browser data, or a browser evicting old site data, deletes the journal. Installing NotBroken to your home screen helps protect it.
- Bring the PDF to appointments if it helps your clinician see the bigger picture.
Why it can help
Keeping a simple daily record is a well-established way to notice patterns — what tends to precede a bad night, a low day or a high reading — and it gives your health team far better information than memory alone. Self-monitoring is one of the most consistently useful ingredients in programs that help people change habits.
Safety notes
- Track is a diary, not a medical device and not a clinical tool. It does not interpret readings, calculate or suggest doses, check interactions, or remind you to take anything, and it never will. Follow your prescriber's instructions and never start, stop or change a medicine or treatment because of anything you see in the journal.
- Readings you type in are only as accurate as your own measurements; if a reading worries you, contact your clinician or emergency services rather than relying on the app.
- The journal is private to your device but not encrypted — anyone with access to your unlocked device or browser profile could read it. Use a device passcode, and export and delete entries if you share a device.
- If your mood, thoughts or behaviour are frightening you, please tell someone and use the crisis lines below.
Crisis support
If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (000 in Australia, 911 in the US and Canada, 999 or 112 in the UK and Europe, 111 in New Zealand). To talk to someone now:
- Australia Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7) · lifeline.org.au
- United States & Canada Call or text 988 · 988lifeline.org
- United Kingdom & Ireland Samaritans 116 123 (free, 24/7)
- New Zealand Call or text 1737 (24/7)
- Everywhere else findahelpline.com and the IASP crisis centre directory
Frequently asked questions
Is NotBroken medical advice?
No. NotBroken is a free directory and a set of general wellness tools made by an independent developer. Nothing on the site is medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and using it does not create a clinician–patient relationship. Always talk to your own doctor or health professional about your health and any medicines.
Does Track give medication advice or reminders?
No. Track is a personal journal. You can note the medicines, herbs or supplements you took, exactly as you would in a paper diary, and see your own notes charted over time. It never suggests doses, schedules, interactions or changes, and it sends no reminders to take medication. Never start, stop or change a medicine because of anything in the journal.
Where is my journal data stored?
Only on your device, in your browser's storage (IndexedDB with a localStorage backup). There is no account and no server; nothing you type in Track is uploaded to NotBroken or to anyone else. Clearing your browser data, or a browser that evicts old site data, deletes it — so use the Backup button regularly and keep the JSON file somewhere safe.
Is the app safe to use?
The tools are gentle, self-paced and free of any physical device, but every tool has a few sensible cautions listed on this page — for example, stop a breathing exercise if you feel dizzy, keep the volume low when using Sleep, and check with a clinician before starting interval walking if you have a heart condition. Calm can bring up strong feelings and is not a substitute for trauma therapy. If you feel unsafe, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line.
Is NotBroken a medical device?
No. The tools are general wellness software intended to help you keep a healthy lifestyle and keep your own records. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease or condition, and they do not analyse your data or make clinical recommendations.
Who made NotBroken and how is it funded?
NotBroken.io is built and maintained by Nathan Leary, a software developer based in Brisbane, Australia. It is free to use, shows no advertising and does not sell data. Listings in the directory are not paid placements and are not endorsements.
What data does the site collect?
If you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics records anonymised page and tool usage so the site can be improved; if you decline, only cookieless aggregate pings are sent. Your theme preference and your consent choice are stored in your browser. Journal entries never leave your device. See the privacy policy for the details.
Can I use NotBroken offline or install it?
Yes. On a phone or tablet, use your browser's Add to Home Screen option to install it. The tools then open like an app; installing also helps protect your journal data from being cleared by the browser.
Who made this
NotBroken.io is built and maintained by Nathan Leary, a software developer based in Brisbane, Australia. Nathan compiles and checks every directory listing and wrote each of the tools. The project is independent: it is free to use, carries no advertising, sells no data, and lists no paid placements.
Questions, corrections and suggestions for the directory are welcome at nathan@bigbang.business.