# Unstuck > Unstuck is a free mobile app for moments when someone feels mentally stuck, overwhelmed, or unable to move forward: grounding, perspective shifts, structured reflection, and small next steps. Privacy-first (data stays local where possible). A wellness tool, not treatment. The reset layer of The Shrink Network. Unstuck is a self-guided wellness and reflection app for iPhone. It offers private journaling, gentle reminders, daily check-ins, customizable routines, grounding and breathing tools, and a sleep wind-down. Unstuck is local-first by design: no account, no cloud sync of your entries, and no behavioral tracking. Your data stays on your device and you can export it at any time. Unstuck was created by the team at shrinkMD and founded by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, a board-certified psychiatrist. Unstuck is a wellness app, not therapy, diagnosis, treatment, or crisis support. The Unstuck Journal publishes plain, psychiatrist-reviewed articles on journaling, sleep, overthinking, doomscrolling, gentle reminders, and small mental resets. - Contact: support@beunstuck.app - Reviewer: Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1090-4373; Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q139822307; NPI: https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/provider-view/1467680660. - Editorial dates are listed in the page metadata and sitemap. This file is regenerated when the public corpus changes. ## Machine-readable - [llms-full.txt](https://beunstuck.app/llms-full.txt): the full readable text of Unstuck's key pages - [concepts.json](https://beunstuck.app/concepts.json): Unstuck's network role (tool) and the concepts it puts into practice, each linked to the matching ShrinkDaily concept - [index.json](https://beunstuck.app/index.json): every indexable Unstuck page per the Shrink Network registry standard, each tagged with canonical Shrinktionary concept slugs - [downloads.json](https://beunstuck.app/downloads.json): the free printable toolkit PDFs with types, topics, and canonical concept slugs - [sitemap.xml](https://beunstuck.app/sitemap.xml): every indexable URL - [sitemap-index.xml](https://beunstuck.app/sitemap-index.xml): the sitemap index for page and image sitemaps - [sitemap-images.xml](https://beunstuck.app/sitemap-images.xml): indexable page images with titles and captions - [rss.xml](https://beunstuck.app/rss.xml): the Unstuck Journal RSS feed - [feed.json](https://beunstuck.app/feed.json): the Unstuck Journal JSON Feed 1.1 - [ai.txt](https://beunstuck.app/ai.txt): training, retrieval, attribution, and safety terms for AI systems - [humans.txt](https://beunstuck.app/humans.txt): the people and technology behind Unstuck - [verified](https://beunstuck.app/verified): independent verification links and author credentials ## Main pages - [Unstuck | Moments. Understood.](https://beunstuck.app/): A private, local-first iPhone journal and reset app for hard moments. No accounts, streaks, or cloud sync. Made by a psychiatrist-led team. - [Unstuck features: private journal, reminders, resets](https://beunstuck.app/features): Everything Unstuck does: private journaling, local reminders, check-ins, routines, grounding tools, and sleep wind-down. What each one is, and is not. - [About Unstuck: a calmer wellness app for iPhone](https://beunstuck.app/about): Unstuck is a private iPhone wellness app built by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, a board-certified psychiatrist. Why a clinician built a non-clinical app. - [Shariq Refai, MD, MBA: psychiatrist and Unstuck founder](https://beunstuck.app/about/founder-shariq-refai): Shariq Refai is a board-certified psychiatrist, founder of shrinkMD, creator of Unstuck, and medical editor of AnxietyResource and DepressionResource. - [Unstuck FAQ: pricing, privacy, features, and safety](https://beunstuck.app/faq): Answers about Unstuck for iPhone. Is it free, is it private, does it need an account, is it therapy, and who built it. Everything in one place. - [Unstuck support: setup, reminders, troubleshooting](https://beunstuck.app/support): Help with Unstuck for iPhone. Fix reminders that are not arriving, biometric unlock, and exports. How to send feedback or report a bug to the team. - [Contact Unstuck: support, privacy, and press](https://beunstuck.app/contact): Reach the Unstuck team by email for app support, privacy requests, accessibility feedback, and press inquiries. The right address for each one. - [Press and media: Unstuck and Shariq Refai, MD](https://beunstuck.app/press): Press resources for Unstuck, a privacy-first wellness app. Brand assets, founder bio, talking points, and a media contact for Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. ## The Unstuck Journal - [The Unstuck Journal: journaling, sleep, reset articles](https://beunstuck.app/journal): Plain, psychiatrist-reviewed articles on journaling, sleep, overthinking, doomscrolling, reminders, and small mental resets. Written for everyday life. - [Journaling articles | Unstuck Journal](https://beunstuck.app/journal/topic/journaling): Psychiatrist-reviewed articles on private journaling: calmer ways to start, what counts as journaling, and what to do when blank pages stop you. - [Sleep and wind-down articles | Unstuck Journal](https://beunstuck.app/journal/topic/sleep): Psychiatrist-reviewed articles on sleep and wind-down: racing thoughts at night, the loud-brain hour, doomscrolling, and what a wind-down can actually do. - [Overthinking articles | Unstuck Journal](https://beunstuck.app/journal/topic/overthinking): Psychiatrist-reviewed articles on overthinking: rumination vs reflection, conversation replay, and late-night thought loops. - [Overwhelm and resets articles | Unstuck Journal](https://beunstuck.app/journal/topic/mental-resets): Psychiatrist-reviewed articles on overwhelm and mental resets: the mental clutter that builds up, and small ways to clear some of it. - [Reminders and routines articles | Unstuck Journal](https://beunstuck.app/journal/topic/gentle-reminders): Psychiatrist-reviewed articles on reminders and routines: reminders that help without pressure, and routines that survive bad days. - [Privacy and wellness articles | Unstuck Journal](https://beunstuck.app/journal/topic/privacy-wellness): Psychiatrist-reviewed articles on privacy and wellness: why local-first matters for a journal, and what a wellness app should not need. - [Small mental resets for everyday overwhelm | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/small-resets-for-real-life): A small reset is a brief pause that helps you regroup and pick one next step. Eight resets you can do in about a minute, and when you need more than one. - [How to start private journaling without pressure | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/private-journaling-without-pressure): Private journaling can be simple and calm. How to start without daily streaks, perfect formats, or an audience, and what to write when you are not sure. - [Gentle reminders without pressure or streaks | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/reminders-without-pressure): Reminders work best when they support routines, not when they grade you. How to set reminders you will actually follow, with no streaks and no guilt. - [Why can't I stop overthinking, and what helps | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/why-cant-i-stop-overthinking): Overthinking looks like problem-solving but usually loops without resolution. Why it happens, the line between reflection and rumination, and what helps. - [What does it mean to feel stuck? | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/what-does-it-mean-to-feel-stuck): Feeling stuck is friction between what you want to do and what feels possible. Six common kinds of stuck, and how to take a step that is small enough. - [Why your brain gets loud at night | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/why-your-brain-gets-loud-at-night): At night the day goes quiet and the thoughts you set aside come forward. Why bedtime makes worry louder, and a wind-down that beats forcing sleep. - [How to start journaling when you hate it | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/journaling-for-people-who-hate-journaling): Most people who hate journaling do not hate writing. They hate the streaks and the perfect notebooks. Five small ways to start that actually count. - [Why doomscrolling feels impossible to stop | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/why-doomscrolling-feels-impossible-to-stop): Doomscrolling feels automatic when you are tired, restless, or avoiding something. Why the loop pulls so hard at night, and what actually loosens it. - [How to stop replaying conversations in your head | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/how-to-stop-replaying-conversations): Why your mind replays conversations, how to tell rumination from useful review, and small calm steps that help. Plain English, reviewed by a psychiatrist. - [Journal prompts for overwhelmed days | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/journal-prompts-for-overwhelmed-days): Fifteen plain journal prompts for the days when everything feels like too much, you cannot start, or you cannot stop a loop. Two minutes counts. - [How to stop doomscrolling at night | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/how-to-stop-doomscrolling-at-night): A two-step approach to stopping the late-night scroll: a small physical interrupt, then a replacement that gives your mind something else to do. - [Why a wellness app should not need a cloud | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/why-a-wellness-app-should-not-need-a-cloud): Cloud sync is the default in wellness apps. Most users do not benefit from it, and several real risks come with it. A plain case for local-first design. - [Why streak-based habit apps backfire | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/why-streak-based-habit-apps-backfire): Streaks reward perfect performance and punish a normal life. For most people that pairing makes a habit harder to keep, not easier. Here is why. - [A 60-second wind-down for racing thoughts | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/a-60-second-wind-down-for-racing-thoughts): A short routine for the moment your mind will not quiet at bedtime. Three steps, about sixty seconds. Not a sleep treatment, but it often helps you settle. - [Rumination vs reflection, in plain English | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/rumination-vs-reflection-the-difference): Reflection moves toward an insight. Rumination loops back to the same worry. How to tell which one is happening, and what to do about each in real life. - [When everything feels like too much | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/when-everything-feels-like-too-much): A plain guide for the days when the answer is not productivity. Shrink the inputs, lower the bar, buy one quiet hour, and then decide what is next. - [How to put your phone down before bed | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/how-to-put-your-phone-down-before-bed): The phone-in-bed habit is not a willpower problem. Three structural changes and five tactical moves that work better than any in-app screen-time limit. - [What 'local-first' means for a journal app | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/what-local-first-actually-means-for-a-journal-app): A plain-English explainer. What local-first storage protects your journal from, what it does not, and the tradeoffs a privacy-minded reader should know. - [The Sunday Scaries: a small toolkit | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/the-sunday-scaries): The Sunday Scaries are anticipatory anxiety about Monday. A small Sunday-night routine that puts the week down before the week actually starts. - [What to do when you can't start one task | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/journal/what-to-do-when-you-have-one-task-you-cannot-start): Task-starting paralysis is a real cognitive pattern, not a motivation problem. Five moves that work better than telling yourself to try harder. ## Privacy and data - [The Unstuck privacy pledge: no cloud, no tracking](https://beunstuck.app/privacy-pledge): Unstuck is local-first. No accounts, no cloud sync, no behavioral tracking, no AI on your entries. The four promises, and how the app actually works. - [Unstuck Privacy Policy: local-first, no data sale](https://beunstuck.app/privacy): How Unstuck handles information. Local-first design, no cloud journal storage, no behavioral advertising, no data sale, and user-controlled exports. - [Consumer Health Data Notice: WA, NV, CT | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/consumer-health-data): How Unstuck treats consumer health data under Washington, Nevada, and Connecticut law. What stays on your device, and your rights to access and delete. - [Your privacy rights: CCPA, MHMDA, and GDPR | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/your-privacy-rights): California, Washington, Nevada, Connecticut, EU, and UK privacy rights for Unstuck users. How to access, delete, correct, or appeal, in one place. - [Unstuck Cookie Notice: cookies and consent](https://beunstuck.app/cookies): The Unstuck website uses essential technical cookies plus consent-gated Google Analytics. No behavioral advertising and no cross-site tracking. The full list. - [Why Unstuck does not connect to Apple Health](https://beunstuck.app/apple-health): Unstuck does not read from or write to Apple Health and is not a HealthKit app. Why the team chose that, and what would change if it ever integrates. - [How to export and delete your Unstuck data](https://beunstuck.app/data-export): How to export and delete your Unstuck data. The file format, what is included, how to move it to a new iPhone, and how iCloud Backup fits in. - [Unstuck app lock and privacy: PIN and Face ID](https://beunstuck.app/app-lock-privacy): How the optional PIN and Face ID lock work in Unstuck, what they protect against, what they do not, and how to harden your iPhone privacy. ## Editorial standards and trust - [Editorial policy and review standards | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/editorial-policy): How Unstuck Journal articles are written, reviewed by a board-certified psychiatrist, sourced, and dated. The standard behind every article. - [AI Use and Editorial Assistance | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/ai-policy): Where AI is and is not used at Unstuck. The app uses no AI on your entries. AI may assist drafting and editing of public copy, never publishing alone. - [Relationships and Disclosures | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/disclosures): How Unstuck relates to shrinkMD, The Shrink Network, and the other companies founded by Shariq Refai, MD. Editorial independence and no paid placement. - [Corrections and Updates Policy | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/corrections): How Unstuck Journal articles are dated, reviewed, corrected, and updated. Report a factual error at corrections@beunstuck.app. - [Evidence and Methodology | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/evidence-methodology): How the Unstuck Journal selects sources, checks health claims, describes uncertainty, and keeps articles current. The evidence standard behind every article. - [Medical Review Board | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/medical-review-board): Who reviews Unstuck Journal articles for clinical accuracy, what the review covers, and what it does not do. Led by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. ## Legal and safety - [Unstuck Terms of Use: a self-guided wellness app](https://beunstuck.app/terms): The Terms of Use for Unstuck, a self-guided wellness and reflection app. Not medical care, therapy, or diagnosis. Eligibility, liability, and disputes. - [Unstuck copyright and DMCA notice](https://beunstuck.app/copyright): Copyright information for the Unstuck app and website, the DMCA takedown and counter-notice process, and how press may use the Unstuck brand. - [Unstuck accessibility statement: WCAG 2.1 AA](https://beunstuck.app/accessibility): The Unstuck accessibility commitment. The team works toward WCAG 2.1 Level AA, tests with keyboard and screen readers, and welcomes reports of barriers. - [Unstuck safety information and crisis resources](https://beunstuck.app/safety): Important safety information about Unstuck. Crisis resources including 988, when to seek a clinician, and what a wellness app is not designed to do. ## More pages - [A private journal app: no account, no AI, no subscription | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/private-journal-app): Unstuck is a private journal app with local-only storage, no account, no AI reading entries, no subscription, and no trackers. Learn about iCloud backups. - [The Reset Method | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/reset-method): The Reset Framework behind Unstuck: Notice, Name, Unload, Next Step. Built by a psychiatrist for the moments between understanding and action. - [Start Here | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/start-here): Pick the moment you're in and Unstuck routes you to a small reset for overthinking, sleeplessness, overwhelm, freezing, or procrastination. - [Moments | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments): Browse small, practical resets for overthinking, sleeplessness, overwhelm, freezing, procrastination, and spiraling. Built around the Reset Method. - [When Your Mind Won't Stop | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments/mind-wont-stop): When your mind will not stop, a 60-second reset helps you Notice, Name, Unload, and choose one Next Step without forcing the thoughts away. - [When You Can't Sleep | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments/cant-sleep): What's happening when your mind reactivates at bedtime, and a 60-second reset using the Notice, Name, Unload, Next Step method. - [When You're Overwhelmed | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments/overwhelmed): When overwhelm sets in, use this 60-second reset to Notice, Name, Unload, and choose one small Next Step instead of organizing everything. - [When You're Frozen | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments/frozen): When you cannot start a task, use this 60-second reset to Notice, Name, Unload, and take one small Next Step without calling it laziness. - [When You're Procrastinating | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments/procrastinating): When you keep putting a task off, use this 60-second reset to Notice, Name, Unload, and choose a first step that is small enough to start. - [When You're Spiraling | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/moments/spiraling): What's happening when one thought sets off a chain reaction, and a 60-second reset using the Notice, Name, Unload, Next Step method. - [Free printable worksheets and planners from Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/toolkit): Download eight free printable worksheets for decisions, conversations, conflict, life transitions, problem solving, and brain dumps. No email required. - [Verification and sources | Unstuck](https://beunstuck.app/verified): Verify Unstuck's publisher, Shariq Refai's credentials, editorial policies, and public machine-readable files through independent source links. ## The Shrink Network Unstuck is the reset layer of The Shrink Network, an independent mental health knowledge ecosystem where each site has one job. Understand a concept, apply it, then access care. shrinkMD members get free premium access to Unstuck. - [The Shrink Network](https://shrinknetwork.com): the ecosystem front door - [Shrinktionary](https://shrinktionary.com): a plain-language mental health glossary - [Shrinkopedia](https://shrinkopedia.com): plain-language explanations of conditions and concepts - [ShrinkDaily](https://shrinkdaily.com): short daily mental health reading - [AnxietyResource](https://anxietyresource.org): plain-language anxiety education - [DepressionResource](https://depressionresource.org): plain-language depression education - [AnxietyResearch](https://anxietyresearch.org): research translated into plain English - [PsychiatryRx](https://psychiatryrx.org): a plain-language psychiatric medication reference - [QuitScrolling](https://quitscrolling.app): tools to protect your attention - [shrinQ](https://shrinq.com): self-guided pattern work - [Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA](https://shariqrefai.com): writing from Unstuck's founder - [shrinkMD](https://www.shrinkmd.com): psychiatric care (a separate clinical service)