HoldFast: Crisis Support
Strength when it matters most
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
HoldFast is a crisis de-escalation tool built for moments when stress turns dangerous.
When you're overwhelmed, panicked, or in crisis, HoldFast gives you one place to find your footing — call for help, breathe through the surge, ground yourself in the present, or reach the people who matter most.
Built by someone who watched stress nearly take a friend's life, HoldFast is designed for strength, not softness. No clinical jargon. No wellness-industry talk. Just tools that work, the moment you need them.
WHAT'S INSIDE
• Hold-to-Activate Emergency Button
WCAG AAA-compliant. Hold for one second to instantly access 988, Crisis Text Line, or your own trusted contacts. Designed to prevent accidental activation during a panic moment.
• Guided Breathing
4-4-6-2 box breathing with optional haptic feedback. Close your eyes and feel the rhythm — your phone breathes with you.
• 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
A clinically-recognized sensory grounding exercise that pulls you back to the present moment, one sense at a time.
• Personal Crisis Contacts
Add the people you trust — Mom, your therapist, your best friend — and reach them with one tap when you're spiraling. Pre-written check-in texts available.
• Stress Self-Check-Ins
A simple 1-to-5 scale for noticing how you're doing. No clinical language, no gamification. Just gentle pattern awareness over time.
• Custom Color Palettes
Build your own calming color scheme. Share it anonymously. Browse palettes others have shared. No likes, no ratings, no social pressure — just colors that calm you.
• Safety Ping
Set a trusted contact and a check-in window. If you don't check in, they get a gentle "they might need you" message. Quiet safety net, no surveillance.
• Low-Stimulus & Cognitive Modes
Strip the interface down to its barest form when your senses are overloaded. Fewer animations, softer surfaces, slower transitions.
BUILT FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T USE WELLNESS APPS
HoldFast was built for the people who reject "calm" and "mindful" branding — veterans, first responders, athletes, men, anyone who finds traditional mental health apps condescending. The visual language is steady and grounded. The copy treats you like an adult.
YOUR DATA STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE
Your check-ins, contacts, and palettes are stored locally. HoldFast does not transmit your personal data to external servers. Community palettes are shared anonymously with no identifying information.
ACCESSIBILITY
• WCAG 2.2 AA compliance throughout
• Full dark mode support
• Respects prefers-reduced-motion system setting
• Customizable text scaling (80%–150%)
• Focus mode for cognitive accessibility
• High-contrast emergency states (7.2:1 ratio — exceeds AAA)
IN HONOR OF SERINA
Serina was one of the strongest women we knew. A single mom who carried more than most, with a grace that hid the weight of it. To everyone around her, she was the one holding things together.
No one knew how heavy life had become.
She took her own life.
HoldFast is for the people, like Serina, who appear unbreakable. For the ones who never ask for help because they're too busy being someone else's strength. For everyone fighting battles no one sees.
This is for you.
IMPORTANT
HoldFast is a support tool, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, or replace professional medical care. In a real emergency, always call 911. For mental health crises, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
• Check-ins, contacts, palettes, and safety ping now save reliably on your device.
• Anchor Songs: after a check-in, get music chosen to counter how you're feeling — not match it. Calm when you're racing, lift when you're sinking. Spotify and Apple Music supported.
• App label corrected on the home screen.
• Stronger emergency button haptic feedback.
• Improved offline behavior — HoldFast works even without internet.
The developer, Nature's Grace LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Nature's Grace LLC
- Size
- 3.9 MB
- Category
- Health & Fitness
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 16.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 13.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
13+
- 13+
- Infrequent
Medical Treatment information
Contains
Health or Wellness Topics
- Copyright
- © 2026 Tom O'Connor
