How to calm myself down while I'm having a panic attack

Get rid of panic attacks in 3 steps

The Seleni Institute 6 million adults in the United States have been diagnosed with panic disorder, and millions more suffer panic attacks every day. And it can be very scary. Your heart may beat out of control, and your mind may race. 

You feel as if the world is spinning out of focus. Sometimes the physical sensations are so strong that you may worry you are having a heart attack or dying. These symptoms can be similar to an undiagnosed thyroid problem or heart disease, so I always suggest my clients get tested to rule out other possibilities. For many, however, panic attacks are either a symptom of panic disorder or associated with generalized anxiety. In both cases, a psychiatrist who specializes in panic or anxiety can be consulted to greatly relieve your symptoms. But when you have a panic attack, the following methods can make it less terrifying and help you get out of it.

Swim with the waves

Panic attacks often come in waves of tingling sensations, dizziness, shortness of breath and racing thoughts. Many people try to stop these feelings by telling themselves to break free from them. But it can leave you feeling weak and helpless if the panic continues. It's counterintuitive though, but taking the time to observe the feelings of anxiety and go through the experience to get out of it can usually go a long way in reducing the intensity and horror of a panic attack. Try this: When you start to feel the panic, instead of trying to get rid of it, picture each feeling as a wave that you ride until it fades on the shore. Expect the wave to pass and become less and less intense as it increases. Remind yourself that just because you feel like you're going to sink under the wave doesn't mean you can't swim.

Prove yourself

Panic attacks can make you feel surreal and out of control. One way to counter that feeling of being out of the body is to reconnect with a body and anchor yourself in the physical world. try this:Practice whole-body breathing every day. Inhale deeply through your nose and imagine your entire body being filled with air like a balloon. Next, keep your mouth small, as if you are exhaling through a straw. Exhale slowly through your mouth until you feel that all the air from your body has been expelled. Repeat about 10 times and notice any changes in your heart rate or body tension. Once you get used to this type of breathing, use it during a panic attack to slow your heart rate and calm down. Other ways to stabilize yourself during a panic attack include rubbing your hands or feet on a surface such as a chair, sofa or rug. 

The sensations help you shift your focus from your mind to the physical world. Similarly, put an ice cube in a tissue and squeeze it as hard as you can in one hand for a minute until you feel cold and uncomfortable. Switch hands and repeat the process until you feel the same sensations in your other hand. All of these practices draw your awareness into your body at the current time and place, away from those surreal feelings and panic.

Activate your entire brain

When you have a panic attack, it's because the emotional part of your brain (responsible for fight-or-flight responses) has taken over. Stress hormones flood your brain and put your body into survival mode. Although this mechanism helped our ancient ancestors survive, today it often misses its target, causing us to flee for no good reason. The good news is that so many other parts of the brain have evolved since our cavernous days, including our logical thinker brain.

Activating your thinking brain to curb your emotional brain is one of the most effective treatments for panic and anxiety. try this:When you feel a panic attack coming, use your thinking mind to talk to yourself during it. Verbal reasoning helps you recognize and understand the sensations as a transient, albeit painful, glitch in your system rather than a sign that you're going crazy or dying. You could say to yourself, “Here's the nagging feeling of panic again. It's going to be a little silly, but I'm glad it'll be over quickly.” Another way to activate your thinking mind during panic or anxiety is to do cognitively demanding tasks. Or kinetics. Wash your dishes, sort your laundry, do a word or crossword puzzle, go back in a foreign language, etc. All of these activities require you to use complex executive and motor skills that force your thinking mind to take control. All of these tools should ease the grip of your panic and help you return to a calmer state. But if you're having several panic attacks a day, or find that you're constantly worried about having one, it's worth seeing a professional anxiety therapist. You don't have to accept that level of anxiety in your life, and the treatment is very effective.