If you’ve had a panic attack you know what it is. You feel like you are going to die. It’s terrible. Thoughts are racing and yet you can’t think at all.
Here are some techniques you can use to calm yourself when you start feeling that panic overwhelming you.
This too shall pass.
Remember that this won’t last forever. The moment is vast, but goes quickly.
Typically panic attacks peak with in 10 minutes, and the symptoms should subside.
Take some deep breaths.
If you can’t breathe, try sighing.
Deep sighs help use our entire lungs and activate our calming nervous
system.
Smell some lavender or other calming smell
Lavender has been shown to decrease blood pressure levels in people with anxiety, but it can be replaced with a sent that you prefer
Focus on an object
A small stone or a seashell, a toy or a hair clip can all be grounding objects that help you focus less on your racing thoughts and more on the texture of the object or the memory it evokes.
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method
Look at 5 objects, name them and describe them to yourself if you can
Listen for 4 distinctive sounds. Consider where they came from and what makes them unique.
Touch 3 objects. Focus on their texture, temperature, and their function
Smell 2 different smells. This could be coffee, tea, soap, laundry detergent on cloths or another smell like a small cloth with perfume or essential oil.
Taste 1 thing. Focus on everything that makes up that food. The taste, the texture, the temperature, the smell. It’s important to be in the moment.
Repeating a mantra
This is a word or phrase that provides strength and focus. Internally focusing on the mantra can help calm your thoughts.
Try a muscle relaxation technique
Progressive muscle relaxation can help focus on your body and less on your thoughts.
Start at your toes and clench them tight for 5 seconds.
As you relax your muscles say “relax”
Relax for 10 seconds
Move on to the next muscle (such as your calves)
Switch up the order of muscles if you find that it has become mundaine
Picture a happy place.
This spot can be real or imaginary, but it’s a place where you feel relaxed, safe, and calm.
Learn your triggers
If certain things are triggering your panic attacks learn what they are and do your best to minimize those situations
Often it’s not possible to completely avoid triggers, but you can minimize the situation or prepare yourself if you are going into a potentially triggering situation.
Some people have panic attacks without triggers. This is normal for people experiencing panic attacks as your thoughts can run away with you. If this is you, examine what you were thinking about as your panic attack came on.