What is a panic attack?
Panic happens when life gets too overwhelming and we don’t have the ability to process the information that is happening around us. Often, it starts with a trigger which brings up sensations of something happening too fast, too much, and too soon. It can feel like the world is closing in, it’s hard to breathe, and your thoughts are racing so fast that you are afraid it will never stop. You may feel completely out of control. Maybe your heartbeat races and your hands are sweaty and shaky. Sometimes, you can’t even feel your feet on the floor anymore as your vision begins to feel black along the edges of your eyes. These are often symptoms of panic attacks.
Often because we are so in our heads during a panic attack we cannot comprehend rational thought. We have tunnel vision, we are scared, and we are overly emotional to the point that we feel it in the body.
How can I get over a panic attack?
Often it feels like you are dying when panic attacks come on and it’s very hard to convince yourself of safety. But there are things that can help. Some effective ways to bring us back into the present moment are using the body to ground us and to get into a calming position or environment.
We need a reminder to pull us back into the present moment and remind us that this feeling will pass. To remind us that we are strong enough to get through this.
What are some skills to cope during a panic attack?
These are some techniques that have worked for my clients in moments of panic. Panic attacks are scary and can feel life threatening at times. It’s hard to know how to pull yourself out of them, but it is possible.
Grounding
Put your bare feet on the floor, the earth, or even a bucket of cold water/cold stream. Let the sensations of grounding pull you back into reality.
Breath
Use the breath to bring you back and to slow the heartbeat. Count each breath on the inhale to 4 and exhale to a count of 6, do this until your heart beat slows and you can find a calming effect. Counting these breaths is crucial, it helps you stay focused.
Water Sensation
Hold onto an ice cube.
Splash cold water on your face. The cold sensations can bring you back to the present moment.
Perspective Shift
If possible, recognize and tell yourself you are having a panic attack. Tell yourself it will pass, and you are okay. This can help you to realize you are not dying, and helps you to understand that this feeling is temporary.
Calming Sensation
Find a focus object or hold onto an object that is calming or has meaning to you. For example a crystal, a rock, a shell, or another object from nature. Notice all its details and feel the energy coming from this object as a way to narrow your focus and bring you back into the present.
Control The Setting
Limit sensory details. Go into a room with low light, close your eyes, get into a quiet space, curl yourself into a ball, and focus on only the breath.
Positive Thinking
Listen to affirmations in your own voice. Prepare for these moments by recording yourself saying affirming statements and talking yourself through this. Say things like, “you are okay”, “you are not dying”, “this feeling will pass”, “you are safe”, “breathe”.
Human Connection
Bring yourself close to a calming person or being. This could be a partner, close friend, or parent. Make sure this person is calm, feels safe, and will be a supportive figure during this time. Prep the person beforehand, by asking them to breathe with you while making eye contact and holding your hand. By meeting eyes with another and synchronizing breath (especially with longer exhales) you can co-regulate your nervous system by matching theirs.
If a person is not available, get near an animal if you have one. Curl up close and feel their energy to help calm you.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation focuses your energy and attention into one area of your body at a time, working through your whole self. Start at the feet. Squeeze your toes and feet together, hold for 10 seconds and release while breathing deeply, then move your way up the body through your legs, your abdomen, your hands, arms, back and shoulders, and face.
Visualize a Calming Space
Visualize a place that feels completely safe where you can be truly yourself. Mentally arrive there and take in every detail, engaging all your senses. Feel your feet in the sand at the beach, hear a crackling fire from a cozy mountain cabin, smell the sweet scent of wildflowers in your favorite meadow, or pines in a forest. Imagine yourself in this calming space, and allow your breath and heartbeat to slow.
If you need a little help getting yourself into a calming space, have a couple guided visualizations/meditations cued up that have worked in the past and let this take you somewhere safe in your mind.
Need More Help for panic and anxiety?
Hopefully these tools can help you the next time you feel panicked or find yourself in the spiral of a panic attack.
If you have been struggling with anxiety recently, You are not alone in this. Learning your patterns of anxiety and gaining insight about your stress response can help you to recognize the signs of panic before they take over. By building coping skills for these situations with a supportive other you can change the way you respond to triggering situations and have more control over your life. If you are curious about more tools and tricks to help with anxiety, reach out to myself or another mental health professional in your area to help you overcome your anxiety today.