I wrote this last year and decided it’s worth a repost.
25 ways to end a panic attack
1. Listen to me: It’s harmless. It’s temporary. It lies. I know you don’t believe me. I know it’s finally here- the time you actually die and/or go crazy. I know every fiber in your body believes it will never end and it will get worse. But stop. Listen to me. It’s harmless. It’s temporary. It lies. When it’s over, tell me how I told you so.
2. Find a happy place. Use your imagination. Take a break from the flooding of panic and pretend you’re there.
3. Get lost. What is it that makes you passionate or happy? Go get lost in it. I can spend hours looking up crafts, home décor, and homeschooling resources. Whatever your interests are, dive into it.
4. Get a massage. Ask a friend or family member. Go to the spa. Touch brings you back down to reality.
5. Cry it out. Pent up anger, fear, and hurt can be masked by panic. Let it out.
6. Think about the last time. Remember when you were sure it wouldn’t end? It did. Remember how you survived that one attack even looking back on makes you worry? Why is this one different? Before you answer, remember it lies.
7. Accept. Accept it like a head cold.
8. Inhale. Swallow. Exhale. I know you swear you can’t feel your lungs, but judging by your swimming head and floaty arms, you might be sucking in too much air. If you can’t control your breathing:
9. Run off the extra oxygen. Once, my entire abdomen went numb from hyperventilating. I didn’t even know I was doing it. Get rid of the oxygen. Dance!
10. Afraid of _______? Do it. Prove it wrong. Remember to tell yourself you told you so.
11. Stay present. Focus on being in the moment. Let the anxiety worry about itself for a minute.
12. Speak your mind. For years, I tried shutting off the panic by shutting down the thoughts. Now I just panic and I have no idea why. Allow yourself to hear your own anxious thoughts. Say them out loud. They might sound silly.
13. Plan a project. Throw a surprise party. Update your resume. Clean the garage. Create a new makeup routine.
14. Get some sleep. Let today be today and tomorrow be unwritten. Do not forecast, do not dwell on what’s already come to pass. Rest your head as best you can.
15. Carry on. You’re not ill, crazy, or dying. You might have had a setback, but the show must go on. Don’t make it a big deal.
16. Sit with it. Feel your every thought, notice how your body responds. It’s uncomfortable. But it ends. The more you do this, the less you fear them.
17. Decide to change. When you are in a negative state of mind, prior negative experiences, thoughts, and feelings are more readily available. Decide this is an isolated event in an otherwise wonderful day and life. Focus on positive change.
18. Don’t look ahead. Don’t fret about impending stressors. Don’t forecast. Stay present. Remember we overestimate how scary things really are.
19. Visualize. You’re sitting on the bank of a river, watching leaves fall into it. Each leaf is an emotion. You can watch fear float on by. You are not your emotions. Emotions are not the reality.
20. Ride it out. Go ahead. Spaz out, run away, scream, find the nearest exit, sit home, do your worst. It won’t change what I said in number 1.
21. Get out of your head. And into the world. Connect with friends, interact with others. You think too much.
22. Laugh. Ambiguous energy can sometimes be translated as negative. So when you’re feeling weighed down without reason, go ahead and laugh. Go on. If you’re going to go crazy, you might as well look the part. 😛
23. Get some sunshine. So sit at the park and people watch. Read a book under a tree. Dig your toes in the sand. Just get out.
24. Journal. Find patterns in your thinking. Identify any cognitive distortions. Update the way you view the world. Express yourself.
25. Get out of a rut. Maybe stagnation is an issue here. Make some goals and a plan to follow through. Take control of your life.
🙂 K.S. Boyer
Broken Girl, Whole Woman 