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How can I calm down during a panic attack?

298 Answers
Last Updated: 12/29/2020 at 6:10pm
How can I calm down during a panic attack?
★ This question about Panic Attacks was starred by a moderator on 5/12/2016.
1 Tip to Feel Better
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I specialise in respectfully helping people navigate their way through trauma and relationship issues. The adversities in our life can actually transform us.

Top Rated Answers
Kenzielynn
December 20th, 2015 3:49pm
There are some different stos that you can take to calm down during a panic attack. Breath in for 4 seconds through your nose, hold for 2 and exhale through your mouth for 6. Listen to music. Anything that you find relaxing
Anonymous
October 10th, 2016 12:43pm
Try your best to relax and control your breathing. Put yourself into the most relaxing position possible - like off in a room where it's quiet for example - and see if you can try to make yourself only thing of more calming things.
TinyMermaid
January 2nd, 2016 12:40am
I'd suggest focusing on some activity that requires your physical, and distract yourself at the same time: Anything from jumping jacks to ripping a bunch of paper apart, If needed, remind yourself that this will go away very soon and it will all be okay again.
Lalaxoxo
January 1st, 2016 5:49pm
Here's something that may help. Look around. Find 5 things you first see. Find 4 things you can touch Find 3 things you can smell Find 2 things you can hear Find 1 thing you can taste Also, I find relaxing the body by listening to relaxing music or meditating is good. For those who believe in Tarot, turning to them can be quite relaxing. For those who doesn't, then a bath may help before bed. It helps calm the body. Also, i'd recommend a lush bath bomb with that! XO
Anonymous
January 1st, 2016 2:55pm
You could listen to your favourite music or do breathing exercises such as breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth slowly
Anonymous
July 18th, 2017 3:03pm
One of the best tips I've heard to calm down during a panic attack is to make yourself be present in whatever room or place you are. Remind yourself that you could walk out that door, or go touch that wall, or anything else, to remind yourself that you are present in a world outside of your mind.
AD20
January 1st, 2016 8:09am
You breathe and try to distract yourself with other things. Try to talk to a good friend of yours that you can trust and go to for anything to help you calm down.
SIsiJV
September 11th, 2017 6:22am
Breath and think of the calmest place you can and imagine yourself there. Then just open your eyes and try to work the problem out.
listeningturtle18
December 31st, 2015 5:16pm
Try to stop yourself from getting all anxious and sit down on your bed or chair or just stand still, do some deep breathing, and calmly sort out the problem.
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 4:00am
Lots of people have panic attacks but a few can calm down so when you have a panic attacks just close your eyes and don't think about nothing and breath deeply inhale in 4 sec then don't breath for 2 sec then exhale in 6 sec and I'm sure you will feel better
Anonymous
December 31st, 2015 12:06am
You need to remove your self from a situation, or if that isn't possible, sit down and breathe. Imagine you are in a jungle, face to face with a lion. If you run, the lion will chase you and keep chasing you. If you wait and just keep calm, the lion will leave. A panic attack is the metophorical lion.
WhisperingPiano
December 30th, 2015 10:29pm
Everyone is different and different techniques will work from one person to another. Below is what I find helpful. Get up slowly and move around. Panic attacks make you want to scream and run in all directions. There is nothing wrong with moving about to help ease the mind. Drink water Put your hand on your belly and take deep breaths. Feel the air extending your belly and deflating it as you move out. This shows your mind that you are actually breathing and not suffocating.
Anonymous
December 30th, 2015 2:42am
I try to focus on one thing. An object in the room, the feel of the carpet, a clock, etc... I look at it and try to slow my breathing until I can see it clearly. I also hug myself tightly and pull my shirt taunt. The close, tight feeling is scientifically proven to calm people down.
CatieCatWhispers
December 27th, 2015 6:46pm
One method is to breathe into a paper bag which brings your pH level back to a healthy range. Another is to stop what you are doing and focus on your breathing. Believe it or not, the more you focus on it, the more you begin to watch it slow down and calm. When your breathing in calmer, your body begins to follow suit since it is no longer registering that it needs to fight or flight.
Anonymous
December 27th, 2015 4:48pm
You have to breath in and out slowly, and sit down for a minute. Focus on your breathing and try to make you're head empty
StormyAngles18
December 25th, 2015 8:19pm
The things you can do to help calm you down during a panic attack is... 1)Deep breathing, it may seem silly but if you deep breathe it lowers your heart rate ad relaxes you. 2) Meditation it has been known recently that meditaton is not only good for your mental health its also good for your physical health. 3)Journaling. Write down each time this happens ad right down whats going through your mind and how you are feeling physically Hope this helps Much love
Nicoll
December 25th, 2015 11:19am
For me it's really helpful when there's someone around and hold me tight, then some breath exercises. You can try to close your eyes and take a deep breath, imagine something that calm you down.
Anonymous
December 24th, 2015 11:51pm
There are many ways to calm down during a panic attack. 1) Count to 10 until you calm down 2) Take multiple slow, deep, full breaths 3) Stretch 4) Listen to music 5) Write what is panicking you down 6) Talk to someone about it.
DreamersDisease
December 24th, 2015 10:11pm
What I do during a panic attack is go to a dark quiet place. I put on headphones and listen to my favorite music. Hope that helps.
enigmaticSunshine79
December 24th, 2015 7:46pm
One thing that really helps is taking breathing exercises. If you're sitting down, get up and walk around..
Anonymous
December 24th, 2015 5:40pm
For me think of my breathing like a beat that I need to keep at a steady pace. Usually I count in my head and try to keep the beat steady. Also try to focus on yourself and no things around you.
therealgingerninja123
December 23rd, 2015 8:12pm
One of the best ways to calm down during a panic attack is to acknowledge your breath, and to breathe deeper. Hyperventilating tends to make things worse. The next thing you could do is to put your panic into words, to explain to yourself why you are panicking. This makes it seem a lot less scary, and makes it seem more reasonable. For example, if you were panicking, and you knew you had a big test coming up, you could tell yourself that you were panicking over the test, and that it is not just you going crazy.
enchantingForever73
December 23rd, 2015 4:50pm
taking deep breaths,lying on the surface...and not getting tensed are some of the ways in which a panic attack can be faced calmly.
crispNutella54
December 23rd, 2015 9:23am
The way to calm down is to find a safe place. Mine is personally my bedroom. But if your somewhere you can't go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet and think of a happy place.
NoCranberryJuice
December 20th, 2015 8:22pm
Breath deeply, tell yourself that its alright and it will be over soon. It always does. You don't have to feel guilty or weak, panic attacks are normal and they happen to so many people. There so many circumstances in life that we can't control. When you are having a panic attack, try deep breathing for atleast a minute. Inhale deeply, exhale slowly. Firstly, look around yourself and notice three things around you that you like. Touch them and remind yourself that its just a normal day with normal things around you, it isn't a disaster, everything will become fine. Now try making a list of everything you think can be the reason for your panic attack. Try to list all you can do to avoid things from still going wrong. Then list your consequences if things DO go wrong. YES. Trust me, you will much better when you face the thought of these consequences sooner rather than later. Now try to write all possible solutions and ways you can handle those consequences. Lastly, you have to try and make things better because no one else will. And also that nothing will change unless you really try.
Anonymous
December 16th, 2015 12:28am
Try breathing in deeply and be with someone to help you to calm down. Sit down and rest and try to breathe deeply and exhale
Birdby
December 13th, 2015 12:41am
Remove your mind of the situation. Think about something good, something calming. Talk to a friend. Do an exercise.
Anonymous
December 13th, 2015 12:39pm
I suppose it's all just trial and error. There are different things that work for different people. But for me at least, if it's possible, I remove myself from the situation. So if I'm in the middle of an exam, if possible I'll step outside for a moment to calm myself down. But I suppose sometimes you really can't remove yourself from a situation. So what you might be able to try is just doing things that calm you down in any other situation. Whether that's closing your eyes and listening to music for a few minutes. Deep breathing. I hope this helped :)
Anonymous
December 12th, 2015 11:04pm
Sometimes the best thing to do is let your body go into panic. Attempting to hold it back may extend the negative mood. It's not exactly fun but sometimes you just have to ride it out and let it out. After all, a common cause of panic attacks is keeping things inside it only makes sense that letting out may be the solution.
Anaiviv01
August 26th, 2019 3:58pm
There are different grounding techniques you can learn to master in a moment of calm. These resources are better acquired when you're in a state of normality, because they can't be "absorbed" during a panic attack. There are several ways to keep you grounded during an attack: the best way is to carry around with you a little "attack purse" with samples of different fabrics or a little stuff animal. Tact is an important sense to keep you in touch with reality and distracted with a sensory pattern. There are many tricks to overcome the overwhelming feelings building up, but this is one of the best one.