What are some natural ways to help prevent panic attacks?
31 Answers
Last Updated: 09/17/2018 at 6:50am
Moderated by
Alex DS Ellis, MA, LMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Feeling depressed or anxious can be so overwhelming. I want to help you feel better and be able to enjoy life. You are not alone and you deserve emotional support.
Top Rated Answers
Herbal Remedies for example, like Chamomile tea. Supplements, like for example a Magnesium supplement. A healthy diet, reduce sugar, fat, meat and dairy as much as you can, and eat much more vegetables and fruits. Eliminate food triggers as caffeine. Relaxation therapies like Massage, Yoga, Reiki and Meditation. A lot of exercise!
Breathing exercises-- breathe in for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 6 seconds. Repeat this as many times as it takes for you to calm down.
Some natural ways to prevent panic attacks can be:
Meditation
Going out for walk daily
Being punctual..completing all your projects in time
Eating the right food
Sleeping for minimum 8 hrs
Stop thinking about anything or anyone that triggers your panic attacks. That is one of the best ways to prevent it.
Train yourself to breathe through your stomach and not your chest and change your way of thinking. Use the self help guide on here!
Deep breathing! I know this sounds like a trick everyone says, but it really does work. Take a deep breath in through your nose and then out your mouth and count aloud. I do think whenever I feel my panic attacks coming along.
Google search "grounding for anxiety." It will help a lot. It isn't a long term solution, but it will stop the panic attack in the moment.
set your breathing to 7 second Intervals (etc. in 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. out 1,2,3,4,5,6,7); or find 4 things you can see, 3 things you can touch, 2 things you can hear, and 1 thing you can smell
theres this cool image that you can google it works, its a paint brush making a infinity sign in thick black paint.
Anonymous
September 17th, 2018 6:50am
I personally use grounding exercises or deep breathing. You can find many different types of deep breathing and grounding exercises online. You can also ask a counselor and they can provide you with more information. Another thing you can use is sensory items like a weighted blanket or a fidget cube. A few more things that you can do are drink a warm caffeine free beverage, take a shower or bath, go for a walk or run, read a book, write a journal entry or poem, draw or paint a picture, sing a song or listen to some music.
One method I use to prevent panic attacks is called grounding. It's like when you try to focus on something other than the panic attack. The way I do it is find 5 things I can see, 4 I can touch, and 3 I can hear.
Anonymous
June 7th, 2016 9:11am
I've been having panic attacks from a young age and one way to prevent them is to always try to be in a comfortable and safe enviornment with at least one person who you know cares about you and knows about your panic attacks. As soon as you feel a panic attack coming on you should try to leave the situation and then reflect on why a panic attack occurred.
Anonymous
August 28th, 2017 6:16pm
Techniques like grounding or square breathing can help. Grounding is looking at the area around you and counting amounts of certain things i.e. 5 yellow things or 3 things you can hear. Square breathing is breathing in for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds and then breathe out for 4 seconds. This can slow the heart rate down to normal.
If you are aware of what brings on your panic attacks then you can work through that with a therapist/CBT/Exposure therapy. If you are unaware of what brings them then I think trying to keep your body and mind in a state of calmness will help. Think about how your mind works, what thoughts are running through your head. Think about your physicality, breathing, tensing muscles. Employ some relaxation techniques.
Anonymous
April 23rd, 2018 3:14am
Some natural ways to help prevent panic attacks is by taking deep breathes, listening to music to help you tune out background noises, talking it out with a family member other distractions.
Anonymous
July 30th, 2018 2:08pm
Remember to always take deep breaths, don't always think of the negatives, when you are feeling like you may have a panic attack, try to focus on something that is still, not moving, or stuck in place. Start to name things about that item that you can see, hear, smell. etc. and often your attacks will lessen.
Breathing evenly and slowly helps prevent panic attacks. Also exploring the cause of the panic attacks when you feel you can do it helps a lot.
Anonymous
November 17th, 2014 4:27am
Some natural ways to cope with panic attacks are breathing exercises and imagery. You can also have family support.
Panic attacks can be frightening, but there are some quick ways to reduce symptoms. Taking slow, deep, mindful breaths will calm your nervous response. This is particularly helpful if you are experiencing physical symptoms like trembling and a fast heartbeat. If you know what has triggered this attack, it is a good idea to remove yourself from that situation. Drinking a glass of water can help as well, as this naturally slows heartbeat and provides you with something to do.
I have visited a doctor last month because I have been getting very frequent panic attacks and he told me not to drink caffeinated stuff and breath in and out slowly during panic attacks.
Anonymous
November 7th, 2014 11:48pm
Avoid situations that may lead to a panic attack or trying to focus on what is real and not what your emotions tell you that is real.
Anonymous
November 5th, 2014 8:36pm
Learning and using lots of quick relaxation and breathing exercises. Also, knowing your comfort level and boundaries can be the quickest and easiest way to prevent these kind of attacks. Know what works best for you and how far you can push yourself.
Take a big breath. Go to a secluded space. Take a look around the room for anything that calls out you. When you find something that attracts you, stick with it and think about how it makes you feel: safe? secure?. Slowly recall all the good memories that you can associate. Remember that everything you are going through has a solution. Slowly you'll calm down and then you address the situation more cognitively.
Plant your feet firmly on a surface, if you're at home you can elevate them as well. Plant your hands flatly on a surface. Breath in deep over a 3 second period, exhale over a 1 second period. If this isn't working for you, inhale a deep breath, and hold it. Count to 10. Focus on one object. Exhale after you count to 10. Breath in after 2 seconds. Repeat as needed.
Sit down, relax, and focus on organizing your thoughts. Make a list of the things bothering you and proposed solutions. Organizing anxiety often helps make it seem less scary.
Try to relax and don't think about it, you can write down all your thoughs or watch a film or read a book so your mind will concentrate in other things :)
Anonymous
November 2nd, 2014 6:12am
Lay down and breathe calmly. Apply a small amount of pressure to the chest. It always helps me when I'm having a panic attack.
One of the best ways to prevent panic attacks is actually to simply breathe, believe it or not. Focusing on your breath can help to calm both the physical symptoms of panic attacks (racing heart, shaking hands, pounding in your ears) and the mental ones (feeling out of control, feeling like you might go crazy, feeling like you might die).
Breathing techniques. The one that always works the best for me is breathe in for 4 seconds. Hold for 7 seconds and breathe out for 8 seconds. It helps a lot. Also make sure you focus on your breathing and your breathing only
During panic attacks there are breathing methods, such as breathing in for 8 seconds holding it for 4 seconds and breathing out for 16 seconds. As far as preventing it, trying meditation is very helpful.
Related Questions: What are some natural ways to help prevent panic attacks?
My mom caught me masturbating and I am so embarrassed that I don't want to go out of my room even. What do I do?Sometimes I cannot breathe and I am suddenly freaking out. It feels like a mini panic attack but it’s only a few seconds. What is it?Sometimes, my heart just starts racing and I can’t breathe for a few seconds/minutes. It feels like I’m having a panic attack but it’s really quick. I don’t know if it is one, or what to do. Help?Can you have a panic attack during an anxiety attack?Why is it that I've only had a panic attack once? Could I have had other times to?How do you know you're having a panic attack?I faint but still conscious during some of my panic attack. Is this normal or is it something to be concerned about?Im having panic attacks for years but only like once a month(sometimes nothing for 2months, sometimes 3in a day). Should I visist a doctor or is it not serious enought to worry about it?Ive had 12 panic attacks in the past 8 hours. Is it just one long panic attack or 12 different ones? And is this normal?I keep having random flashes of surreal/depressing feelings that lasts only seconds. What could this be and why does it keep happening?