Discussion What Are Your Go-To Techniques For A Panic Attack

[Chemi]

Hey, I have been struggling lately a lot with panic attacks, and while I tried many techniques over the years, I would love to know what helps you all during panic attacks?

My go-to techniques are:

• Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Helps me calm my heart down.
• Describing 5 things I can see, 4 I can touch, 3 I can hear, 2 I can smell, 1 I can taste. Helps me ground myself usually in the here and now. Especially helpful with anxiety about the future.
• Holding an ice cube or running your hands under cold water. Like a safe self-harm option that still shocks me back into reality a little.
• Wrapping myself very tightly in a blanket or using a weighted blanket to create my little safety cocoon :D
• Repeating a sentence over and over. Something like: "This feeling is temporary" "I am safe" "This will pass" Something simple but positive.
• Repetitively writing a simple sentence like: "I am having a panic attack, and it's okay to feel this" I try to write it as pretty as I can, so I have to really focus on it. Helps me break thought loops. Though write it with an actual pen on paper. Typing on my phone never helps me, but it actually kinda does the opposite, and I stress myself more.
• Squeezing and releasing your fists or a stress ball. Over and over. Great way to let my frustrations out a little, that isn't self-harm.

If all that doesn't help, then I usually listen to the loudest and most aggressive rock music I can find to overwhelm my brain, or smell these ammonia ampules.
If you don't have them, they are great at shocking you back into a sound mind for 15-20 minutes. Use the time they give you to then try your normal skills, so you don't slip back into panic.

What helps you all calm back down?

 

[Dot]

'Crisis' Resources for anxiety attacks and emotional overwhelm

Written by @Dot, I am just being the voice so more people can understand it. Okay, so you are having an anxiety episode. It is worth remembering when suffering anxiety attack, that you are safe, despite your body throwing out symptoms and telling you otherwise. We have compiled a list of...

sanctioned-suicide.net

 

[Quietist]

Using the inner voice and saying, "I'm okay" repeatedly.

Then going for a distraction, usually via a Youtube video, especially the frequencies and binaural beats.

 

[Chemi]

'Crisis' Resources for anxiety attacks and emotional overwhelm

Written by @Dot, I am just being the voice so more people can understand it. Okay, so you are having an anxiety episode. It is worth remembering when suffering anxiety attack, that you are safe, despite your body throwing out symptoms and telling you otherwise. We have compiled a list of...

sanctioned-suicide.net

That's great! Thank you very much

 

[NearlyIrrelevantCake]

This kind of breathing really does help me during anxiety attacks, meltdowns, etc.

I have this specific image saved because seeing the animation also helps me and keeps me on pace.

 

[NormallyNeurotic]

Listen to music and cry. I held in so much of my emotions as a kid that I have to cry regularly or else I'll either explode (aggression, self harm, psychotic breajs involving impulsive often suicidal actions) or implode (isolation, planning CTB without much forethought of anything else). So now I just find a way to let that out, and it makes panic attacks last shorter.

That's what happens when you send your autistic kid to be "fixed" and expect it to work, I guess.

 

[Cauliflour]

I've never had a panic attack I think. How do people get them? Am I just that out of touch with my emotions that I don't realise?

 

[Chemi]

I've never had a panic attack I think. How do people get them? Am I just that out of touch with my emotions that I don't realise?

You are the chosen one!!!

 

[Cauliflour]

You are the chosen one!!!

Nahhhh I feel like I'm missing out cause mental health PSAs and people online keep talking about panic attacks like they're this normal, somewhat common thing and I feel like I'm missing out on an integral part of the shitty mental health experience. I can't really tell if I'm scared or not other than my heart and breathing goes weird and my skin feels like it's being lifted out of me but that just happens sometimes so I don't think much of it. Maybe I'm just so good at being paranoid that I avoid any instances. Either way, the whole "freaking out, crying, screaming" thing doesn't happen to me. If something is going to happen then I just get really focused on rationalising and planning what I'm going to say before, during and after. I don't get angry anymore either. I don't really act much cause I can't read my feelings for shit. It's really annoying, I wish I lived in the sims and i had a nice little avatar in the corner telling me what I'm feeling and why.

 

[Sannti]

It helps me so much when I put my hands on my chest as I start to feel calmness and I also have a feeling that I am safe <3

 

[gottacheckout]

I hug and pet my fur babies. The Lunatic is always up for a snuggle

 

[weeping<3willow]

olanzapine rapid release. works wonders for me, but i know not everyone has access to a psychiatrist.

 

[Mira Gaga]

I just don't calm down lmao. I either do something stupidly recklessly dangerous, or I self harm or I get wasted.

 

[copioushopelessness]

olanzapine rapid release. works wonders for me, but i know not everyone has access to a psychiatrist.

Do you take it only as needed or daily?

 

[weeping<3willow]

Do you take it only as needed or daily?

i quit taking all my meds

 

[roach]

Try to convince yourself the opposite of what you're feeling, over and over again. It's exhausting, you have to argue against your feelings, and you might get tired and pass out. Not the most stellar advice, but it can work as a last-ditch effort.

 

[Pluto]

 

[justanotherbody]

I've long suffered from panic attacks. I've sought therapy and taken medication, and it sorta helped. Grounding techniques never really get me out of a panic and very much feel like bandaid solutions.

So nowadays I'll bring myself down a little with grounding to avoid outright catastrophe, but then have to just ride out the storm. Isolate myself, cry, scream, rage, strike my head with closed fists. Rinse, repeat...

 

[Luna223]

I use certain medications, but beyond that i dissconect my self from said situation

 

[etherealgoddess]

Hey, I have been struggling lately a lot with panic attacks, and while I tried many techniques over the years, I would love to know what helps you all during panic attacks?

My go-to techniques are:

• Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Helps me calm my heart down.
• Describing 5 things I can see, 4 I can touch, 3 I can hear, 2 I can smell, 1 I can taste. Helps me ground myself usually in the here and now. Especially helpful with anxiety about the future.
• Holding an ice cube or running your hands under cold water. Like a safe self-harm option that still shocks me back into reality a little.
• Wrapping myself very tightly in a blanket or using a weighted blanket to create my little safety cocoon :D
• Repeating a sentence over and over. Something like: "This feeling is temporary" "I am safe" "This will pass" Something simple but positive.
• Repetitively writing a simple sentence like: "I am having a panic attack, and it's okay to feel this" I try to write it as pretty as I can, so I have to really focus on it. Helps me break thought loops. Though write it with an actual pen on paper. Typing on my phone never helps me, but it actually kinda does the opposite, and I stress myself more.
• Squeezing and releasing your fists or a stress ball. Over and over. Great way to let my frustrations out a little, that isn't self-harm.

If all that doesn't help, then I usually listen to the loudest and most aggressive rock music I can find to overwhelm my brain, or smell these ammonia ampules.
If you don't have them, they are great at shocking you back into a sound mind for 15-20 minutes. Use the time they give you to then try your normal skills, so you don't slip back into panic.

What helps you all calm back down?

I had panic attacks before, but healing my trauma made me not have them anymore. But when I had them, it's sadly just this wave of emotion that won't stop. It sucks.

 

[Oreki]

I had panic attacks before, but healing my trauma made me not have them anymore. But when I had them, it's sadly just this wave of emotion that won't stop. It sucks.

I'm really glad things worked out for you. For my part, I've come to accept that I'm not something that can be cured.

 

[ceelobling]

What is a panic attack? Sometimes if I know people are watching me I'll get anxious and my head will freeze and it will jolt to try to cope. Is that a panic attack or no? Is what I'm having a panic attack? Closing my eyes is my technique that I use so I can ignore everything and everybody around me so I don't have this anxiety freeze thing. But if I open my eyes, the freeze is there again.

 

[etherealgoddess]

I'm really glad things worked out for you. For my part, I've come to accept that I'm not something that can be cured.

Thanks. I love you. I'm so sorry. Wishing the best in your situation.

My trauma is like the bottom 10% of the population. So it's not the absolute worst, but it's bad. So it makes sense that not everyone can do what I did because this website is going to have the worst of the worst trauma realistically. Plus I grew up with a lot of education with a naturally tough personality, so that gave me a major advantage in researching methods on how to heal despite the hundreds of failed attempts. So yes, don't compare yourself to me if it's not possible. You've done your best, and I'm proud of that

 

[Oreki]

I had panic attacks before, but healing my trauma made me not have them anymore. But when I had them, it's sadly just this wave of emotion that won't stop. It sucks.

Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate people who are kind

For me, education has sometimes been more of a burden than a help. It can give tools and resources for everyday challenges, but it doesn't always make things easier, it depends on the focus of the learning. It's also one of the reasons I ended up here.