Quick tips to stop a panic attack

Panic attacks are all too common, affecting as many as 11% of the US population each year—including doctors. A panic attack comes on suddenly, with feelings of intense fear or discomfort accompanied by symptoms like a thumping heart, chills, shaking, dizziness, and other worrisome sensations. Although not medically dangerous in itself, a panic attack is distressing, often frightening, and mentally and physically fatiguing.

Here’s what can be done to stop a panic attack—or at least lessen its effects.

Know the symptoms

Although panic attacks can be triggered by stress—such as the death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, etc—they sometimes seem to happen for no reason at all, often coming “out of the blue.” When this happens, a person experiencing a panic attack may give in to fear, in which symptoms build on one another and cycle out of control. But, if you know the symptoms and you realize an attack is building, you can attempt to manage it before it goes out of control.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), a panic attack is characterized by four or more of these symptoms:

• Heart palpitations, pounding heart, or racing heart rate
• Sweating
• Trembling or shaking
• Shortness of breath or sensation of smothering
• Choking sensation
• Chest discomfort or pain
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• Numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesia)
• Hot flushes or chills
• Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
• Feelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
• Fear of going crazy or losing control
• Fear of dying

Although a panic attack may seem like it lasts forever, it doesn’t. Know that the symptoms usually peak within 10 minutes or less, and then begin to abate.

Breathe deeply

Once you acknowledge you’re having an attack, make your best offense a good defense. Deep breathing can help you to relax your body so that you evade the worst of the attack. Try this method: Take a deep breath in through your nose for a count of five, hold it while you count to five again, and then breathe out through your mouth for another count of five.

Relax your body

When you go into panic mode, you’re likely to tense up. This may feel like the natural reaction—you’re in panic mode, after all. But you can consciously undo it and relax. While using the deep breathing technique, focus on one part of your body that’s tightened up—maybe your clenched jaw or your hunched shoulders. Tighten that muscle as you inhale, and then completely relax the muscle as you gradually exhale. Do this for other clenched muscles or body parts. Eventually, your whole body will be more relaxed.

Get out of your head

A panic attack is almost entirely internal—you feel removed from the world around you. Turn that detached feeling around by grounding yourself in the real world. Focus on a few specific things you can see, place your hand on items you can touch, take a whiff of something you can smell or take a bite of something you can taste. Forcing your brain to focus on tangible, real-world things can bring you outside of your inner turmoil.

Distract yourself

A panic attack occurs because, somewhere in your mind, the fight or flight response has been unexpectedly (probably unnecessarily) triggered. Try distracting your mind from that stimulus.

One doctor prevents his frequent panic attacks at night by playing a chess app on his smartphone. “This game completely distracted my attention from the destructive background thoughts in my mind and then I was rescued from the symptoms and slept deeply and soundly,” he wrote.

If chess isn’t your thing, try another activity or mind game that takes your full attention and distracts you from your symptoms.

Chill out

When a panic attack hits, you may feel your heart race, your body run hot, and your face turn red. Jolt yourself out of it with a cold rush. Grab a couple ice packs (or bags of frozen peas, even) and hold them to your face, chest, or stomach. Crunch on some ice. Meanwhile, continue the deep breathing technique. You may soon cool down your body and your brain.

Have a mantra

Remember that a panic attack will end, so you can ride it out like a ship riding out a storm. To get through it, use a mantra. In the modern context, a mantra is a repeated phrase that aids in concentration and/or expresses a strong belief. A mantra used to ride out a panic attack should make you feel safe and calm, such as:

• “I can get through this.”
• “I won’t give up.”
• “You can do this.”
• “I am calm.”
• “All is well.”
• “You are safe.”
• “This too shall pass.”

Having a panic attack may be a once-in-a-lifetime event, or it may happen several times a week. To avoid a full-blown panic disorder, seek help if you have more than one panic attack in a month’s time. Panic disorder can be related to other mental health issues, and can even lead to physical conditions (not the least of which are heart disease and heart attack). Treatment for panic disorders may include medication and psychotherapy.

How to help someone having a panic attack

Here are some helpful tips to help a colleague or a patient who’s having a panic attack.

• Stay with them. You don’t need to run to get help. You can help just by being present and responsive.
  
  
• Move the person to a quiet place.
  
  
• Stay calm. A natural reaction when seeing someone else panic is to panic yourself. Remain as calm as possible. (And don’t tell the person having the attack to “calm down.” That’s won’t help them.)
  
  
• Ask how you can help. Don’t presume or guess what the person needs. Just ask them.
  
  
• Help the person with deep breathing by breathing along with them.
  
  
• Use grounding or distraction. Help the person get grounded by asking them to focus on objects they can see or touch. Use distraction by asking them to perform a repeated physical task, such as raising their arms over their head.
  
  
• Be supportive. Remind the person that they will be okay. Be positive. Say short, simple words of encouragement, such as: “You can get through this” or “You’re doing good.”

A panic attack typically lasts about 20-30 minutes from beginning to end. The calmer you are, the better your colleague or patient will be. You’ll prevent a difficult situation from getting worse, and you’ll reduce the person’s stress during a very stressful time.