c/anxiety·Posted by u/aisha_r·4d ago
How do I stop a panic attack once it starts?
Once the wave hits I feel trapped in my own body. Heart racing, dizzy, convinced something terrible is happening. I know logically it is panic. In the moment that knowledge barely helps. I have tried slow breathing but sometimes focusing on breath makes me more aware of how awful I feel. What actually works for you when you are already in it — not prevention, but mid-attack?
Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.
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u/ella_s4d ago
cold water on the face. or hold ice. it shocks your system out of the spiral.
u/kind_to_myself4d ago
@ella_s yes. I keep an ice pack in the freezer. sounds dramatic but it pulls me back.
u/ben_okonkwo4d ago
I tell myself this is a panic attack. it has happened before. it will end. that helps more than anything.
u/sara_b4d ago
I name things I can see. five blue things. four things I can touch. it grounds me.
u/miles_k4d ago
breathing does not work for me in the moment. moving does. I walk fast or do jumping jacks.
u/tina_l4d ago
@miles_k same. my therapist said sometimes you have to burn the adrenaline off.
u/rosa_alvarez4d ago
and then rest after. do not try to be normal right away. it takes it out of you.