Quick ways to stop a panic attack

• Relax into it. This is a technique, so read along and follow along: Relax into it. Surrender to it. Accept what is happening and stop fighting it. Don’t resist the experience. Remember that this is just a harmless and scary experience, like watching a scary movie or going on a rollercoaster. Relax into it. Lean into it. Get out of its way and let it do what it needs to do. Repeat these statements, embody them, make them feel real for you and repeat the most powerful ones over and over again.

• Run your hands under cold water. The coldness of the water, while unpleasant, might be distracting enough to stop you from focusing on your panic, and keep you focusing on your hands.

• Run your hands under warm water. While you’re already in the bathroom, see if the warmth on your hands combined with the soothing white noise of running water calms you down.

• Do a 360 Check. Look around you. Where are you? Are you or someone else hurt? Is someone in danger? If the answers are no, and nothing out of the norm is happening then it’s the panic talking. Sometimes just realizing that what you’re experiencing is an illusion is enough to cut down on the panic.

• Go for a run. This could work as long as you don’t have triggers that get set off by working out.

• Pace back and forth, while shaking your hands as quickly as possible. This will help burn off some of that energy.

• Do weight lifting. Think of all that nervous energy and fear like fuel for physical action. Right now you’re so jacked up you could probably lift a car (but please don’t try. Just workout at home with something heavy to burn off the energy).

• Write down everything that pops into your mind. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, this will help you feel more aware of everything that’s happening, which will make you feel less overwhelmed.

• Pay attention to your body. Your body is going haywire right now, and it can feel like there’s a thousand different sensations going on. Pay attention to your body and notice all of the different places that you feel things in. This, in combination with writing things down will help you feel less overwhelmed.

• Talk yourself through this. Remind yourself that this a panic attack and it will pass. Remember that you’ve been through this before, and you were just fine. Remember that panic attacks are not dangerous.

• Call a friend who knows what you’re going through.

• 4 by 4 breathing exercise. Breath in for a count of 4. Hold for a count of 4. Breath out for a count of 4. Repeat this 4 times.

• Single-pointed meditation. To do this, you pick something consistent to focus on, like exhaling. Each time you breath out, you will count up. For example, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5…”. Visualize the number and give each number a different color. Each time you find yourself thinking about scary things, gently remind yourself of what you’re supposed to be doing and return to counting. Try this and see if you manage to distract yourself enough to calm down.

• Play a video game. Distraction, distraction, distraction. You just have to distract yourself because no amount of focusing on this panic attack is going to make it go away. Think of it kind of like a wound. It’s going to hurt less and less until it settles down. In 20 minutes time or so, yours will settle down too.

• Put a timer on. Do you know how long your panic attacks take? If you do, then now you know how long you have left of this panic attack. If you don’t, then notice every 5 minutes how your anxiety levels change. Panic attacks literally cannot last forever; eventually your body is going to get tired, and most are over by 30 minutes. Watch the timer and notice your anxiety levels.

• Play with and chew on ice cubes. Some people swear by cold temperatures interrupting their panic. This may have something to do with the cold being distracting enough to pull our attention away from the panic itself long enough to calm down. Give it a try!