How to Calm a Panic Attack: What to Do When Anxiety Hits Hard

Is It a Panic Attack or an Anxiety Attack?

People use these terms interchangeably all the time.

Clinically, however, panic attack has a more specific meaning.

“Anxiety attack” is a common everyday phrase people often use to describe a period of intense anxiety, overwhelm, or fear.

A panic attack tends to involve a sudden surge of intense fear or discomfort along with significant physical symptoms.

You can be sitting on your couch.

Driving.

Walking through Target.

Falling asleep.

Having dinner with friends.

Your body suddenly acts as if a tiger has entered the room.

Meanwhile:

Your nervous system simply didn't get that memo.

What Does a Panic Attack Feel Like?

Panic can feel intensely physical.

Common panic attack symptoms can include:

Which is one reason people sometimes seek emergency medical care during their first panic attack.

Panic Usually Rises Quickly

Panic attacks often reach their most intense point quickly.

The strongest part may last minutes rather than hours, although some physical and emotional symptoms can linger afterward.

And the aftermath can feel pretty lousy.

Unfortunately, that last one can become its own problem.

Your Body's Alarm System Has Turned On

Sometimes there is an obvious trigger.

You have to speak publicly.

You get on an airplane.

You walk into a crowded room.

You feel trapped somewhere.

But sometimes?

Think of panic as your body's alarm system going off.

Your heart speeds up.

Your breathing changes.

Your muscles tense.

You may feel lightheaded.

Then your brain notices those sensations and says:

That interpretation creates more fear.

Which produces more physical symptoms.

Which creates more fear.

This sounds ridiculously simple.

It isn't.

Try telling yourself:

Not:

Not:

Not:

Simply:

Naming what's happening can give you a little psychological distance from it.

You aren't pretending you feel fine.

You clearly don't. 😂

You're reminding your brain that intense physical sensations do not automatically equal danger.

Panic has convinced you that this moment is going to continue indefinitely.

It won't.

You can remind yourself:

This is very different from yelling internally:

Which, unsurprisingly, is rarely a soothing message to send your nervous system.

When people feel short of breath, they often start taking enormous breaths because they feel like they aren't getting enough air.

That can sometimes make the sensations feel worse.

Instead, try slowing things down.

You do not need a perfect breathing ratio.

You aren't being graded.

The goal is simply to help your breathing become less frantic.

Panic can turn you into a full-time investigator of every physical sensation.

The more closely you monitor yourself, the louder everything can feel.

Try orienting outward instead.

No magic occurs because you counted five lamps.

The exercise simply gives your attention somewhere else to go.

Sometimes grounding gets reduced to cute Pinterest exercises.

The underlying idea is actually useful.

Look around.

Where am I?

What day is it?

Who is with me?

What can I see?

What tells me that I'm safe right now?

This one surprises people.

If every panic attack causes you to immediately flee the grocery store, leave the restaurant, pull out of the meeting, or go home, your brain can accidentally learn:

Avoidance often reduces fear temporarily.

Unfortunately, it can strengthen fear over time.

This one deserves its own section because humans do this constantly.

You use a coping skill.

Then:

Thirty seconds later:

Then:

You've essentially turned your anxiety into a performance review. 😂

Try something closer to:

Your job isn't to force every sensation away.

Your job is to stop adding another layer of fear to the sensations that are already there.

Maybe—but It Isn't My Favorite Universal Panic Strategy

For some people, closing their eyes decreases stimulation.

For others, it makes them feel more disconnected, dizzy, or internally focused—which is exactly where we don't necessarily want all of their attention.

Look at the doorway.

Notice the chair beneath you.

Find three blue objects.

Put your attention back into the environment.

If closing your eyes genuinely helps you feel grounded, that's fine.

It just isn't a universal panic treatment.

What Should I Avoid Doing During a Panic Attack?

That last one is especially important.

Because the more your life becomes:

the more power panic gets.

Can I Prevent Panic Attacks?

You probably cannot guarantee that you'll never experience another surge of panic.

That's not the goal I'd give you anyway.

There are absolutely things that can help.

Having One Panic Attack Does Not Automatically Mean You Have Panic Disorder

Lots of people experience an isolated panic attack.

Panic disorder is more likely when someone experiences repeated unexpected panic attacks and then spends significant time worrying about another attack or changing their behavior because of that fear.

For example:

Should I See a Medical Provider About Panic Symptoms?

Sometimes, yes.

Panic symptoms can overlap with medical problems.

Once you know you're dealing with panic, therapy can help considerably.

And if panic attacks are happening repeatedly or changing the way you live?

What Therapy Works for Panic Attacks?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the best-studied psychological treatments for panic disorder.

CBT can help you understand:

Treatment may also include interoceptive exposure—intentionally and safely practicing some of the physical sensations people fear during panic.

For example, someone who is terrified of a racing heartbeat may learn in therapy that:

Not because therapists enjoy torturing people.

😂

Because your brain sometimes needs an opportunity to experience the sensation without the catastrophe you expect to follow.