Panic attacks strike with sudden intensity - heart pounding, breath racing, overwhelming fear and can leave you feeling powerless. While there are many long-term therapy options to support you in dealing with the triggers, roots, and lasting effects of a panic attack, lets try to equip you with some strategies you can try in the moment to reduce or event prevent a panic attack.

Understanding Panic

A panic attack results from a misfiring threat response: normal bodily sensations (dizziness, palpitations) are interpreted as catastrophic (“I’m dying”), triggering a feedback loop of escalating fear. Recognizing this loop is the first step to regaining control.

Building awareness is do-able! Start with listing the emotions, sensations, and situations that you often experience when a panic attack comes on. Start thinking of those as “warning signs”. When you notice any of your warning signs. Try some of the following strategies:

Immediate Coping Techniques

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding

Name 5 visual details in your environment.
Identify 4 distinct textures you can feel.
Note 3 sounds you hear.
Inhale two distinct scents.
Sip or taste one flavor.

This sensory countdown redirects attention from fear to your present reality, allowing you to shift your attention away from the trigger and sensations.

Box Breathing

Inhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 4 seconds.
Hold for 4 seconds.

Repeat until your heart rate slows. This regulated rhythm engages the parasympathetic nervous system. It takes a bit of patience but consistency is important with any breathing technique!

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Tense major muscle groups (feet, thighs, abdomen, shoulders) for 5 seconds.
Release for 10 seconds, noticing the wave of relaxation.
Move sequentially through the body to dissolve physical tension.

This increases your awareness of the activated bodily sensations and allows you to guide your body to a place of peace.

Long-Term Strategies

Interoceptive Exposure: In therapy sessions, we gently recreate panic sensations (spinning in a chair to induce dizziness) while practicing coping skills, teaching your body that these sensations are not harmful.
Cognitive Restructuring: Identify and challenge catastrophic thoughts (“I can’t handle this”) by examining evidence and crafting balanced alternatives (“I’ve managed discomfort before”).
Relaxation Rituals: Establish daily practices guided imagery, mindful breathing, or gentle stretching to lower baseline arousal and increase tolerance for stress.

Integrating Therapy and Self-Help

Clients who combine immediate techniques with structured anxiety therapy report fewer panic episodes and regain confidence in their capacity to cope. Ember Psychotherapy Collective’s anxiety therapy and emotional regulation services offer personalized treatment plans blending CBT, somatic practices, and exposure to help you break the panic cycle and reclaim calm. If panic attacks are disrupting your life, we are here to support you every step of the way.