Not sure if anyone else had/has the same problem as me but I’ve had anxiety my whole life (I’m in my 30s now) and panic attacks since I was 18. 
I’ve been told every time by doctors, counseling, etc “just breathe, focus on your breathing “
For me, this has done nothing but upset me more. Because, 

1: I’m having a panic attack the last thing I want to do is focus on the thing that is scaring me and 
2: hard to focus on breathing when I FEEL like I can’t breathe and I’m dying. 

Now, after all these years and explaining to my doctors what I just wrote and no one ever correcting me.. I was told this 2 years ago and everything clicked (so if you’re like me hope this helps!)

“Having a panic attack and being told to breathe is like trying to put out a 12 story fire with a water hose. The point is to try to focus on breathing 😮‍💨 before the fire breaks out. When it’s small, to catch it before it spreads”


Hope that helps anyone because it definitely did me. I started immediately focusing on my breathing as soon as I felt a panic attack coming on. I was always trying to in the middle of a full blown attack hoping to get somewhere and just making it worse. 

Stay safe ♥️