I’m very familiar with panic attacks, as I’ve been having them ever since July of last year, and yes, they are scary and seem impossible to get through, i’ve been there, but in my year of experience, i’ve found a lot of helpful little tricks to getting through anxiety or panic episodes. Here’s just a few! (Some of these can be used in combination with others and others are individual techniques) 

1. Positive affirmations 

More often than not, panic and anxiety attacks make you think negative. You think you’re having a heart attack, or that you’re dying, or maybe you think you’re going crazy or losing your grip on reality. Usually, none of these things are the case, and your brain is just overwhelmed by the sudden adrenaline rush. The first step to getting over any episode of panic or stress should be to let yourself know that everything is fine. Tell yourself, mentally or verbally that everything is ok, you’re fine, you’re just stressed out and you need to relax. These episodes are temporary, and while you know that already, most likely, your panicking mind likely doesn’t, so let it know.


2. Find someone to comfort you

Panic or anxiety episodes are never pleasant, especially when alone. If you’re with a trusted person when an episode comes on, tell that trusted person. It can be your mom, dad, sibling, friend, anyone you trust to keep you calm. If you’re by yourself when you feel panic or anxiety coming on, just think of a person who keeps you calm. It can even be a fictional character or celebrity you like, anyone who keeps you level headed.


3. Lie down and listen to relaxing music or sounds

Lying down in a comfortable place like a bed or couch is always a good way to de-stress in my opinion. Just add some relaxing music, or sounds like ocean waves, rain, a crackling fireplace or a flowing stream, or even binaural beats, and you’ve got an easy and effective way to beat a panic or anxiety episode when they come around. 


4. 4-7-8 Breathing method
Deep breaths is another effective way of lowering stress, i’ve found. For this tip, breath in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold that breath for 7, and exhale it through the mouth for 8. Keep doing that until the panic and increased heart rate go down, and you should be golden.


5. The blow method(s)

This one is similar to the last one, but eh. I still feel it’s good to include. For this, take a straw, balloon or your thumb and simply blow into it as hard as you can without making yourself feel lightheaded or faint. This action is called a vagal maneuver, and slows the heart rate via stimulating the Vagus Nerve, which is a nerve essential for regulating things like blood pressure, heart rate, sweating and digestion.


Panic attacks and anxiety can be tough to manage for the best of us, but a little knowledge is always the best tool you can have when in a bad spot. I hope these help in your next crisis, whenever that may be.