How to Stop a Panic Attack: Practical Tools to Regain Control
Understanding Panic Attacks
A panic attack can feel terrifying. Your heart races, your chest tightens, your breathing changes, and your mind floods with thoughts like “What if something is wrong with me?” or “I’m not safe.” Even when you logically know you are not in danger, your body reacts as if you are.
In my work with clients, this disconnect between logic and the body is often the most frustrating part. You might understand, on paper, that this is anxiety. Yet in the moment, it feels physical, urgent, and very real. Many people are surprised to learn just how powerful the body’s alarm system can be, even when no true threat is present.
Panic attacks are intense bursts of anxiety that often peak within minutes and then gradually subside. They can come out of nowhere or appear to be triggered by stress, bodily sensations, or specific situations. They are common, affecting millions of adults each year. The good news is that they are highly treatable. With the right tools, you can reduce their intensity, shorten their duration, and regain confidence in your ability to handle them.
I want to be clear here. A panic attack is not dangerous, even though it feels dangerous. Your heart is not failing. You are not losing control. Your nervous system is misfiring, and it can be guided back to baseline.
What follows are practical, clinically grounded tools I regularly teach in therapy. These are not quick fixes or tricks. They are skills that work best with repetition and practice, especially outside of panic episodes.
1. Focus on Your Breathing
During a panic attack, breathing often becomes fast and shallow. This pattern signals to your brain that danger is present, which keeps the panic cycle going. Slowing and lengthening your breath is one of the most direct ways to communicate safety to your nervous system.
Try this simple technique:
• Inhale slowly through your nose for 4 seconds
• Hold for 2 seconds
• Exhale gently through your mouth for 6 seconds
Repeat this for one to two minutes, focusing on the rhythm rather than the depth of the breath. The longer exhale is especially important. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of your body responsible for calming and recovery.
What I often notice in sessions is that people try to breathe deeply and forcefully when they panic. That can backfire. The goal is not big breaths. The goal is slow, steady breaths.
If focusing on breathing increases your anxiety at first, that is not uncommon. In those cases, pairing breath with a neutral anchor can help. Counting out loud, tapping your fingers, or gently rocking can provide structure and reduce the urge to over-monitor your body.
Between panic episodes, practice this breathing pattern once or twice a day. Not because you are anxious, but because you are training your nervous system to recognize the pattern as safe and familiar.
2. Ground Yourself in the Present Moment
Panic attacks often pull you into catastrophic “what if” thinking. Your mind races ahead, imagining worst case outcomes, while your body reacts as if those outcomes are already happening.
Grounding techniques interrupt this spiral by bringing your attention back to the present moment and your physical surroundings.
A simple and effective strategy is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method:
• Name 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can touch
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste or imagine tasting
This exercise works by shifting attention away from internal sensations and toward external, neutral input. By doing so, you signal to your brain that there is no immediate threat.
In therapy, I often remind clients that grounding is not meant to eliminate anxiety instantly. It is meant to slow the escalation. Over time, repeated grounding reduces the intensity and frequency of panic because your brain learns that you can stay present without danger unfolding.
You can adapt this exercise to fit your environment. If you are driving, focus on sights and sounds rather than touch. If you are in public, do it silently in your head. The structure matters more than the exact details.
3. Talk to Yourself Calmly and Reassuringly
When panic hits, your internal dialogue can either calm the situation or intensify it. Thoughts like “This is dangerous” or “I can’t handle this” reinforce fear and keep your nervous system activated.
This is something I say directly in therapy. You do not need to eliminate anxious thoughts. You need to respond to them differently.
Instead of arguing with panic or trying to force it away, use calm, factual self-talk:
• “This is a panic response, not an emergency.”
• “I have felt this before, and it passed.”
• “My body is uncomfortable, but I am safe.”
These statements are grounded in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles. They work by reducing catastrophic interpretation rather than by offering blind reassurance.
Many people assume affirmations need to feel positive or uplifting to work. In reality, the most effective statements are neutral, accurate, and believable. Your nervous system responds better to realism than to optimism.
Practice these statements ahead of time. Write them down. Read them when you are calm. When panic arises, familiarity makes them easier to access.
4. Use Your Body to Regulate Your Mind
Panic is not just a mental experience. It is a full body response driven by adrenaline and nervous system activation. Trying to think your way out of panic without involving your body often leads to frustration.
Your body can be a powerful entry point for calming your mind.
Some effective techniques include:
• Temperature changes. Splash cold water on your face or hold a cool object in your hand. This can activate a reflex that slows heart rate and reduces physiological arousal.
• Progressive muscle relaxation. Tense one muscle group at a time, such as your hands or shoulders, then slowly release. This helps your body discharge tension and shift out of fight or flight mode.
• Gentle movement. Walking, stretching, or pacing can help burn off excess adrenaline and restore a sense of physical control.
These strategies are commonly used in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and other evidence-based approaches for high distress states.
In my work with clients, I often emphasize that movement during panic is not avoidance. It is regulation. You are not running from panic. You are helping your nervous system settle so your mind can follow.
5. Understand the Panic Cycle
Many people focus only on stopping panic in the moment, without understanding why it keeps returning. Education matters here.
Panic attacks often follow a predictable cycle:
A physical sensation appears, such as a racing heart or shortness of breath.
The sensation is interpreted as dangerous.
Fear increases, which intensifies physical symptoms.
Panic escalates until it peaks and then subsides.
What keeps the cycle going is not the initial sensation. It is the interpretation of that sensation.
Many people are surprised to learn that panic attacks often start with normal bodily changes, like stress, fatigue, caffeine, or mild anxiety. The difference lies in how those sensations are interpreted.
Therapy helps you interrupt this cycle by changing your relationship with bodily sensations. Instead of reacting with fear, you learn to observe and respond with curiosity and neutrality.
This shift does not happen overnight. It develops through repeated exposure, practice, and support.
6. Reflect After the Panic Passes
Once the panic subsides, take a few moments to reflect rather than judge yourself. This is a critical step that many people skip.
Ask yourself:
• What was happening just before the panic started?
• What thoughts or sensations showed up first?
• Which coping tools helped, even a little?
Writing this down can be helpful. Over time, patterns often emerge. You may notice links to stress, sleep, caffeine, or specific thought patterns.
Awareness does not prevent panic entirely, but it gives you earlier entry points for intervention. The sooner you recognize the pattern, the more effective your tools become.
7. Practice When You Are Calm
One of the biggest mistakes people make is only using coping tools during panic. Skills work best when they are familiar.
In therapy, I often encourage clients to practice breathing, grounding, and self-talk daily, even when anxiety is low. This builds muscle memory and confidence.
Think of it like physical training. You do not wait until you are injured to strengthen muscles. You train beforehand so your body knows what to do under stress.
Consistency matters more than intensity. A few minutes a day is enough to reinforce these patterns.
When to Seek Extra Support
If panic attacks are frequent, unpredictable, or start limiting your life, therapy can help. Evidence based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy are highly effective for panic and anxiety.
Online Therapy in Ohio makes it easier to access this support without added stress. Therapy provides structure, guidance, and accountability as you learn to face panic without fear and rebuild trust in your body.
You do not need to wait until panic becomes overwhelming. Early support often leads to faster and more sustainable progress.
What’s Next
Panic attacks can make you feel powerless, but they are not a sign of weakness or failure. They are a nervous system response that can be understood and retrained.
With practice, education, and support, many people move from fearing panic to recognizing it as temporary and manageable. That shift alone changes everything.
If you are ready to learn how to manage anxiety and panic in a calmer, more confident way, I would be honored to help you take that next step.
— Sam Long, LISW-S
Founder of Long Therapy Services
-Growth and Healing, Wherever You Are-
This article was developed using evidence-based research and established clinical literature. The references below informed the concepts discussed throughout this post.
References
National Institute of Mental Health. Panic Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/panic-disorder
American Psychological Association. Anxiety Disorders. https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety
Hunsley, John, and others, 'Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia', in John Hunsley, and Eric J. Mash (eds), A Guide to Assessments That Work, 2 edn (New York, 2018; online edn, Oxford Academic, 1 June 2018), https://doi.org/10.1093/med-psych/9780190492243.003.0013
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The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional therapy, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency department.
