What do I do during an anxiety attack?

Remind yourself what is happening

Safely stop what you are doing so that you can focus on what you are thinking.

Tell yourself that your mind and body are just choosing to react intensely to your thoughts when they don’t need to. It isn’t a heart attack and you’re not going to collapse or die.

Control your breathing

Your breathing may quicken during a panic attack. The hyperventilation you experience can cause you to become even more frightened as you worry about not being able to breathe. Focus on breathing slowly, deeply and as gently as possible.

Breathe in through the nose for three seconds, hold the breath for two seconds and breathe out through the mouth for three seconds.

You may want to close your eyes to help you focus. By doing this, you can calm your breathing, reduce your physical panic attack symptoms, and stop the panic cycle.

Remind yourself that this panic attack will pass

Statements like “panic is just a high level of anxiety” and “my panic will pass naturally given time and won’t last forever” can help you recognise that this is just a moment - you aren’t controlled by panic attacks and this will eventually go away.

Practise mindfulness and re-focus

Panic attacks can leave you feeling detached from reality. Focus on your surroundings – what can you hear, taste, see, smell and touch? Doing something like placing your feet on the floor or feeling the texture of your t-shirt can help to re-focus you away from your racing thoughts.

You could also try and focus on something in the room such as a picture, clock or a plant, and think carefully about the shape, pattern, colour and size of it. You may even want to go to an imaginary place that makes you feel relaxed. Once there, focus all your energy on what you can hear, taste, see, smell and touch. Doing these exercises can help to re-focus you and distract you from the panic and its symptoms.