It can be extremely difficult to stop panic attacks once they’ve started, but there are 3 quick tips that I’d like to share with you that work wonders at stopping a full blown panic attack.
The first of the 3 ways to stop panic attacks is to simply use a paper bag.
I recommend having paper bags with you wherever you are, and to also leave them lying around anywhere you might happen to be, such as your house or your place of work. When you feel an attack is on the way, you’re just going to switch your breathing between the paper bag and your normal breathing – about 30 seconds of each.
It’s become almost a cliche these days to tell someone having a panic attack to breathe into a paper bag, but it really does work, and it’s a certain method to stop panic attacks.
The second tip I’ve called “Don’t Suffer In Silence.”
When you’re having a panic attack, put the TV or radio on. Or play music through speakers or headphones.
It’s common to feel like you’re losing your mind or losing control when you’re in the midst of a panic attack, and a silent or quiet room can make this seem even worse. Putting some extra noise into the room will overcome this problem, and it will also help to “ground” you in reality.
If you also suffer with depersonalization, as I did, the sounds will also work wonders in eliminating it during attacks.
#3. Reassure Yourself Out Loud:
For most of the time I had panic attacks, I only ever reassured myself in my head. But it’s actually much more helpful to reassure yourself out loud by actually speaking to yourself. When you hear your own voice, it’s much more beneficial.
I realized that the thoughts that only existed inside my head didn’t work well at all, and in some cases they actually made me feel worse.
“Out loud” thoughts are much more powerful, and the panic finds it much more difficult to overpower them the way it overpowers your “in your head” thoughts.
So tell yourself, out loud and firmly, that you’re okay, you’ve experienced this before, you know what it is, and you know it will pass and leave you safe and well.
Here’s a 4th bonus tip for you:
The next time you have a panic attack, wait for it to pass then take a few seconds to write down all you can remember about it – what you thought during the attack, how you felt, and so on. You might find it easier to use a voice recorder for this.
Once you’ve written or spoke about your attacks a few times you’ll see that your anxiety has very specific patterns, and all progress the same way.
Once you have your written notes or your voice recordings you can have them with you so that you can refer to them during future panic attacks. You’ll know where your mind and your panic are going before they even go there.
The reason this works so well is because it takes the mystery and the unknowns from your attacks. One of the worst things about having a panic attack is that feeling of losing control, and not knowing what’s gonna happen next.
And with your written or recorded “panic notes” with you, you’ll stop one of your anxiety’s most potent power sources dead in its tracks.
The method of writing or recording “panic notes” like this is one of the most effective I’ve ever found, and I hope you’ll try it, along with the other tips I’ve shared with you.
tips for panic attacks