How to Stay in Control During a Panic Attack

One of the causes and symptoms of a panic attack is feeling like you have no control. To cope with anxiety disorders and prevent panic attacks, people often seek therapy to teach them how to live with those things they cannot control and gain control over those things they can. This same concept, accepting what you can and cannot control, can help bring you out of a panic attack, too. Often, remaining in control during a panic attack is the fastest way to bring yourself out of one.

Ironically, to gain control when a panic attack strikes you must let go of control. When you feel the symptoms of a panic attack surface, remind yourself that you are only having a panic attack. Tell yourself that the panic attack is caused by chemical reaction in your body that you cannot control, not in response to some actual threat. Doing this actually tells your brain to stop sending panic signals to the adrenal gland which will then stop producing the adrenaline causing the panic attack symptoms. You can’t control the panic attack symptoms resulting from the adrenaline, but you can control, to some extent, how much adrenaline your body releases. Take this little bit of control and use it get more control over your panic attack symptoms.

When you have started to calm yourself, mentally pat yourself on the back by telling yourself that you have your panic attack symptoms in control. Your symptoms will begin to subside because no more adrenaline is being released into your bloodstream, but you can facilitate this by controlling some of your physical reactions. During your panic attack, control your breathing by forcing yourself to take deep, slow breaths. Sometimes it helps to count to three while you inhale and then again while you exhale. When you control your breath during a panic attack, you are telling your brain that you are calm, allowing it to return some of your other bodily functions to normal. For instance, the urge to urinate may subside, and the brain will allow more oxygen to be routed to it lessening your sensation of lightheadedness and dizziness.

Finally, during a panic attack, control your thoughts. This is especially helpful if your panic attack was precipitated by a specific, stressful thought sequence – fear of death or financial worries. You can do this by practicing reciting a list of calming or empowering thoughts when you are not having a panic attack. This won’t work, unless you practice in advance. When you are in the middle of a panic attack, you won’t be able to think of any calming thoughts; you have to fall back on rote habit. If, during a panic attack, you control your thoughts in this way, you can quickly prevent the attack from escalating in intensity and duration.

With these techniques, you should be able to remain in control when experiencing the symptoms of a panic attack. Remember, a panic attack is about loss of control; gaining control can help you stop the attack.