How to Stop a Panic Attack

A panic attack can be painful and embarrassing, not to mention an inconvenient distraction from your life. Of course, you want to learn how to stop a panic attack, fast. It only takes about three minutes for the adrenal glands to make enough adrenaline to trigger the panic attack, and it only takes about three minutes for the mind to shut off adrenaline production. So, if caught and dealt with early enough, you can stop a panic attack quickly.

How you stop a panic attack depends on what’s triggering it. Some panic attacks are caused by acute stress, such as a car crash or a violent attack. In these situations, you don’t want to stop the panicked reaction. It is a life saving mechanism, that, believe it or not, will work to remove you from danger.

Sometimes a panic attack is caused by an underlying phobia or general anxiety disorder. Though the stop panic attack technique described below will probably work in this situation, if you’ve got nothing else to go on, it is situation, it is probably best to learn from a therapist how to deal with the underlying issue. Once that issue is resolved, the panic attacks should stop on their own.

If the cause of your panic attacks is generalized or unknown, or perhaps you don’t experience them frequently enough to seek medical or psychiatric treatment, this technique for stopping a panic attack can work for you.

First, the first step in this method to stop a panic attack is to try to relax. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? After all, if you knew how to relax, you probably wouldn’t be having panic attacks in the first place. Here, I mean that you should try to physically relax. Breathe slowly and deeply and sit down. Breathing slowly tells your mind that your body is calm, which means it stops sending panic signals to the adrenal glands. Already you have begun to stop the panic attack.

Next, try to halt your negative thinking. Tell yourself that you are just having a panic attack and that you are not in any serious danger. Tell yourself that you can and will stop the panic attack in a moment. Doing so gives you a sense of control, which helps you relax mentally.

Immediately replace your negative thinking with positive thinking. I’m not talking rainbows and kittens; flower power isn’t going to stop your panic attack. You need to think positive, assertive thoughts. You already started by telling yourself that you could stop panic attack, continue in that vein with thoughts like, “My fight or flight response works really well, I bet I could run a 4-minute mile or beat up ten men.” Try “I am not going to die, this is just a panic attack, and I know that I am healthy.”

At this point, you should have stopped the panic attack, but there is one important thing to do to stop future panic attacks. Acknowledge and accept that you’ve had a panic attack. Minimizing the experience will prevent you from fully confronting and dealing with whatever may be triggering your panic attacks, which will prevent you from getting proper treatment.