Article · 4 min read
Panic attack help. The first five minutes.
A panic attack is a sudden surge of fear with physical symptoms like chest tightness, shortness of breath and dizziness. It peaks within 10 minutes, and it always passes.
What is happening in your body
Your nervous system flipped to fight-or-flight mode for no real threat. Heart races, breathing shortens, hands tingle. Frightening, never dangerous.
Minute 1: name it
Say it out loud: "This is a panic attack. It will peak and pass." Naming it shrinks it.
Minute 2-3: breathe out longer than you breathe in
Breathe in for 4, breathe out for 6. Ten slow rounds. The long exhale tells your body the threat is over.
Minute 4-5: ground in the room
Press your feet hard into the floor. Touch something cold, a glass of water, a metal handle. Look around and name 5 colours you see.
After the attack
Be gentle. Don't replay it. Sip water. If panic attacks are happening regularly, see a GP or counsellor. Pre-therapy support helps in the moment, but a therapist helps with the pattern.
In a crisis
If you feel unsafe, call Tele-MANAS at 14416, iCall at 9152987821 or Vandrevala Foundation at 1860-2662-345.
It always peaks and passes.
This wave will break. They all do.
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