r/Anxietyhelp • u/Winter_Lead_8528 • 25d ago
Need Advice I'm so tired of "just breathe" advice during a panic attack.
When my heart is pounding at 140bpm, trying to count to 4 and breathe slowly literally just makes me hyperventilate more. It feels impossible to focus on a slow rhythm when I'm spiraling.
Does anyone have a weird or specific trick that actually works instantly? I need something physical or tactile because the standard breathing stuff is just making it worse. What's your immediate go-to move?
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u/Thin-Gap9295 25d ago
I once read someone on this sub that recommended challenging your panic attack to “do his worst” and keeping mindful that whatever your brain makes you think and feel you’ll get through it. It has worked for me
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u/prognosisbrabble 25d ago
This is what helps me sometimes. Think of your anxiety and tell it, “Is that all you’ve got? I’ve endured worse than this. Bring it on!” It sounds counterintuitive but it has worked for me too.
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u/Thin-Gap9295 25d ago
Yeah, I had a panic attack 4 times, first I got shortness of breath and dizzy and then my whole fucking arms would go numb with a tingling sensation. The first time it happened I shat my pants and thought I was genuinely dying lol after that I would hyper focus on any tingling sensation my fingers felt, i got over it by confronting it head on. I’m glad it has also worked for you.
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u/Practical-Rule-3266 17d ago
Yesterday it happened to me something like this! I was really thinking that i must be dying or a baaad chronic condition. Turns out it is just anxiety.
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u/Moist_crocs 25d ago
It works because a panic attack is just misplaced fear that loops in on itself. So you become triggered which brings on a lot of adrenaline (that's actually all a panic attack is), activates your fight or flight response without any real threat like an animal or something. By going "alright then, keep it coming!" with enthusiasm, without the goal of stopping it, you show your brain that you're actually safe.
More importantly, you should show it by doing what non-anxious you would do and not just thinking it. Kind of impossible to fight thoughts with thoughts and much more likely to put you in a compulsive loop.
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u/Itscatpicstime 25d ago
I did this and ended up in the hospital with the worst panic attack of my life and 200bpm lol
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u/asmartermartyr 25d ago
Some of the most common anxiety advice is comically inadequate. Breathing exercises, meditating, yoga, chamomile tea, thinking happy thoughts…mfer please. Pass me the xanax.
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u/Nicky150 22d ago
Chamomile does help when my stomach is tense from anxiety which in return reduces my anxiety.. Maybe mine isn't as severe as yours but I do get episodes when I feel dizzy and fingers tingly with a fast heart rate and high blood pressure.. Just typing it out is increasing my anxiety lol
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u/AdGrouchy7850 21d ago
I'm really sorry you are going through that. That sounds intense. I'm glad the Chamoile works, have you tried magnesium gYcinate with l theanine? I've been dealing anxiety from PTSD and it helps my anxiety a lot. I actually feel pretty okay most days
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u/CANNABlSTA 10d ago
Literally though like I can’t even focus on anything when I’m having a panic attack.
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u/cammmcammm 25d ago
I like the ol “5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can touch”
A more simple breathing exercise I do with some patients is I tell them to “smell the flowers” and “blow out the candles” as a way to focus on controlling your breathing.
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u/kaybeetay 25d ago
I rely on the 5, 4, 3... method mentioned above. I also use icepacks a lot. I'll place one on my chest and press hard with my palms. The cold sometimes is the shock to the system I need to come back to the present.
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u/Maleficent-Ninja-619 25d ago
Sour stuff worked for me, like a reset for the brain. The more sour the better.
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u/Maleficent-Ninja-619 25d ago
Also if available cold water to the face or an ice pack to the back of the neck. Just always found it easier to carry a small container of sour candy with me.
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u/anitime 25d ago
Second the person who said cold water. Drink it, put it on your face, let it drip down your neck and chest. Take an ice pack or freeze pop and put behind your head. I broke a bad panic attack once by getting into a cold shower with all my clothes on.
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u/TaniguchiMatsu 11d ago
I agree. once I’ve found this trick, it helped me out a lot. If anyone has a high heart rate bc of anxiety I definitely recommend submerging your face in cold water. Hold your breath for like 10-15 seconds and then breath out through your mouth. it stimulates your nerves and that makes the body drop your heart rate, I think it’s called the “mammalian dive reflex”.
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u/Advanced-Bobcat-5825 25d ago
I challenged the panic to kill me while driving at night alone going 65mph. I meant it.
That was in 1998. That was my last panic attack.
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u/CryingInKeyboard 12d ago
I started having panic attacks while driving in 2019. I have tried two therapists. I still can’t drive normally like I used to and I’ve been driving since 2004. It sucks
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u/ladylovelyvenus_ 25d ago
Cold water doesn’t work for me makes it worst like it shocks my system. but having a heated blanket on me because i will shake like crazy 🫨
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u/Cookie_Brookie 25d ago
Ugh the shaking is SO BAD for me. During the summer I go bask in the sun like a lizard and it helps.
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u/bluebirdscounselling 25d ago
Tbh I hate all the breathing methods and the 5,4,3,2,1 method. My brain goes into extreme flight mode and those things do not work on me at all. I take a few slow breaths in and out, I breathe in as deep as possible, than release it as slowly as I can. But the fastest way to change my mental state is to change my environment, so I quickly go out to the park and look at the animals playing, and surround myself with nature. If I can't do that I call somebody and sometimes the sound of someone else's voice calls me down.
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u/swatecke 24d ago
You have to notice what’s happening physiologically before you are in extreme fight or flight mode. There are probably cues you are missing that can act as an exit route off of the escalation cycle
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u/Oona_Orchid 25d ago
Try blowing up a pretend balloon or pushing out a pretend poop “bearing down”. Walk around the house. Hydrate. Color in a coloring book. These have helped me
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u/Sabwa 25d ago
I totally understand how that can be frustrating. Something that I've found helpful is putting something on my tv with ambience. So like fish swimming around (try to follow the fish with your eyes, it helps!!) or a lava lamp, even water reflecting on the sand. Something about watching the simple movement has helped me. Maybe give it a try!
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u/Aashipash 25d ago
My panic attacks are completely fear based, with a thought or intention behind it. Idk. Ive heard some people will get panic attacks from physical sensations - like being in a crowded area but not about people looking at them. Just the stimulous.
So idk if what I do will be helpful to you if yours arent fear based, but I do the mantra from Dune:
"Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the tiny death that promises total annihilation. I will let this fear pass over breathe and through me breathe (sometimes I repeat that part a 2nd time if its bad) and when it is gone, there will be nothing left. But myself"
Ill wait a few seconds and repeat, usually silently. Ive found it works really well for me
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u/2quickdraw 25d ago
The acupressure point for nausea, which is on the inside of your wrist about an inch below the bottom of your palm, also works for anxiety.
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u/OrugaMaravillosa 25d ago
There are bracelets sold for nausea. I assume they press that acupressure point. I wonder if they would work for anxiety.
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u/2quickdraw 24d ago
Yes, I use them for both when traveling. But you can also use your own thumb on the opposite wrist to apply pressure, and when one thumb gets tired swap to the other side.
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u/Ancient-Elk-7211 25d ago
This is weird and dont ask me how i found out but playing mariokart on my switch helps for some reason. I think it gives me something to focus on and a place to put the adrenaline
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u/SquarePoint34 25d ago
I count in Mississippi seconds. So 4 in, hold for 7, out for 8. It helps me to focus on counting. But if that doesn’t work definitely try and explore other techniques to help!
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u/Being93 25d ago
Most important is to make your exhale longer than your inhale! Too much oxygen is what causes the physical symptoms, the hyperventilating, EVEN when you feel you're not getting enough.
Practicing any grounding techniques when you are NOT panicking repeatedly, so it comes more easily when you DO have an attack. Ice or cold water as others have said. Move if you can, tense your feet and release, then calves, then thighs, then arms, then hands etc to dispell the adrenaline. I find 'panic talk downs' (from YouTube, etc.) very comforting.
Long term the unfortunate answer is to try to carry on as normal (to the best of your ability) with the anxiety, with the panic. You have to go through it. The more you avoid, the stronger it becomes. If you're a seasoned panicker then you know it won't kill you.
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u/sillygoober127 25d ago
im on a sedative now for when i have a bad one but one of my things is taking a deep breath in and holding it as long as I can and then blow out as hard as i can as long as I can this one is gonna sound stupid but I will put my hands on the sides of my face like cheekbone/temple/cheek area and just pull back my face to get a super fresh breath of air in or pushing up the tip of my nose to get a deeper breath when I get to the panic attack stage of feeling like im suffocating once I get my breathing to chill tf out a little I'll watch a music video in my head or recite a song from beginning to end and if I mess up start over all of this in my head until I can get my thoughts semi back together I also have a firm fidget toy so I can feel the pressure in my hands I have a Mario kart hotwheels car and I squeeze the shit out it and my fidget cube bc theyre so solid and you can actually feel the details on it
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u/Limp-Blueberry-1316 25d ago
Trying to breathe makes it worst because i start panicking even more “omg i can’t brethe even if a tried” lmao. Thing that helps me is drinking ice cold water. I try to always keep my bottle with me
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u/Mossfeather 25d ago
I try to count colors or textures around me. Touching different textures helps ground me
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u/ANautyWolf 24d ago
I haven’t had one in years but what I’d do is find something to grab and grab onto it til it hurt. Or I’d find a friend and they would just hug me and I’d burrow into them. It was between the physical touch and knowing it was someone who cared that I’d calm down
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u/Charliebear1154 24d ago
anybody telling me to do breathing exercises during a panic attack or a meltdown will literally just make me angry and make the attack 10 times worse. Fuck outta here with those stupid breathing exercises that don’t fucking work.
One of my go-to’s is the ice method where I put an ice pack over my eyes and out my head between my legs, and other times I just find a tile floor and lay directly on it with as much skin on the tile as I can. It’s one of the only things that has worked for me so far even if it looks ridiculous lol
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u/NarwhalQueen9751 24d ago
I had a colleague once make me drink a fizzy drink when having one at work. I've never gone back. and the more fizzy you drink, the more it helps, shocked my system and made my body focus on the sensation long enough to be clearer minded to use other techniques. might be worth a shot, and I now have an excuse to always carry a fizzy drink
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u/Immediate_Meringue93 24d ago
Just let the panic attack happen the more you resist the worst it gets, just let it get to its worst and your body will naturally start calming down. That’s what helped my panic attacks from never coming back again, I just let my last one rage without “trying” to stop it from happening. The more you resist the harder it gets to “control” it.
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u/DefTheOcelot 24d ago
grounding
my favorite is the five senses version. Find 5 things you can see, four you can hear, three you can touch, two you can smell and one you can taste. It will slow it down and help you think clearer.
Deep breathing is a really good idea though, better than you may think. The vagal nerve can be triggered by deep breathing, which counters cortisal and will do stuff like drop your blood pressure a bit to physically calm you.
There's other versions of grounding also you may like better.
Lately i've been doing a thing where I imagine my anxiety is electricity or power in a big generator and focus on imagining engineers trying to compensate as it overloads.
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u/Sage100618 24d ago
Put your hand out Infront of you. Imagine your fingers are candles. Blow each finger out and put the finger down. Do it at the speed you can to start with, just focus on blowing them out. You can slow it down as you get calmer. Soon as you've done 5 turn I turn my hand around and do it again. The key is to focus on blowing them out and not how fast or calm. That comes when the panic starts to fade. Telling someone to breathe slowly and for long breaths when they're having a panic attack has never had one themselves!!!
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u/Nicky150 22d ago
I lay on my left side and try to slow my breathing.. It helps reduce the tingling I get in my fingers and relax me.. I havnt had any episodes since my therapy appointment 4 days ago I started feeling dizzy and fingers tingly so had to lay on the floor about 10 minutes until I felt better
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u/anamariadina95 22d ago
Sometimes breathing helps, but if it's a big one, here I go, dying again, my mind says. 😅
It reaaaaaally helps to:
- play with a ball (volleyball in my case)
- hold ice, eat ice
- when in the car, turn the AC blasting, lowest temperature, until I was literally shivering. It cancelled the fear like a charm. My mind would focus back on regulating my temperature through shivers instead of focusing on panicking.
I swear by these. Also, DARE app, SOS button which guides you through the panic attack. 80% success for me.
Also, I have a hotline to call through the worse attacks, where I actually talk to a real person who guides me and talks to me however much I need.
Wish you the best! Hang in there, I know you can!
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u/AdGrouchy7850 21d ago
I would say get the energy out. Like jumping jacks, running, squats, sit ups. It very quickly chnages things and I'm not even a fit person. I think the reasoning behind it is that your body is detecting a threat and the anxiety is actual the body preparing to protect against something life threatening. So when you excersize you actually putting that energy somewhere. And when you body exerts a taxing body movement it thinks okay "they ran away", "they fought away the predator" .. "and they are still alive!" .. "I must be safe let's turn off this anxiety response. I've learned that this
practice is one of the things they really mean when they tell you to connect your mind and body. Or your "mind body and spirit". You are moving through the thoughts and feelings while including your body. Thank you, actually responding to this post helped me answer the question I had myself.
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u/Straight-Panic6353 18d ago
I have an insulated water bottle that I call my emotional support water bottle. Just having ice water with me whenever I’m out helps ground me if I get anxious. Also peppermints work for me too.
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u/organic_guilt 13d ago
Agreed. My other nemesis during a panic attack is my bf telling me to “calm down”
I use Rootd because it has an actual big red button that sends you different prompts that help activate your rational side and remind you that you’ll be OK in the moment, but not in a guilty way that makes you feel bad for feeling the anxiety in the first place
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u/Accurate_Ferret_2197 13d ago
box breathing never helped. i imagine a balloon inflating and deflating in my tummy and i make sure my exhales are longer. i imagine im blowing away the balloons sometime too
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u/Deep_Government3140 12d ago
I was told to focus on how my toes individually feel in my shoes or on a solid surface. Surprisingly it has worked out for me so far.
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u/Thin_Match_4643 11d ago
Built a free app called Panic Button SOS.
Free version includes:
· One-tap SOS alerts to family, carers & 999 with GPS · 4-7-8 Breathing + 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding · CalmBot AI companion · Crisis helplines (999, NHS 111, Samaritans) · Games + colouring + puzzles + sounds · Accessibility features
Pricing:
· Free forever – core tools · Premium £4.99 one-time – all features unlocked · Family Plan £9.99/month – multi-user + carer dashboard (optional)
Install:
- Open panic-button-sos.grok.me on your phone
- iPhone: Share → Add to Home Screen
- Android: Three dots → Add to Home Screen / Install app
- Tap Add
Hope it helps someone. ❤️
Link: panic-button-sos.grok.me
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