5 Tips for Coping with Panic Attacks: Insights from a Calgary Psychologist

Understanding Panic Attacks

Panic attacks involve your body entering an intense state of physiological arousal, which results in extreme physical sensations in response to no real danger or cause. They can be extremely distressing and often happen out of the blue, without warning. Symptoms of a panic attack can include:

• Heart palpitations or an excessively fast heart rate

• Sweating

• Dizziness

• Shortness of Breath

• Shaking/Trembling

• Feeling of impending doom

• Chest Pain

• Nausea

• Tightness in your throat

• Fear of dying or losing control

The good news is, panic attacks typically don't last too long. They usually peak within 10 minutes. However, every second that you can spend NOT having a panic attack will be a better second spent for your mental health.

How Grounding and Deep Breathing Can Help in Coping with Panic Attacks

Grounding skills are strategies that can be used to direct your attention to the present moment. When you engage in the world around you during a panic attack, you are taking your attention away from any thoughts or memories (either unconscious or conscious) that may be signalling that you are in danger.

When you are in fight or flight mode during a panic attack, your sympathetic nervous system is activated. Grounding techniques and deep breathing will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which will soothe the sympathetic nervous system. This results in feelings of calm.

As a Calgary psychologist, I've helped many individuals find ways to cope with and stop panic attacks in their tracks. Below are some grounding and deep breathing skills that may help if you've ever had the thought, "how to stop panic attacks?"

Tip #1: Engage the 5 Senses

Focus on your surroundings, name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

Tip #2: Practice Box Breathing

Deep breathing exercises are a cornerstone of anxiety support. Inhale slowly through your nose to the count of 5, hold to the count of 5, exhale slowly to the count of 5, hold to the count of 5, then repeat as needed. This helps to calm your nervous system and reduce the intensity of panic symptoms.

Tip #3: Try the Rainbow Grounding Technique

Look around the room and identify something of every colour of the rainbow. As a refresher: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue Indigo, and Violet. Once you've identified all of those colours, try finding others.

Tip #4: Do the Physiological Sigh

The Huberman Lab introduced the physiological sigh as a way to calm your nervous system when it is in a state of hyper arousal. Inhale through your nose to the count of 5 and then exhale slowly to the count of 7. The key with this strategy is to exhale for longer than you inhale, the number count does not matter.

Tip #5: Grounding with the Four Elements

Practice grounding with the four elements: ground, air, water, and fire.

• Ground: notice how your feet feel against the floor; the hardness or softness of the flooring or carpet; press your feet into the floor and notice what happens.

• Air: practice one of the deep breathing exercises above.

• Water: anxiety typically makes our mouth dry, so grab a glass of water and take a sip (or think of a delicious meal to activate saliva). This will activate your parasympathetic nervous system.

• Fire: rub your hands together really fast to create friction, then hold your hands up to your cheeks and notice the warmth coming from them and how it feels against your skin.

Remember, coping with anxiety and panic attacks is a journey. These tips are meant to provide immediate relief, but long-term management often requires a comprehensive approach, including lifestyle changes and seeking professional support. Tri Lotus Psychotherapy offers support for anxiety and panic attacks in-person in Calgary and online throughout Alberta. Complimentary introductory calls are available for all new clients prior to booking a first appointment to discuss your counselling needs and answer any questions you may have.