It can be extremely difficult to stop panic attacks once they’ve started, but there are 3 quick tips that I’d like to share with you that work wonders at stopping a full blown panic attack.
The first of the 3 methods to stop panic attacks is to simply use a paper bag.
I recommend having paper bags with you wherever you go, and to also leave them lying around anywhere you might happen to be, such as your house or your place of employment. When you feel an attack is on the way, you’re just going to alternate your breathing between the paper bag and your normal breathing – about 30 seconds of each.
It’s become a cliche to offer a paper bag to someone having a panic attack, but like most cliches, it’s based in truth. And paper bag breathing really does work to stop panic attacks fast.
The second tip I’ve called “Don’t Suffer In Silence.”
When you’re having a panic attack, put the TV or radio on. Or play music through speakers or headphones.
Having sound destractions like this will help you to feel grounded during attacks, because it’s extremely easy to feel detached and like you’re losing control anytime you’re experiencing extreme anxiety.
If you also experience depersonalization with your anxiety, then you’ll find that this tip helps with that too.
#3. Reassure Yourself Out Loud:
I made the mistake of only reassuring myself “in my head” when I wanted to stop panic attacks, which is completely ineffective. Something very different happens when you hear your own voice. The reassurance is much more “real.”
Thoughts that stay completely in your head rarely help in reducing anxiety or panic attacks. And in some cases, internal thoughts can even make your anxiety worse.
Thoughts that you turn into out loud statements have more power and you’ll find that your natural instinct to panic is greatly reduced when you hear yourself being reassuring.
So from now on, when you have a panic attack, talk to yourself out loud. Firmly tell yourself that you’re okay, you’ve experienced all this before, and that you know the attack will quickly pass and leave you fine again.
Here’s a 4th bonus tip for you:
The next time you have a panic attack, wait for it to pass then take a few seconds to write down all you can remember about it – what you thought during the attack, how you felt, and so on. You might find it quicker to use a voice recorder for this.
If you do this a few times, you’ll soon realize that your attacks are all very similar, and all follow the same patterns.
And this is great, because once you know your patterns you’ll know what’s going to happen in all future panic attacks even before they strike.
You might be asking why this is so important. Well, it’s because you take the mystery away from your anxiety. The mystery is what causes a lot of the fear, and by taking it away you rob your attacks of a lot of the power they have over you.
And with your written or recorded “panic notes” with you, you’ll stop one of your anxiety’s most potent power sources dead in its tracks.
This idea of making notes and recordings and then referring to them during an attack is an incredibly powerful way to stop panic attacks, so I really hope you give it a try.