Every panic attack ends. We can all agree that, regardless of how we react or respond, every panic attack we’ve ever had has reached its natural conclusion. When a person experiences that combination of mental discomfort, unpleasant thoughts, and variety of unpleasant physical sensations, otherwise known as a panic attack, they most likely become afraid and naturally begin to struggle against the symptoms. It is in the moment when a person engages in a struggle with their fear that they often get stuck. A critical starting point to managing a panic attack is to recognize that the common instinct to oppose the panic attack symptoms is almost inevitably one that actually increases anxiety.
Read more: Understanding and Coping with Anxiety
Examples of struggling against a panic attack are: locking your muscles when you should relax; holding your breath or breathing only into your upper chest when it would benefit you inhale and exhale more deeply into your diaphragm; and wanting to escape when the most helpful intervention would be to get present and observe the experience. A simple and effective way to organize your response to the onset of a panic attack is coming from Dr. David Carbonell’s five-step process he sums up in his book Panic Attacks Workbook using the acronym AWARE.
Step 1: Acknowledge and Accept
Recognize that I am starting to have a panic attack with the acknowledgment that this is my present reality. I’m not going to try to ignore it or distract myself. Accept that I will work with the present moment as it is. I will work with my emotions and experience these sensations instead of fighting them.
Step 2: Wait and Watch
Wait there, have the feelings, work with it, resist the urge to run away. Give the panic a chance to run its course. Watch. Become an observer of your experience of having a panic attack, notice what your thoughts are, notice what you feel in your body. The more fully you are in the mindset of the observer, the less likely you are to feel victimized by the experience. Use Dr. Carbonell’s questionnaire while experiencing a panic attack to become a better observer and take notes on your panic.
Step 3: Action
You’ve now bought yourself some time and set the stage for taking effective action. Remember that your job during a panic attack is not to save or rescue yourself, it is to take action to make yourself more comfortable while you wait for it to end. In addition to engaging in breath work and taking your notes on what you are observing in the moment, now is the time to re-engage with your surroundings and resume whatever activity that may have been interrupted by your panic symptoms. Remember, there is nothing you have to do to make yourself any safer because you are already safe.
Step 4: Repeat
You might start going through the steps and begin to feel better only to experience another wave of panic. Remember that this does not mean your intervention has failed; it is okay if you need to repeat the steps more than once before the experience has reached it’s full conclusion.
Step 5: End
Remember, your panic attack will end regardless of what you do. Whether or not you react in a way that promotes or prolongs your anxiety, the panic attack will end. It will also end if you respond mindfully and reduce your distress levels.
Panic attacks can be frightening and distressing experiences that can lead a person to limit themselves in important aspects of their daily lives. By using cognitive behavioral approaches like the AWARE method, you can learn to slow yourself down and respond to your next experience of panic mindfully, leading you toward a felt sense of control and safety.
Read more: Understanding Your Body’s Response
What are some of the ways you deal with panic attacks?
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5 comments
This is a great post, Peter! Having a panic attack can be a frightening experience and these tips offer a good road map of how to navigate through and get back to a calmer place. I especially appreciate you acknowledging that every panic attack ends, whether you are able to follow these steps or not. Thanks for writing this important post!
This is a great and useful post for how to deal with panic attacks. I love how you emphasize acceptance and curiosity as helpful attitudes while experiencing a panic attack. For me, maintaining a curious stance often makes a big difference when I’m dealing with any type of anxiety or distress. Thank you, Peter!
Great post, Peter! Panic attacks are frightening! I really appreciate the concept of acknowledging and accepting as I believe that one of the main causes of suffering is attempting to resist the things we don’t want to feel. For me, when I am emotionally unregulated I try to focus on deep breathing techniques.
I love how you created clear steps to follow in case of a panic attack. I specifically really appreciate step 2 ‘Wait and Watch’. It’s so important to stop and notice our thoughts and senses. It can help us make sense of the experience and make it less frightening.
This is such a great blog, Peter! These concrete steps are incredibly helpful. I will definitely be sharing this post with clients struggling with panic attacks. It’s such an important reminder that they always end.