9 Ways To Stop A Panic Attack If You Feel Like You're About To Have One

When you are overwhelmed and panicked, shutting your eyes can help you stay grounded. "If you’re able to, close your eyes," licensed psychologist Deborah E. Dyer, Ph.D., tells Bustle. "Reduce the amount of external stimulation you are subject to. Being able to close your eyes creates a sense of calm and control when the environment feels out of control."

Everyone has heard the advice "breathe" when it comes to panic attacks, but it's more important to focus on slowing your breath than just breathing altogether. "During panic, most people try to gasp for air, as panic fools you into thinking you can’t breathe...so you try to inhale more air quickly to increase your oxygen," clinical psychologist Jennifer Sweeton, Psy.D., M.S., M.A. tells Bustle. "But what most people don’t know is that reduced oxygen isn’t what causes hyperventilation and panic symptoms. Thus, you don’t need to emphasize fast, intense inhalation.

What causes the sensations of panic is actually a reduced level of carbon dioxide in the blood that occurs with hyperventilation. To counteract this, slow your breathing when you feel the early signs of panic. "Breathe just through your nose, inhale for a count of four, and then exhale slowly for a count of six," Sweeton says. "Repeat this for several breaths, focusing on the numbers."

Another way to ground yourself is to find something you find beautiful — or even something neutral — and shift your gaze to it. "While breathing as deeply and evenly as possible, simply let your gaze soften and notice small details in that which you are gazing at," Dodgen-Magee says. "Practice looking for small details, then zooming your attention out and looking at the entire space."

Get some energy out by engaging in physical moment. "Do a few jumping jacks or push ups," Dr. Dodgen-Magee says. "If you have a jump rope, jump a bit. Swing your arms around or, literally, shake your entire body as if shaking off the anxiety. After releasing this energy, see if you can’t pull breath a little more deeply into the lower parts of your lungs."

If you feel the early signs of panic, you can encourage your body to relax by engaging in a relaxation exercise, which can help reverse the stress response in your body and brain. "Tense all of your muscles and then, very slowly, imagine your body becoming warm and heavy from your toes to your head," Dr. Dodgen-Magee says. "You can also tense each muscle group in succession from feet to head, relaxing each one after five to ten seconds of tension. As you relax, work to feel your body as warm and heavy."

A large reason that panic can escalate so fast is that people misinterpret the physical sensations of panic as dangerous or signs that they are dying. Although these symptoms are no doubt distressing, they are not dangerous, but it’s the interpretation of those sensations as being dangerous that increases the panic.

"It can be helpful for people to repeat alternative interpretations while in the middle of panic, such as 'This is not dangerous. This is not dangerous. This is just a feeling of anxiety and I will be fine,'" Dr. Sweeton says. "Because it can be difficult to remember these alternative thoughts in the middle of a panic attack, some of my clients write down these soothing, more realistic panic interpretations and carry the piece of paper (or note on their phone) with them so that they can refer back to it when feeling panicked."

If you feel a panic attack coming on, repeat an affirmation or a calming sentence or song lyric. "Using a soothing and repetitive phrase can break the cycle of rumination," licensed therapist Claire Bidwell Smith, tells Bustle. "This replaces the anxious thought with one that sends a message to the brain to restore the autonomic nervous system to a more serene state."

Changing up your environment can help you calm down. "If you are outside, go inside and find a comforting environment," Smith says. "Or if you are inside, go outside for a calming walk. Changing your environment will distract your brain and also provide a different sense of security and groundedness."

When you're in the midst of panic, it can be hard to remember these techniques. But by practicing them when you're calm, you can ingrain it into your memory, so it's easier to put into practice when you feel a panic attack coming on. "Just as with our muscles and physical abilities, our ability to soothe ourselves requires practice," Dr. Dodgen-Magee says. "Build five to ten minutes of self-soothing practice into every single day and don’t forego it."

Keep these techniques in mind, and they will leave you feeling capable when the time comes to manage a panic attack.