4 Strategies for Getting Through Panic Attacks and How to Help a Friend

1. Take preventative action

Sometimes panic comes from nowhere, but sometimes we can feel it building up. When we
feel it building we can take steps to prevent it, ideas to try include:
• Being open and honest with a trusted friend or colleague and asking for their
support preceding an attack
• Taking active measures to use calming and relaxation strategies to try to control the
underlying level of panic
• Identifying and talking through the underlying feelings and sources of panic
• Acknowledging that an attack may not be preventable and reminding yourself that if
it happens it will only last for a limited time and I will be okay
• Proactively considering where is the best place to be, and who is the best person to
be with if an attack takes grip

Useful things to say to a friend:

• I’m happy to listen if you’d like to talk about it
• Are you able to explain how you’re feeling?
• Is there anything I can do to help you feel calmer?
• Is there somewhere we can go that you’d feel more comfortable?
• Is there anything specific I can do to help you if you do have a panic attack?
• I’m here for you and will stay with you until these feelings pass
• You’re going to be okay, I’ll make sure you’re safe
• You’re being really brave
• Are you happy for me to be here or is there someone else you’d prefer?

2. Ride it out
If a panic attack sets in, there is little you can do except to ride it out. These attacks might
last anything from 5 minutes to an hour but they will not last forever. No matter how many
times you experience a panic attack, each time is completely unbearable, but remember –
you’ve got through it before, you’ll get through it again.

A good strategy can be to try to manage your panic one minute at a time. You only ever
need to get through the next minute. Focus on this and remember that with each passing
minute, you are a minute closer to the end of the attack. Your body is physiologically
incapable of maintaining a state of anxiety and panic indefinitely.

Useful things to say to a friend:

• This will pass
• This is horrible, but you’ve got through it before, you’ll get through it again
• You’re going to be okay
• I’m here. I’m staying with you
• You are safe
• Let’s focus on getting through the next sixty seconds
• Your body can’t sustain this indefinitely, it will pass
• We’re another minute closer to you feeling calmer again

www.pookyknightsmith.com | youtube.com/pookyh | @pookyh | pooky@inourhands.com

3. Stay grounded
For some people at their peak, panic attacks can give way to derealisation– a feeling of
losing grip of who and where you are. To try and prevent this and to try to take control of
panic more generally, it can be really useful to try and stay grounded and connected with
reality.

How to help a friend:

There are some general ways that people find helpful to prevent derealisation and
depersonalisation. You could encourage your friend to try these, they include:
• Touching something warm or cold and focusing on the warmth or cold
• Pinching yourself so that you feel how real you are
• Trying to find a single object and identifying what it is and what you know about it
• Counting something in the room. Identifying what they are
• Utilising your senses in any way possible.

4. Use relaxation techniques and skills

There are a range of skills we can employ to help us feel calmer and more relaxed. These
skills often work best if we practice them at times of calm so that we are better able to
access them at moments of panic.

Different things work for different people but useful relaxation and calming techniques
might include:
• Breathing techniques
• Listening to relaxing music
• Walking with purpose
• Guided meditation / mindfulness
• Muscle relaxation

How to help a friend

The most helpful way to help a friend is to talk to them at times other than those of high
anxiety and ask them to help you understand what tools and skills they have for managing
moments of high stress. They may be working with a professional to develop these skills via
CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) or DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy). During calmer
periods, ask your friend to explain these skills to you and discuss how you can help your
friend to utilise them during times of higher anxiety.

No matter how well your friend learns their skills, it is likely that during an anxiety attack
they may forget to use them or may struggle to employ them. With a good knowledge of
the basics, you’ll be well placed to support and you may find the new skills you learn useful
too.

www.pookyknightsmith.com | youtube.com/pookyh | @pookyh | pooky@inourhands.com