Slow your breathing: in slowly through your nose, out slowly through your mouth, gently and steadily - fast shallow breathing feeds the dizziness and tingling.
Then remind yourself what this is: a panic attack peaks within minutes and eases within about 20 to 30 minutes; it is frightening but not dangerous. Grounding helps: name five things you see, four you can touch, three you can hear. Stay where you are and let it crest rather than fighting it. Recurring attacks, or avoiding places for fear of the next one, is treatable panic disorder - CBT works well. Caution: panic imitates heart problems, so first-time severe chest pain, or pain with sweating spreading to arm or jaw, gets checked medically. If you are struggling, call or text 988 (US) or your local crisis line. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can coach the breathing.
What to do
Common questions
How do you calm a panic attack?
In the moment, the single most useful thing is slowing your breathing. During a panic attack you tend to breathe fast and shallow, which drops carbon dioxide and feeds the dizziness, tingling, chest tightness, and choking feeling - so gently reverse it: breathe in slowly through your nose, breathe out slowly through your mouth, and focus on the word calm or count each breath. NHS guidance adds: remind yourself this is a panic attack - it is frightening but it is not dangerous, it will not harm you, and it will pass; panic attacks peak within minutes and ease within about 20 to 30 minutes. Grounding helps too: name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear - it pulls attention out of the spiral. Do not fight the wave or flee to a bathroom mirror to monitor yourself; stay where you are if you can and let it crest. Afterward, rest - attacks leave you drained. If attacks recur, or you start avoiding places for fear of the next one, that is treatable panic disorder - CBT works well. One caution: panic imitates heart problems, so first-time severe chest pain, or pain with sweating spreading to arm or jaw, gets medically checked, not assumed to be panic. If you are struggling, call or text 988 (US) or your local crisis line. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can coach the breathing in real time.