Panic attacks are sudden and unexpected. They can make you feel like your heart has stopped beating and there is no air left in the world. They are usually tied to anxiety and depression but can be experienced by individuals who have neither of those illnesses. In this article, we are going to discuss tips you can use to minimise the effects of a panic attack.

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1. Go to your safe space

Panic attacks occur mostly when you are exposed to an unsafe environment or scenario. This means that the danger that prompts the panic attack might be physical, mental or emotional. When this happens, you have to retreat to your safe space to calm down the attack. Like the danger, your safe space could be a physical place or a mental place. Your safe space is somewhere you are comfortable and at peace; and it could simply be reliving feelings of comfort and safety.

2. Do a sense test

When you’re having a panic attack, your mind is hyper-focused on the trigger or the thing that is bothering you. You can try to regain your composure by distracting from that trigger. One popular example of a distraction is a sense test. Here is a brief example: Look for five colours you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can taste, and one thing you can smell. When you start sensing and counting things, it provides a temporary distraction for you to let go of your trigger.

3. Have some lavender

Lavender has amazing health properties, including slowing your heart rate. To calm your panic attack, drip a few drops of lavender oil on a handkerchief and breathe deeply. You could even do yourself one better and get some lavender tea. The heat of the tea and the smell of the lavender calms your senses and lowers your blood pressure.

4. Do some breathing exercises

One of the symptoms of panic attacks is the inability to breathe properly. When you are having a panic attack, it is important to regain control of your breathing. Inhale deeply and exhale fully. There are a lot of breathing exercises that you could use to slow down your heart rate. Short breaths and palpitations feed off each other, so try and avoid them.

5. Take a beta-blocker

You can calm your panic attacks by literally taking a chill pill. Beta-blockers like Benzodiazepine work by blocking adrenaline, which is the fight or flight hormone. They prevent adrenaline from reaching the beta receptors of the heart. Beta-blockers do not treat the cause of the panic attack. They are only helpful in the short term.

Note that these are all a bunch of quick fixes. Therapy is required to know the conditions that prompt your panic attacks. Talk about your feelings often and with a professional therapist. It is only when you know the underlying factors and you get to the root of your anxiety or depression that you can begin to heal. Make your mental health a priority. Otherwise, you will be treating symptoms for a very long time