Originally Posted by
Carys
Stand there and say it out loud, to help manage the panic. Feel your heart race and say OUT LOUD, and repeat as often as necessary sentences that are designed to self-reassure, 'my heart is racing due to adrenaline, it will slow down over time, it won't kill me and I've felt this before'. During my past worst panic attacks I have had my heart at 160 bpm and sat on the stairs/been pacing around repeating over and over with my eyes closed sentences that self-reassured. Have the sentences/phrases ready - 'its just a panic attack, very soon it will slow down, this is the speed of someone doing exercise only and it won't harm me'. AS it starts to come back down you can then repeat sentences to reenforce like 'There we go, just as I expected....starting to sort out'. This takes sustained practice, real belief in the words you are saying.
Or you could try - Sit somewhere comfortable, on your own, close your eyes....put your hand on your stomach and feel your breathing as your stomach rises and falls. COncentrate on that, make it slow and steady, feel the rise and fall. Really concentrate, this takes practice, to remove your thoughts from your heart and back onto a kind of mindfulness of the here and now. AS yoy relax, no matter how long this takes, your heart rate WILL reduce.