Panic Attack Talk Down To Help Deescalate And Feel Better

This is another panic attack talk down in case you want another video on hand during a scary episode. This is a reassuring talk through to help deescalate panic and help you feel better quickly. This audio is meant only to be a support. It is important to also seek help from a trained therapist who can help you build resilience to emotional distress.

Transcript

Hi,

This is Joanne,

And you may have come across this video because you're having a panic attack.

You may be experiencing some symptoms and sensations that are making you think that there is something wrong,

That you're losing control,

Or that something really bad is going to happen.

You may even be thinking that you're having a heart attack or that you're going to die.

And yes,

This can all be very scary,

Especially if this came out of nowhere.

But stay with me,

Okay?

And maybe I can try to help you ride this out.

I've had many panic attacks myself,

And I totally understand how freaked out you may be feeling right now.

Some of my worst panic attacks were when I really didn't know what was happening to me and why I was feeling so weird.

Sometimes just having a better understanding of what may be happening inside your body right now can help de-escalate this panic feeling.

As humans,

We're hardwired to survive.

That's why we still exist after all these thousands of years.

We have an alarm system hardwired within us to help keep us safe.

It's known as the fight or flight response,

Or the stress response.

You may have heard of it.

And sometimes it can get activated even though we're not in any real danger.

Sometimes our thoughts make us believe that we're in danger.

And because our minds are so powerful,

Our body will respond to try to keep us safe,

Regardless of whether the danger is real or just perceived.

So basically,

A panic attack is a false alarm.

We've all experienced false fire alarms.

It happens sometimes.

So this is the same for panic attacks.

Once the alarm gets triggered,

There's a series of physiological reactions that take place to help keep us safe.

So that's why your heart may be racing really fast or beating really hard right now.

Your mouth may feel really dry.

You may feel like you can't catch your breath or take a deep breath.

You may have some numbness or tingling in some parts of your body.

You may feel sick to your stomach.

Or your muscles may feel really tense.

You may even have some chest pain,

Which can be really scary.

You might feel cold or shaky.

Or you may have that feeling that you might pass out.

When I get a panic attack,

A strong feeling of impending doom comes over me like a tidal wave and it feels so unbearable.

I begin to pace and I panic and I feel claustrophobic and I can't have anyone touch me.

I have to get outside as soon as possible and feel the air on me.

And it just feels so awful and scary.

I hope me listing some of these symptoms isn't making you feel worse.

My intention is to help reassure you that everything you're experiencing right now is perfectly normal.

And hopefully just knowing that can help de-escalate whatever you're experiencing.

So when the panic alarm is triggered,

Adrenaline immediately flows through your bloodstream and a series of physical reactions take place to help keep you safe.

Your body doesn't know the difference between a real threat or one that's imagined,

So it will release stress hormones regardless of whether the danger is real or just perceived.

But this is a good thing because you know that your body is actually doing what it's supposed to do.

Unfortunately when there's no real danger,

All of these physical reactions that take place feel very unpleasant and it can be very scary.

Once adrenaline gets mobilized,

There really isn't anything we can do to stop it.

It has to run its course and slowly but surely these unpleasant sensations will begin to fade away.

I promise.

The reason I can say this with certainty is that our body is not wired to sustain this heightened state indefinitely.

It's not physiologically possible.

Eventually all of the stress hormones and the adrenaline that's been released will eventually run out and you will begin to feel better.

The good news is that there's another response that we have hardwired within us and that's the relaxation response.

Once the adrenaline begins to run out,

Things will start to slow down again.

Your relaxation response will kick in and you'll begin to feel much more relaxed.

This is when your body returns back to balance.

Your heart naturally slows down.

Your breathing is easy and effortless.

Your muscles soften and release and a feeling of calmness naturally expands and you feel peaceful and calm again.

You may not be able to stop the fight or flight response once it's triggered but you can slow it down and activate your relaxation response.

So let's try this together now.

If your breathing isn't too uncomfortable right now and only if you're able to,

See if you can take one slow deep breath with me,

Okay?

So when you're ready,

Breathe into a comfortable fullness,

Hold briefly,

And now sigh it out.

That's it.

Good job.

Just by taking one deep breath,

Things naturally will begin to slow down.

So if it feels okay for you,

We can do a couple more together.

This will help send a message letting your brain know that everything is okay and that it's safe to relax.

You ready?

Okay.

Breathe in,

Hold,

And sigh it out.

Good.

You're doing amazing.

Now one last time,

Okay?

Breathe in,

Hold,

And breathe out.

Good job.

Your body naturally returns back to balance.

A feeling of relaxation begins to spread and grow stronger.

And little by little,

You begin to feel better and better.

Now feel the surface beneath you.

Whether a chair or the bed or the floor.

Just feel the weight of your body being held and supported by this surface.

Becoming aware of the sensation of your body helps to ground you.

Sometimes things feel surreal during a panic attack.

It can feel like you're not in your body.

Everything is so heightened and it feels like you're disassociating from reality.

And so we need to feel grounded in our body to help bring us back to reality and to the present moment.

So feel your feet.

Feel your legs.

Feel your hands.

Your arms.

Feel the movement of your breath.

Feel the sensation of your back.

Your shoulders.

Your neck.

Feel your face.

Your jaw.

Your cheeks.

Eyes.

And forehead.

And now see if you can sense your entire body as a whole on this surface that you're sitting,

Standing or lying on.

Good.

Now take a look around you.

Notice some of the things in your environment.

You are safe and everything will be okay.

Now let's squeeze away any remaining adrenaline out of your body to help you feel even better.

So go ahead now and squeeze both hands into fists.

And as you squeeze,

Imagine those stress hormones and all the adrenaline flow up from your legs,

Through the torso,

Up through the chest,

Across your shoulders,

And down,

Down,

All the way down your arms and into your fists.

Squeeze,

Get every drop into those fists,

Tighter and tighter.

And now let go.

Good.

Just let your hands relax.

Feel the relaxation spread through the palms of your hands and into your fingers.

Perhaps you may notice a feeling of warmth and tingling.

Perhaps your hands are feeling a little more heavy and relaxed now.

And allow that relaxation feeling to spread out through the rest of your body.

Let it spread out through your arms and legs.

Let it spread through the torso and your back,

Across the shoulders and into your neck.

And let it spread over your face.

Feel those lines of tension in the forehead,

Brow and eyes soften and relax.

And if you need to do this technique a few more times,

Then feel free to do so.

Know that each time you do,

You're helping your relaxation response gain momentum to override the adrenaline,

And you will feel better and better.

In fact,

From now on,

If you ever begin to feel anxious again,

All you have to do is make a tight fist in each of your hands and then squeeze tight.

And as you let go,

You automatically feel better.

Because you sent a message to your brain letting it know that it's safe to relax.

And you naturally feel better because you have control.

You're always in control.

Even when you think you aren't.

Because you know that panic attacks are not harmful.

Yes,

They are unpleasant,

But there is no real danger.

You know that your body is giving you a false alarm.

You can accept this when it happens.

Because you know that these unpleasant feelings won't last.

You have the ability to help yourself feel better.

Here are some of the things that you can do to help you feel better.

You can take a drink of cold water.

This helps calm the nervous system down and it helps to ground you back into your body and into the present moment.

You can go for a brisk walk or do a few flights of stairs to help discharge the adrenaline more quickly from your system.

You can name out loud all the sensations that you're feeling.

This actually helps to externalize what you're feeling because you're not your panic attack.

You are separate from it.

You are simply having an experience of a false alarm.

Another thing you can do is look around you and name out loud five things that are the color blue or red or whatever color you choose.

Or you can say out loud five sounds that you hear.

All of these things can help you get back into your body and into the present moment.

They help stop the anxiety circuit so you can feel better more quickly.

There is one more thing that can be really helpful.

You can always get professional support from a trained therapist or even just talking to your family doctor.

They can help support you and help you cultivate resilience to emotional distress.

So if you're not getting any support right now,

Maybe you can give this some thought.

My friend,

I hope you are starting to feel better.

You are so brave and I am so proud of you for working through this with me.

And even if you aren't feeling 100% yet,

No worries,

Okay?

You'll get there.

Try not to resist what's happening.

Just let it move through you.

And everything will be okay.

And if you have to,

You can watch this over and over again or you can listen to my other panic attack talk down.

I'll leave the link in the video description down below.

So for now,

My friend,

Take good care and be well.

Reviews

Very calming, instructive, and gentle talking down for those in need of immediate relief. Was so helpful for me today 🙏🏻

Exactly what I needed to calm down and ease my panic attack. From the gentle voice to the guidance, I felt that I can really do this. Thank you 🤍

Ooft that was really good, very reassuring. Thankyou.

It has helped a lot to calm my attack. Unfortunately, at the beginning, the long list of possible symptoms started to trigger me again, and by suggestion felt symptoms I didn't have. But all the rest was exactly what I needed. The personal experience by the teacher of panic attack put me in confidence immediately. Thank you

Beautiful! 🤗
I know I’ll get through it, but the worst fear is of it coming back over & over 😩
I have a wonderful therapist, and I know I’ll “get there” eventually, but it can be exhausting waiting for the brain to make new receptors to replace the old thought patterns so deeply set from such a young age, I won’t fail, because I refuse to give up 💪🏼
Best thing I’ve done yet is to get out of my own way!

Thank you so much! This video helped me so much! ❤️

Hi. You described all the symptoms i get since a kid when i get panic attacks. Ur audio is helpful. Thank You.

Thank you so much for these 15 minutes. Feeling better now :)

Love your voice and listening to you. I have more than 20 panic attacks a day so thank you so very much. With love 💕

This… this!!! Absolutely perfect for helping me calm down. I love all of your talks. Such a soothing voice.

It was perfect. I started crying near the end just to get all the stress out . You have no clue how helpful this 17 min session is. Thank you. 💕

Amazing. I personally do not experience panic attacks but I do have high anxiety moments from health issues. This will help me help some of my family who do get panic attacks. So informative. I learned so much from you on this difficult experience that happens to us. Thank you so very much. I look forward to listening to you often and sharing your gift of calm.