Coaching practices for What to Do During Panic
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For What to Do During Panic, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- The instant it hits in a store or a meeting, the only thought is get out now
- When a panic attack peaks, all the breathing and reasoning techniques I’ve learned just slip right through my fingers
- I’ve built up all these little rituals to get through it
- I try to white-knuckle through it by distracting myself or looking away from what my body’s doing, but the dread of the racing heart never actually gets disproven that way
- I always wait until I’m already in full panic to try to calm down, and by then it’s too far gone for anything to work
Practices that may help
- Stay in the situation for the full arc
Leave only after the attack has peaked and begun to subside — not in the middle, no matter how strong the urge.
Panic Surfing - Use the dive reflex as a first-response to panic
When panic peaks and cognitive tools fail, cold water on the face gives the body a hardwired override.
The Dive Reflex, Made Practical - Identify and reduce safety behaviors
Notice the things you do to prevent catastrophe during panic — and experiment with dropping them.
The Clark Panic Model, Made Practical - Use somatic tracking instead of distraction
Observe sensations with neutral curiosity rather than distracting from them — the curiosity interrupts the threat appraisal.
Panic Surfing - Panic Surfing
Panic surfing is the practice of allowing panic to peak and pass without fighting it, fleeing the situation, or using safety behaviors — based on the understanding that panic attacks are physiologically self-limiting and cannot escalate indefinitely. The approach is drawn from panic treatment research and from acceptance-based models; it is one of the most effective behavioral components of modern panic disorder treatment. - Use grounding before anxiety peaks, not after
Start the technique at the first sign of anxiety — not once the wave is overwhelming.
The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique - Generalize exposure to naturalistic triggers
Seek out real-world situations that naturally produce the sensations you have been practicing with.
Interoceptive Exposure for Panic - Allow the sensations instead of fighting them
Do not try to stop the racing heart, the dizziness, the breathlessness — allow them and observe.
Panic Surfing - Hyperventilation induction exercise
Breathe rapidly through the mouth for 60 seconds to produce dizziness and breathlessness — then stay with it.
Interoceptive Exposure for Panic - Interoceptive exposure: deliberately induce the feared sensations
Reproduce the physical sensations of panic in a safe, controlled way to break the sensation-fear link.
The Clark Panic Model, Made Practical
Related concerns
- How To Calm A Panic Attack
Observe sensations with neutral curiosity rather than distracting from them — the curiosity interrupts the threat appraisal.
Use somatic tracking instead of distraction
- How To Stop Panic Attacks
Observe sensations with neutral curiosity rather than distracting from them — the curiosity interrupts the threat appraisal.
- Prepare For Panic Attack
Leave only after the attack has peaked and begun to subside — not in the middle, no matter how strong the urge.
Stay in the situation for the full arc
- How To Control Anxiety Panic Attack
Start the technique at the first sign of anxiety — not once the wave is overwhelming.
Use grounding before anxiety peaks, not after
- How To Overcome Anxiety And Panic Attacks
Observe sensations with neutral curiosity rather than distracting from them — the curiosity interrupts the threat appraisal.
- How To Ride Out A Panic Attack
Panic surfing is the practice of allowing panic to peak and pass without fighting it, fleeing the situation, or using safety behaviors — based on the understanding that panic attacks are physiologically self-limiting and cannot escalate indefinitely. The approach is drawn from panic treatment research and from acceptance-based models; it is one of the most effective behavioral components of modern panic disorder treatment.
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