this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2025
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Not all that surprised. I've prevented people from having panic attacks by intensely massaging the palm of their hand. They usually wonder WTF I'm doing - but seriously, it works.
You can also just pinch a pressure point between their thumb and index finger
"Want me to show you a little trick to take your mind off that pain?"
-- Major Payne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMUugiSPhmo&t=0
I'm still offering that one regularly to my niece and nephew. They have never taken me up on it SO FAR.
Are there any other tricks you can share to help with this? I had one while driving on the highway the other day and had to get off, park, and try to calm myself down. No idea what caused it.
If you mean what you can do to prevent your own panic attacks - I know of a number of people who have massage rings (aka therapy rings) and massage balls. When they feel a panic attack coming, they will use them by for example squeezing the massage ball pretty hard so it causes a slight amount of pain, and that has a similar effect. As @tomenzgg@midwest.social mentioned, the goal is to shift your attention from the panic attack.
Also, since panic attacks are often coupled with hyperventilation, the breathing into a bag trick isn't some TV trope, it actually works. I had to drive a friend of mine to the hospital for a severe panic attack and they did the bag thing, and I was blown away by how quickly she stopped hyperventilating and calmed down.
The reason both of these work is because they shift your senses to focusing on something, thereby rerooting your brain in being conscious of the fact that you're materially in the world (there's probably a more normal way to phrase that but hopefully it makes sense).
Your brain's trying to focus on the panic so these things give it something else to focus on, thereby interrupting your brain, if that makes more sense.
That's why another common recommendation is popping in a Warhead; the extreme sour has the same effects as the lemon.
Another common recommendation is rubbing your hands on a textured surface so that you can focus on the texture (bit of sandpaper might work (so long as you mind how roughly you're rubbing); bit of corduroy, maybe). That one's doing the same thing that
unknownuserunknownlocationis doing because it's providing a texture or sensation for you to focus on.Unfortunately, panic attacks can mimic heart attack symptoms (such as numbness or struggling to breath) but I usually focus on intaking breath. I figure, – if I can reasonably take in a full lungful of air and release it – then things can't be as bad as my brain is trying to tell me. Deep and slow breathing, in general, is also a common recommendation.