Help?

I am currently having a really bad panic attack, can someone help?

Try to regulate your breathing Nikole! Ground yourself, feel your feet on the floor, close your eyes and remind yourself that you are in a safe environment and you are okay (assuming that you are). I'm not an expert but I'm conscious that no one else has responded and these things tend to help me a bit!

I agree with ConfusedShoes...If you have a small brown bag, try to breathe in and out of it as easy as you can manage to..Try also breathing through your nose with your mouth closed, and exhale slowly with your mouth open, without the bag...This always helps me..I do hope this helps you as well...

Thank you guys (:
The only problem is that I'm not consistent with the breathing techniques. I inhale and exhale about three times but then I stop and my breathing gets one step behind again. I don't know how to focus on my breathing and only my breathing. . .
My panic attack did decrease a little from the couple of breathing techniques I did use. . .but it's starting to come back.

You're welcome..I just wish that you could control your breathing to get rid of the PA altogether..I know what they are like, believe me......♥

Please I hope you're feeling better now!!

I can't seem to achieve the breathing technique either. For me the issue is focusing on my breath when feeling like I am suffocating in the worst symptom. Suppose we need more practice.

I had one therapist describe, visualization of colors as an added breathing technique. Envision warm, pleasant colors as you breathe in, and cold, darker colors as you breathe out. You'd be less focused on the actual process of breathing and keeping your mind focused on color imagery will distract you.

Are you currently in therapy, and do you have a pdoc, to turn to, in case this is something beyond your control?

That sounds like excellent advice!!! I will practice it tonight.

I know that the deep breathing has physiological benefits, but the psychological challenge keeps me from getting there. So colors....those sound nice.

My therapist taught me square breathing and she suggested starting at the first symptom of panic. If you can remember what symptom you usually get first it makes it easier to try to remedy the attack before it gets so bad. Square breathing is that you imagine a square in your chest and every time you inhale you blow your chest out and fill the square with air and every time you exhale you suck in and release the air from the square. Its hard at first so practice when you are not experiencing an attack. Once you get it down you may realize its pretty effective deep breathing.

Thanks, I tried the color thing last night and it worked! Thanks so much, good luck <333