Guide · anxiety · 3 min read
Breathing exercises that help during panic, in plain terms, when you are on your own
Deep breathing is the wrong advice during panic. What helps is a longer exhale and something concrete to count.
Start here
Here is what tends to work, in the order that helps most.
Being on your own is not required, but it does make this simpler.
If you only do one thing from this page, do the first point below. It is first because it removes the most friction for the least effort.
What helps
Do not try to take a big breath in. During panic you are often already over-breathing, and a deep inhale can make the dizziness worse.
Put one hand on your ribs and one on your belly so you can feel which one is moving. This gives your attention a job that is not "am I dying".
Cool your face. Cold water on the wrists and the back of the neck is a physical signal that has nothing to do with thinking your way out.
What to do when it does not work
Do not wait until the peak to practise. Doing four rounds on a normal afternoon is what makes it available at the peak.
Make the out-breath longer than the in-breath. Four in, six or eight out is enough. The exhale is the part that shifts things.
Count out loud if you can. Speaking forces a slower, more normal breathing pattern than thinking does.
Questions people ask
What if I feel more dizzy?
Stop and breathe normally. Dizziness during breathing exercises usually means you are breathing too hard or holding too long.
Written for people who want the practical version. No accounts, no tracking, no newsletter wall.
If this is not the angle you need, try Preparing for a conversation you are dreading — a plain-language guide, when you cannot concentrate on anything else, Waking up anxious for no obvious reason, in the order that helps, when the day has been loud or Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché, if you are doing this in the middle of the day.