Guide · anxiety · 3 min read
Breathing exercises that help during panic — the basics, done properly, if you are doing this in the middle of the day
Deep breathing is the wrong advice during panic. What helps is a longer exhale and something concrete to count.
Start here
Most of the usual advice misses the point. What follows is the version that survives contact with a real week.
Midday is an underrated time for this.
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
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.
Do not wait until the peak to practise. Doing four rounds on a normal afternoon is what makes it available at the peak.
A physiological sigh — one inhale, a second short sip of air on top, then a long release through the mouth — often works in one or two rounds.
What to do when it does not work
Count out loud if you can. Speaking forces a slower, more normal breathing pattern than thinking does.
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.
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.
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.
Does this replace treatment?
No. Breathing exercises are a coping tool. Panic disorder responds well to CBT and, in some cases, medication. Talk to a professional.
Written for people who want the practical version. No accounts, no tracking, no newsletter wall.
If this is not the angle you need, try What to do when you wake at 3am — a realistic guide, when you are not sure this will work, Releasing tension you did not notice you were holding — the unglamorous version, if you have five quiet minutes or Ten minutes outside is not a wellness cliché — a realistic guide, if you are tired of apps.