How to calm a panic attack: a steady UK guide for the next few minutes

If you are in crisis or feel unsafe, please call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option. Samaritans (116 123, free, 24/7) and Shout (text 85258) are always available.

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If you are reading this in the middle of a panic attack, the first thing worth saying is that you are going to be okay. Panic attacks are extremely unpleasant, but the NHS and Mind both confirm they are not physically dangerous. Your heart is not going to stop. You are not going to collapse. The sensations you are feeling are real, but the threat your body is responding to is a false alarm. It will ease. You just need a few minutes.

This article is about calming, not stopping. Trying to force a panic attack to end is part of what makes it worse. Calming is gentler. It is about taking some heat out of the alarm, giving your body somewhere safer to land, and waiting for the wave to pass on its own. That is what works.

The techniques here are drawn from NHS self-help guidance for panic and anxiety, NICE clinical guidance, Mind and Anxiety UK.

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What "calming" actually means in a panic attack

A panic attack is your nervous system firing its threat response when there is no real threat. The body floods with adrenaline. The heart speeds up, breathing speeds up, muscles tense, attention narrows. None of this is broken. It is your alarm system doing what it was built to do, just at the wrong time.

You cannot turn off adrenaline by deciding to. You can, however, do small things that nudge your nervous system in the other direction and stop you adding fuel to the fire. That is what calming a panic attack actually is. Not a magic switch. A series of small moves that make the next minute slightly easier than the last one.

If panic attacks are something that keep happening rather than a one-off, the longer-term work is covered in how to deal with panic attacks. This piece focuses on right now.

The calming sequence: body, then mind, then response

Most calming approaches work in this order, and most UK guidance from the NHS and Mind reflects this rough sequence.

First, give the body something physical to do that lowers arousal slightly. Second, give the mind somewhere to point that is not the panic. Third, change the way you are responding to the panic itself, because how you respond to it is part of what keeps it going.

You do not need to do all of this. Pick what helps. Calming is not a checklist.

1. Slow the out-breath

The single most useful physical thing you can do during a panic attack is slow your breathing, and specifically lengthen the out-breath. The NHS recommends slow controlled breathing as core self-help for panic and anxiety. Breathe in slowly through your nose, then breathe out more slowly through your mouth, making the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath. Do that for a few rounds.

You are not trying to feel relaxed. You are trying to send a quiet signal to your nervous system that nothing is on fire. A slower out-breath is one of the simplest ways to do that.

If breathing through the nose feels hard, breathing out gently through pursed lips, as if cooling a hot drink, is fine. Do not force the breaths to be deep. Slow and steady is the point, not big.

2. Anchor in your senses

Once the breath has steadied a little, give your attention something to do. Mind describes grounding techniques as a way of pulling attention back to the present when thoughts are spiralling.

A simple version: name five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, one thing you can taste. You can do it in your head or out loud. The point is not to perform it perfectly. The point is to give your attention a series of small, neutral tasks that are not the panic.

If five-four-three-two-one feels like too much to remember, simpler versions work. Just look around the room and slowly name the colour of three objects. Or press your feet firmly into the floor and notice what that feels like. Or hold something nearby and describe its texture to yourself in plain words. Anything that points your attention outwards rather than into the spiral.

3. Soften your body where you can

In a panic attack, the body braces. Shoulders rise, jaw clenches, hands grip. None of this needs to be fixed all at once, but a small softening can help.

Drop your shoulders by an inch. Let your jaw unclench. Open your hands if they are in fists. Sit down if you are standing and it is safe to do so. If you are already sitting, lean back slightly so your spine is supported. The aim is not to relax. It is to take a small piece of the physical tension out of the system so the next breath has somewhere to land.

If you can get cool air on your face, an open window, a fan, stepping outside for a minute, that is fine to do. Cool air can be steadying. The NHS covers fresh air and a brief change of environment in its broader anxiety self-help guidance.

4. Change how you are talking to the panic

This is the part most people miss, and it is the part that often makes the biggest difference over time.

When a panic attack hits, the natural inner voice is "this is awful, make it stop, what is wrong with me, I cannot cope". That voice is understandable, but it is also fuel. You are reacting to the alarm as if the alarm itself is dangerous, which keeps the alarm going.

The shift, which the NHS, Mind and Anxiety UK all describe in different words, is to acknowledge what is happening without fighting it. Something like: "this is a panic attack, it is uncomfortable but it is not dangerous, it will pass". You are not pretending you are fine. You are just letting the wave be there instead of bracing against it.

Fighting panic feeds it. Allowing it, while you breathe slowly and ground yourself, takes the fuel out.

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What not to do while you are trying to calm down

A few things tend to make panic attacks harder to ride out, and most are reasonable instincts that backfire.

Trying to escape the situation as fast as possible. The NHS notes that fleeing tends to reinforce the link between the place and the danger, which can make future attacks more likely in similar situations. If you can stay where you are for a few minutes, do.

Checking your pulse, your breathing, or symptoms repeatedly. Mind describes these as safety behaviours that keep attention locked on the body and tend to prolong the attack.

Trying to suppress the panic by force. Bracing, holding your breath, gritting your teeth. All of these tighten the system rather than calming it.

Telling yourself off for having the panic attack at all. Adding shame on top of panic just gives the brain more to react to.

After the wave has passed

Panic attacks are exhausting. Your body has just burned through a wave of adrenaline. Give yourself permission to feel wrung out for a few hours.

Drink some water. Eat something simple if you can. Avoid more caffeine for the rest of the day. The NHS recommends reducing caffeine as part of anxiety self-help, and the period straight after an attack is not the time for another coffee.

If you can step outside for a short walk, do. Movement helps shift the residue of adrenaline out of the body. If walking is not possible, just rest. You do not have to power on as if nothing happened.

When calming techniques are not enough

If panic attacks are happening regularly, if the dread of the next one is always with you, or if you are starting to avoid places or situations because of them, that is worth taking to your GP. Recurring panic is one of the most treatable anxiety conditions. NICE guideline CG113 recommends cognitive behavioural therapy as a core treatment for panic disorder.

In England, you can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies at nhs.uk/talk without going through your GP. Waits vary widely. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the GP route is the standard one. For urgent mental health support, NHS 111 has a mental health option available 24/7.

If you want shorter-term, lower-commitment support while you decide what to do, on-demand options like Wobble let you describe what is happening to a qualified UK therapist and get a personal video back, usually within hours.

Quick summary

You calm a panic attack by taking heat out of the system, not by forcing it to stop. Slow the out-breath. Anchor your attention in your senses. Soften the body a little. Change the inner voice from fighting the panic to allowing it. The wave will pass. Afterwards, hydrate, rest, and be kind to yourself. If panic attacks are becoming a pattern, your GP and NHS Talking Therapies are the proper next step.

For the in-the-moment guide written for the same situation from a slightly different angle, see how to stop a panic attack. For the longer view if this keeps happening, see how to deal with panic attacks.

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Sources and further reading

• NHS: Panic disorder overview and self-help (nhs.uk)
• NHS: Anxiety, fear and panic (nhs.uk)
• NHS: Every Mind Matters (nhs.uk/every-mind-matters)
• NICE Guideline CG113: Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults (nice.org.uk)
• NHS Talking Therapies self-referral (England): nhs.uk/talk
• Mind: Anxiety and panic attacks (mind.org.uk)
• Anxiety UK (anxietyuk.org.uk)
• Samaritans: 116 123 (samaritans.org)
• Shout: text 85258 (giveusashout.org)

This article is for information only and does not replace advice from a qualified medical professional. If you are unsure whether what you are experiencing is a panic attack, please speak to your GP or contact NHS 111. If you are in crisis, please call 999 or go to A&E.