12 Essentials For Your Panic Attack Survival Kit

We have talked a lot about anxiety and how difficult it can be. Anxiety can transform a confident, highly-functional person into someone who doubts their abilities, worth, relationships, and other aspects of their life.

Please do not feel as though, if you are experiencing this, you are going to feel this way forever.

There are answers to managing anxiety and panic attacks. If you have symptoms consistent with panic attacks, such as losing your breath, having a racing heart, sweating palms, and other symptoms, it may be beneficial to have a survival kit.

Much like we have an emergency kit in our cars containing jumper cables and maybe food and water, we should have panic attack survival kits as well.

Here are a few thoughts about what you could include in yours:

Your Medications

If you commonly experience anxiety and panic attacks, you may be prescribed an as-needed anti-anxiety medication to take (or you may choose to use natural products instead).

It is helpful to make sure that you are carrying it on your person because we never know when anxiety may arise and we may want to take it.

Please note that it is important to take medications only with the support of a professional prescriber.

Your Crisis Plan

In addition to medications, if you commonly have panic attacks, you may have already developed a crisis plan for when you have a panic attack.This could include written down steps for how to navigate your anxiety crisis.

Be sure to follow the steps that you have identified for yourself even though it may be difficult in the moment to do so.

Do not forget to put crisis numbers on the plan if you have tried everything you can to self-soothe and are unable to do so.

If you have a therapist, it may be really helpful to connect with them when you are having panic. They can help walk you through the panic or remind you of how to use your crisis plan.

Water

When the body is hydrated, it is less likely to feel biological stress. Having water on you and drinking it can calm some of the physiological responses to panic attacks that are occurring in the body. It may also help you to breathe easier.

It always seems to us like water can be the in-the-moment cure all.

Your Favorite Snack

Having your favorite snack on you can be very calming. For a friend of mine, it is peanut butter – she absolutely loves peanut butter!

Whatever it is that you prefer is okay, but if it is candy or cookies, try to eat them in moderation.

There seems to be something about giving your body something it enjoys that can help soothe the anxiety or panic.

A Fidget Toy

I’m sure you’ve been following the fidget spinner craze the last few years. It seems like last year they were everywhere.

Adults love fidget toys to help them stay calm and grounded. Observing a continuous motion such as a slinky, spinner, or block building can reduce the anxiety.

Additionally, building something tactile can be really helpful. This could also be why adults love coloring books when they are having panic attacks.

Whatever the toy is that you prefer is fine, as long as you have access to it.

Headphones

Often times panic attacks can be related to too much stimulation. If the outside world is too loud for you, it could be helpful to reduce it by listening to only one thing, such as music. Headphones will help you tune out everything else and focus inward.

Download your favorite podcast, band, or nature sounds (e.g. the ocean, woodland, streams) and simply listen.

Perhaps you can practise your deep breathing techniques while you do so.

Whatever works for you is great but having the headphones to create that intentional space from everything else will help you do so.

And while on-ear headphones are usually better at blocking out external sounds, these may not be practical in all situations, so it may be helpful to have both that type as well as earbuds. Either way, try go go for the noise-cancelling type.

Your Favorite Poetry Book

Some people love poetry as a way of staying grounded and connected. For really artistic people, having your favorite poetry book near you may be the solution when anxiety arises.

Right now my friend is loving Nikita Gill as she speaks to the strong woman deep within her.

I happen to love haiku – it’s short, but well-written verses can say so much in so few words, and since traditional haiku is meant to be about some aspect of nature, then focusing on what the short poem means to you can take your mind off anything else.

Explore what your favorite is, what makes you feel confident, proud, and content, and read it.

Reading text that you feel really connected to or grounded in may reduce the panic.

And if poetry isn’t your thing, that doesn’t matter. Maybe it could be your favorite non-fiction or biography. Whatever you love is great, as long as it provides the necessary distraction from the world around you.

Guided Meditation

If you are unable to lead yourself through a deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness exercise because the panic has taken over, having access to an app will be really helpful for you to still connect with yourself but have someone else lead it. It’s like having access to individual or group therapy or yoga at the touch of a button.

Technology has been really helpful in this way, and some popular apps include Headspace, Calm, or The Mindfulness App.

If you haven’t downloaded any of these, they are worth checking into.

You may find one speaks to you more than the others. Start experimenting when you are not anxious. This will make it easier to use when you do start to panic and your body will be more used to meditating and mindfulness practice so it will begin to calm quicker than if you do not regularly practise.

A Walking Route

Getting outside in the fresh air may be really helpful to you if you are panicking.

If so, have a few routes in mind that make you feel calm and safe. Don’t just go explore the world without knowing the direction that you are headed because this too could create some panic.

This is something that can be really helpful if you have a panic attack at work.

Netflix

Diving into your favorite show can be the perfect distraction activity to calm the panic. While it isn’t recommended to always use distraction, it can be helpful if you haven’t yet mastered your other skills, such as deep breathing, meditation, or other interventions.

While not necessary, some form of comedy can be helpful, because if you’re laughing, you’re typically not panicking.

Find your favorite show and try to be present while watching it. You may notice that your physiological symptoms start to reduce as your body realizes that it is safe and comfortable in a situation that it knows or is regularly in.

A Trusted Friend

Having a trusted friend, especially one who also experiences anxiety and panic, to talk through your situation may be the most helpful tool of all.

Humans are wired to have relationships and be connected. We were never intended to wade through all of this alone. Being validated and comforted is good and helpful.

But people don’t always know to do so unless you ask. This requires a bit of vulnerability, but I know you have it in you.

A Nap

If nothing else is helping, sleeping through it may be the only way to escape the panic.

Again, it may not be helpful to always do this, or practical if your panic attack strikes in public, but in the moment it is a functional alternative to continuing to feel panic.

Conclusion

There you have it – 12 of the most helpful toolkit items or interventions to manage the panic.

I wish you nothing but wellness on your journey to reducing the panic and anxiety and living the life that you want.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Calm
2. Guided Breathing Exercises
3. Fidget Toys
4. Guided Breathing Exercises
5. Headspace
6. Nature Sounds
7. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
8. Sleep Mask
9. The Mindfulness App