Mental Grounding during a Panic Attack

When having a panic attack, we fall in a state of disarray and lose all sense of control. In such a situation, it is important to ground ourselves.

Here are some ways to mentally ground yourself while experiencing a panic attack:

1. Narrate your environment in detail: Using all your senses, narrate your environment. For eg, "The walls are white", "The table is made from wood", "This snack is salty", "The birds are chirping outside".
2. Describe an everyday activity in detail: Narrate to yourself an activity you engage in daily. For example, how you made for lunch today. "First, I sautéed vegetables in a pan, then added spices", etc.
3. Imagine: Close your eyes and imagine a safe space. Form a mental image of a pleasant memory or a comforting place. Use all your senses to make it as vivid as possible.
4. Count to 10 or recite the alphabets slowly.
5. Read something aloud to yourself:  Read the newspaper, a book, a comforting quote, etc.
6. Affirmations: Say affirmations to yourself by loudly repeating sentences like, "This will pass", "You'll get through this", etc.