How to Stop a Panic Attack: 5 Techniques That Can Help

Learn five evidence-informed techniques that can help you ride out a panic attack — including breathing, grounding, and CBT-based acceptance.

By Maya Smith, Wellness Content Lead at Hugzio

A panic attack can feel overwhelming — your heart races, your breathing tightens, and your mind tells you something is terribly wrong. A panic attack itself is not life-threatening, but its symptoms can resemble urgent medical problems. If chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, or sudden new symptoms are unusual for you, seek medical care.

If you recognise the feeling as panic, these evidence-informed techniques can help you ride out the wave and reduce the fear that keeps it going.

1. The Physiological Sigh

The physiological sigh is a breathing pattern with two inhales followed by a long exhale. Stanford researchers studied repeated physiological sighs, called cyclic sighing, as a five-minute daily practice. In that study, all groups reported lower anxiety, while cyclic sighing showed especially strong improvements in positive mood and resting breathing rate.

How to do it:

1. Take a normal inhale through your nose
2. At the top, take a small extra sip of air
3. Let out a long, slow exhale through your mouth — longer than the inhale

Repeat 2-3 times. If it makes you feel lightheaded or strained, stop and return to normal breathing.

2. Long Exhale Breathing (Gentle Downshift)

When panic makes deep breathing feel impossible, a simple 4-6 pattern — inhale 4 counts, exhale 6 counts — can gently slow your breathing without forcing big breaths.

The longer out-breath may support parasympathetic activity and can feel easier than breath-holding during panic. You do not need to breathe deeply for this to work — small, soft breaths with a longer exhale are enough.

3. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

Panic pulls your attention into worst-case thoughts. Grounding interrupts that loop by anchoring you to the present moment through your senses.

How to do it — name:

• 5 things you can see
• 4 things you can physically feel (chair beneath you, floor under your feet)
• 3 things you can hear
• 2 things you can smell
• 1 thing you can taste

This technique is widely recommended as a grounding skill. Direct research on this exact method is limited, but sensory grounding is a practical, low-risk way to redirect attention during acute distress.

4. Box Breathing (Structured Calm)

Box breathing gives your racing mind a simple four-part pattern to follow. It can help by slowing your breath and giving your attention a predictable rhythm.

How to do it:

• Inhale for 4 counts
• Hold for 4 counts
• Exhale for 4 counts
• Hold for 4 counts

Repeat 4-6 cycles. If breath-holding feels tight, skip the holds and just use a 4-4 inhale-exhale pattern or the 4-6 long exhale pattern above.

5. Accept, Do Not Fight

One of the most useful CBT insights about panic attacks: fighting the feeling often makes it more frightening. When you feel panic rising, try saying to yourself: "This is uncomfortable, not dangerous. I can let this pass."

Panic attack symptoms usually peak within minutes and then fade. Accepting the sensation rather than catastrophising it can reduce the secondary fear that keeps panic cycling.

What to Do After a Panic Attack

Once a panic attack passes, take a few minutes to:

• Breathe slowly with a 5-5 pattern (inhale 5, exhale 5)
• Write down what happened and how you felt in a journal
• Notice any triggers — location, time of day, situation

Tracking patterns over time helps you identify early warning signs and build confidence in your ability to manage future episodes.

Using Hugzio During a Panic Attack

Hugzio is designed for exactly these moments. The panic support button gives you immediate access to guided breathing and grounding tools without having to navigate or read anything complicated.

When panic hits, open the app, tap how you feel, and let Zio guide you through the next step — one breath at a time.

Download Hugzio free on iOS and Android

Sources

• Mayo Clinic on panic attack symptoms and safety
• Cleveland Clinic on panic attack timing and symptoms
• Stanford Medicine on cyclic sighing
• Respiratory therapy for the treatment of anxiety: meta-analytic review
• Johns Hopkins Medicine on hyperventilation

Hugzio is a self-regulation and wellness app — not therapy or medical care. If panic attacks are frequent or distressing, speaking with a mental health professional is the most important next step.