Panic - Practice Sheet

01 · Ready reckoner

The wiser way to meet panic

Four moves, in order. The whole practice on a single glance - return to it when a wave rises.

1

Reorient to the room

Panic collapses awareness inward. Push it out: five things you see, four you hear, three you can touch.

2

Lengthen the exhale

Inhale for four, exhale for six or eight. The long exhale tells the body the threat has passed.

“Long exhale.”

3

Stop fighting the wave

Resistance gives panic something to push against. Soften: “This is a wave. It will crest. It will pass.”

4

Go back, gently

Once settled, return in small doses to where it struck. Returning teaches the alarm the truth.

02 · Regulate first

In the moment

When intensity spikes, the thinking brain goes offline. Reset the body first - then the four steps above become possible.

The moment a wave rises

Physiological Sigh

Two inhales through the nose, the second a short sip of air on top of the first, then one long exhale through the mouth. Two or three rounds.

Then splash cold water on your face, around the eyes and forehead. The cold sets off an automatic slowing of the heart that you cannot reach by thinking. If water is not to hand, cross your arms and tap your shoulders slowly, left then right, until the wave eases.

03 · Go deeper

Try this

A practice for when you have a few minutes to yourself.

Awareness of the breath

Rest your attention on the natural breath, in and out, without changing it. When the mind wanders, bring it back gently, again and again. This everyday practice builds the calm baseline that a panic spike borrows from later.

04 · Reflect

Journal it

Three questions. Write into them by hand on the printed sheet, or type below - your words save on this device.

When a wave rises, what helps me remember it will pass?

Where does panic tend to find me - and how could I return there gently?

What does my body need right after the wave settles?