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

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

2

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

“Long exhale.”

3

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

4

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

02 · Regulate first

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

The moment a wave rises

Breathe in for a count of four. Breathe out slowly for six, then eight. Make the exhale longer than the inhale.

You can’t think your way out of panic, but you can breathe down the slope. The long exhale settles the alarm.

03 · Go deeper

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

2 minutes

1
Name five things you can see. Say them quietly, in detail.
2
Name four things you can hear, even quiet ones — a fan, a distant car, your own breath.
3
Name three things you can physically feel — feet on the floor, fabric, the air.
4
Name two things you can smell, then one thing you can taste.

04 · Reflect

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?