How To Help Someone Having An Anxiety Or Panic Attack

Offer Reassurance

You can help someone having a panic attack or anxiety attack by offering reassurance. Sometimes the attack will have been caused by something specific, and sometimes it will seem to come out of nowhere. If it was caused by a specific circumstance, do your best to remove the person from the setting, even if it's just temporarily. Keep others from staring or overwhelming them. If the attack was brought on by life circumstances or bad news, don't try to problem-solve. Problem-solving can wait for after the attack. In the moment, you want to keep their brain from fixating on the issue instead of chewing on it. Sit with the individual and reassure them you'll stay with them until they're feeling better. Remind them they're safe as gently as possible. Let them know you'll help them however they need, whether that's contacting someone to pick them up, helping work through an issue, or getting them to a quiet space to decompress.

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