The Day I Learned to Breathe Again: My Honest Story About Panic Attacks

I’ll never forget the first time it happened. One minute I was in a meeting, trying to look composed; the next, my chest tightened, my vision blurred, and I thought I was about to pass out. It felt like my body had suddenly turned against me. I didn’t know it then, but that was my first panic attack.

Like many of us who live in constant motion—emails, deadlines, and endless tabs open in both our browsers and our brains—I thought I could “think” my way through stress. But panic doesn’t care how smart or successful you are. It just shows up.

Over time, I started reading and experimenting with small techniques that actually helped. One of the most practical breakdowns I came across was from AskDocDoc (you can find it here: https://askdocdoc.com/articles/1106-how-to-stop-a-panic-attack
). It explained that panic attacks aren’t dangerous—they’re just the body’s emergency system getting stuck on “on.” That small reframe changed everything for me.

When panic strikes now, I have a simple plan:

Recognize it. The moment I notice the signs, I tell myself, “Okay, this is panic, not danger.” That alone defuses some of the fear.

Ground myself. I follow a trick I saw mentioned on Threads (https://www.threads.com/@askdocdoc/post/DQHfVFSjfHH)—focus
on five things around me. The texture of the chair, the hum of the AC, the smell of coffee. It pulls me back into reality.

Breathe slower. A visual breathing guide I found on Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/928445279439708799/
) helped me learn the “4 in, 6 out” rhythm. It sounds too simple, but it works.

Move. Sometimes I’ll step away from my desk or stretch a bit. A Facebook post (https://www.facebook.com/122099392514743210/posts/122144267816743210
) described how just shifting your environment can help your body believe it’s safe again.

I’ve also realized that it’s not just about reacting in the moment—it’s about prevention. I started noticing patterns: not enough sleep, too much caffeine, skipping meals, overloading my schedule. There’s a great point made in a LinkedIn article I came across (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7386789890866171905
) that self-regulation is really about daily awareness, not crisis control. Small habits matter.

And then there was one reminder that stuck with me from a quick post I read on X (https://x.com/1881713393369030656/status/1981024093857100171
): you can’t outthink a panic attack, but you can outbreathe it. That hit home.

Now, when I feel it coming, I breathe. I ground. I remember that I’ve survived it before—and that means I can survive it again.

What I’ve learned is that panic isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s just a signal. And like any signal, it can teach us something if we listen instead of fight it.

So if you’ve ever found yourself spiraling into fear out of nowhere, know this: you’re not broken. You’re human.