first i validate the fear i. e. 'i know you are terrified. ' being dismissive might intensify their fears. then i listen to the fears. usually the person is aware the fear is some free-floating irrational or undefinable feeling. then i begin reassuring the person that it will end just hang in there. i usually hold their hand or stroke their back. like some have said breathing into a paper bag works well for most people. a tranquilizer works quickly. any facts you can give them also is calming. i list the symptoms and potential solutions so they know what to and what not to expect. i say things like 'it's okay it sounds like you're having an anxiety attack. it will pass. it will not kill you. it is not a heart attack. they come on suddenly and they can leave just as suddenly. you will find your way home (that seems to the one of the symbolic underlying fears). i'm here with you. this won't last forever. it will end. you are safe. ' one thing that seems to help more than anything is to have the person do a physical activity right there in the moment. yoga as one person suggested would be wonderful if the situation allows it. breathing in the bag is another good one. but any task that forces concentration back to the moment puts them in touch with 'reality. ' it's nearly impossible to give energy to the fear when one is doing a physical task. and lastly i have discovered that caffeine often triggers an attack. too much coffee tea soda etc. often is the culprit. so you might want to ask them if they ingested a good deal of caffeine an hour or more before the attack. if so they may have a caffeine allergy. i hope this helps.
what can i say to a friend while she is having an anxiety attack? . my friend has generalized anxiety disorder and she has panic attacks pretty often. once or twice a week typically and when it's the worst daily. they get bad and it's pretty scary. i was wondering what i can do/say to her that will stop the anxiety attack or make it less bad so she doesn't have to leave class. she has a fear of throwing up that's often what causes the panic attacks even when she just has a stomachache she freaks out. she is on treatment but it can only help so much.