Panic Anchor
For when it is too much. Nothing to count, nothing to hold.
Start guided sessionThe pattern
- In through the nose4 seconds
- Out, long and soft8 seconds
The guided session varies the wording across cycles to keep your attention anchored.
Why this one is different
In a panic attack, complicated instructions are useless. There is no counting to remember, no holding, and no way to fail. The visual pacer, the voice and the tones all say the same thing, so you can follow whichever one you can still process.
Grounding prompts are woven between the breaths because attention that has something to land on is attention that is not spiralling.
Do not breathe deeply
This is the most common mistake. During panic many people over-breathe already, and taking big deep breaths makes the tingling, light-headedness and chest tightness worse, not better. What helps is slow and small, with a long out-breath.
When breathing is not enough
A panic attack is horrible but not dangerous, and it peaks within about ten minutes. If you are having them regularly, breathing exercises are a useful tool but not a treatment — CBT and other therapies work well for panic disorder, and a GP appointment is a reasonable next step.
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, please contact your local emergency number or a crisis line rather than working through this alone.
How to do it without the app
- Sit down or lean against something solid.
- Breathe in gently through the nose for 4 seconds — do not gulp.
- Breathe out for 8 seconds, softly, through the mouth.
- Between breaths, notice one thing you can see, hear or feel.
- Keep going until the wave passes.
Safety
- No breath-holding, no fast breathing, safe in pregnancy.
- If you feel faint, sit or lie down.
- This is a coping tool, not a treatment for panic disorder. Speak to a clinician if attacks are frequent.
What the evidence says
Slow paced breathing is a standard component of CBT for panic disorder, used alongside interoceptive exposure and cognitive work. Breathing retraining alone has smaller effects than full CBT.
A plain-English summary for a general audience, not a systematic review. See the medical disclaimer.