Learn and Practice Diaphragmatic Breathing
In conjunction with your positive coping statements, begin to do some diaphragmatic breathing. Since the fight and flight response is what we refer to as an all-or-none response, all you need to do is change one component of it to get control of the other symptoms. Since our breathing is under our conscious control, this is the first and often best place to start to induce the opposite response, i.e., the relaxation response in our body.
Diaphragmatic breathing involves slowly breathing in through your nose to the count of 4 or 5 and exhaling through your mouth again to the count of 4 or 5. If you’re breathing properly, your stomach will rise at the end of each inhale. Put your hand on your stomach to assess whether you are breathing properly. Also remember that learning to do diaphragmatic breathing is a skill and therefore, the more you practice it when you’re not having a panic attack, the better you will be able to apply it when you need to. Diaphragmatic breathing will also prevent you from hyperventilating, which would only exacerbate a panic attack
