After the Panic Attack Guided Recovery for When The Storm Has Passed

You've just been through something frightening. The panic attack has passed, but here you are, shaking perhaps, exhausted. Maybe a little ashamed and quietly terrified it will happen again. This ten minutes is just for you, for the aftermath, for the recovery.

What happens after the panic attack matters just as much as surviving it? Stay with me. Welcome. This is calming anxiety.

I'm Martin. I'm a clinical hypnotherapist and a former paramedic. And I have sat with people in the aftermath of panic attacks more times than I can count. And I know what your body has just been through.

And I know exactly how to help it recover. If you're new here, there's a back catalogue of over 2,300 free guided meditations and panic attack relief sessions waiting for you. Why not consider subscribing so that I'm always there when you need me? But right now my friend, find somewhere to sit or lie down.

Somewhere where you won't be disturbed. And if it feels safe to do so, gently close your eyes. Let's start by just acknowledging what happened. Your body did exactly what it was designed to do.

A panic attack is not a malfunction. It is your nervous system doing its job, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. Doing its job, you are not broken, you are not in danger. The storm has passed.

And now my friend, we recover. Begin by noticing your breath. Don't try to change it yet. Just notice it.

Feel the air coming in through your nose. Perhaps a little shaky, a little shallow stone. That's okay. This is the after panic breath.

And it is completely normal. Now very gently, let's begin to lengthen it. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4. Ready?

In 2 3 4. Hold gently. Now a long slow out breath through the mouth. Let it go.

All of it. Let's do that together. The whole cycle. Ready?

In 2 3 4. Hold 2. Hold 2. 3 4 5 6.

That long exhale is your nervous systems of switch. As a paramedic, I watched it work hundreds of times. The physiological side. That double inhale and long exhale is a single fastest way.

Your body can come back from the edge of a panic attack. Let's use it now. You will breathe in through your nose and at the very top, sneak in one more small sip of air. And then slowly, completely, let it all go.

Ready? With me. Breathe in. And then out.

2 3 4 5 6 7. Feel your shoulders drop. Feel your jaw softened. Feel the post-panic exhaustion beginning to shift from terror into something, gents, into tightness, into relief, into the quiet after the storm.

Let's do that once more together. In through the nose and then one more sip at the top and then out all the way, slowly and safely. Ready? In.

Big in. Extrasip and now out.

2 3 4 5 6 7. After a panic attack, adrenaline has flooded every cell. Your muscles may still feel tight, trembling and heavy. This is the panic attack after mouth.

The body burning off the last of the stress hormones. It will pass. It is already passing. Scan from the top of your head downwards.

Your forehead, let it smooth, your jaw, let it drop, your neck and shoulders.

Release them now. Let them fall away from your ears. The chest where the panic attack may have gripped you the hardest. Place a hand there if it feels right.

Feel the warmth of your own touch. Feel your heartbeat slowing. Your heart is strong. It carried you through.

Be grateful for it. Your belly let it rise and fall freely now. No more holding. No more pracing.

The panic attack is over. Your body is safe. Your hands, unclench your fingers. Let them rest open, receiving calm with every breath.

Your legs heavy now, sinking into whatever surface holds you. You are grounded. You are here. The panic attack recovery has already begun.

With every slow breath out, imagine the residue of that anxiety attack leaving you, not dramatically, just gently dissolving, like mist in a morning sun. The fear of another panic attack losing its grip, the shame softening. The exhaustion becoming something your body can use. Rest, real rest, learned rest.

You survived. You are here. And that is enough. And now in the beautiful choir of your recovery, I want you to receive some words.

Don't try too hard with these. Just let them drift in, like a warm light through a window. Imagine them forming in your mind. Bright, calm and true.

Repeat them internally, letting their meaning settle gently down into the deeper parts of you. With every breath, just melt a little further. The panic attack is over. I made it through.

My body is safe. The storm has passed. I am recovering with every breath I am calmer.

Just float now, sinking deeper into the surface below, feeling held, feeling supported.

After every panic attack, your nervous system learns to recover faster. You are not your anxiety. You are the calm beneath it. Keep an eye out for now, quieter, release the fear of another panic attack.

Right now, in this moment, you are safe. Let that one land, the fear of the next panic attack is often worse than the panic itself. But right now, right here, nothing is happening. Nothing is chasing you.

Your body is recovering beautifully, and once more, in the sanctuary of your imagination, see those words, feel them, let them echo down. The panic attack is over. I made it through. My body is safe.

The storm has passed. I am calm. I am recovering. I am okay.

Drift now. Listen to the rhythm of your own breath. The quiet after the panic attack. This is yours.

And before we finish, hold onto this calm and hear the three caring tips for panic attack recovery. One, the protein bridge. As a paramedic, I can tell you that a panic attack burns an enormous amount of glucose. Once your stomach has settled, have a small high protein snack.

A handful of nuts, some cheese, a boiled egg. Debilizing your blood sugars helps prevent that shaky, trembling feeling from being mistaken for another panic attack returning. Two, change the narrative. Here is something I want you to try.

Stop saying, I had a panic attack. Instead say this. I had a period of high intensity, and I handled it. Three, the five minute sunsides.

If you can, when this episode ends, step outside for just five minutes. You don't need to go far. Just allow natural light to reach your eyes. Let the world show you.

It is still turning normally. Now wiggle your fingers and toes. Bring your awareness back into the room. Now deep breath in, then stretch out your arms and legs as you exhale.

And then open your eyes. Take care of yourself, my friend. Be loving to all that you are. You showed up today for something frightening and you chose recovery over there.

That is not a small thing. That is courage. Smile gently, rest deeply, and know that I am always here every single day. A free, ten minute guided meditation for panic attack relief, anxiety recovery, and the quiet moments in between.

If this episode helped, please do share it. Sharing it with someone who needs it. Every share puts this into the hands of someone who might be sitting exactly where you were when you press play. This matters more than you know.

Take care, truly. I am Martin. This is Calming Anxiety and to your beautiful self, my friend. Be kind.