Gentle Strategies for Navigating Panic – A Person Centred Approach

Panic can feel like a tidal wave crashing into your body and mind—overwhelming, sudden, and out of your control. But at its core, panic is your nervous system trying to protect you, even if it doesn’t feel that way. In the humanistic model of therapy, we look beyond symptoms and labels. We see the person—their experience, their history, their feelings, their needs.

This blog offers a compassionate, human-centred guide to managing panic. These are not quick fixes or clinical protocols, but grounded strategies rooted in kindness, self-awareness, and connection.

1. Start With Self-Compassion

Before doing anything else, take a moment to say something kind to yourself. Panic is not weakness. It’s not failure. It’s a natural reaction from a body that feels unsafe.

“It makes sense that I feel this way. I’m allowed to feel scared. I am doing my best.”

Self-compassion interrupts the harsh inner voice that often fuels the cycle of anxiety. If nothing else, it reminds you: you are not broken—you’re human.

2. Feel Your Feet – Anchor in the Present

When panic starts, the mind can feel like a runaway train. A powerful humanistic practice is grounding—bringing yourself back to the here and now.

Try this:

• Place both feet flat on the floor.

• Press your toes gently down.

• Say to yourself: “I am here. I am safe. I am in my body.”

This isn’t about “stopping” panic, but about helping you remember that you have a body, and that body is connected to the ground, and the ground isn’t moving.

3. Name What You’re Feeling

The humanistic model values naming and owning your emotional truth. When you feel panic rising, try to observe what’s happening without judgment.

You might say:

• “I notice my heart is racing.”

• “There’s a tightness in my chest.”

• “I feel afraid right now.”

By putting language to experience, you create space between you and the panic. You move from being overwhelmed by it to being in relationship with it.

4. Breathe, Gently

Yes, you’ve probably heard this one before. But instead of trying to “control” your breath, try to soothe it.

A human-centred breathing practice:

• Place one hand on your chest, one on your belly.

• Inhale slowly through your nose (count to 4).

• Exhale softly through your mouth (count to 6).

• Don’t force calm. Invite it, like you would a frightened child.

Even a few rounds of this can send a message to your nervous system that you’re not in danger.

5. Connect to a Safe Voice

Humanistic therapy is deeply relational. Panic often disconnects us—from others, from ourselves. So one healing strategy is to reconnect.

You could:

• Call a friend or therapist who feels safe.

• Listen to a voice recording of someone you trust.

• Speak kindly to yourself out loud: “I am okay. I can get through this.”

The goal isn’t to distract from the panic but to bring in a sense of warmth, safety, and connection that can hold you through it.

6. Aftercare: Gentle Recovery

Once the wave has passed, give yourself time to recover. Panic can leave you feeling drained, raw, or even ashamed. You don’t need to “get back to normal” immediately.

Try:

• Drinking water.

• Wrapping yourself in a blanket.

• Journaling how it felt—without judgment.

• Thanking your body for trying to protect you.

In humanistic practice, we believe every experience, even panic, is worthy of care and meaning. Recovery is part of healing.

Final Thoughts: You Are Not Alone

If you struggle with panic, know that you’re not alone—and you’re not “too much.” Your body and mind are trying to survive in a world that often feels overwhelming. That’s not weakness. That’s humanity.

Therapy—especially a humanistic, person-centred approach—can help you explore the roots of your panic with compassion and curiosity. You don’t need to “fix” yourself. You just need space to be understood.

You are not your panic. You are a whole, complex, beautiful human being.