This guide was published by TED.com.
Step one: Identify your feelings
The first step is to become aware of what is happening to you in the first place. Recognise the signs of a panic or anxiety attack. Tell yourself that what is happening to you is an unpleasant but perfectly normal physiological reaction, that nothing can physically happen to you, and that sooner or later this condition will pass. Also try to identify what caused this surge of emotion and where it came from.
Step two: Do not fight your feelings
Don't try to resist your feelings; you probably wouldn't be able to fight them off anyway. Try to calm down and allow the anxiety to flow through you, as it were. Rather than fight it, accept it as a necessary evil, but one that is best dealt with through calm and detachment.
Step three: Objectively assess and examine your emotions, thoughts and their impact
Seek to understand what is happening to you and the impact your emotions are having on you. Become aware of what is going on with your body and tell yourself that symptoms such as heart palpitations, dizziness or sweating are perfectly normal.
Step four: Take the position of a detached but curious observer
Follow the development of the anxiety attack from the position of a distant observer. Try to detach yourself from your own body and look at the situation as if it were happening not to you, but someone else. Be curious about what is happening, and gradually notice how the anxiety fades away.
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