“Worry isn’t you. It’s something that runs through you. It can go out the same door.” ~ James Clear
A few years ago, I had a panic attack while driving across a bridge, and I thought I might die that day.
Suddenly my heart started pounding. My breathing became shallow and labored. My chest tightened, and a wave of dizziness washed over me.
I was driving sixty miles an hour, and there was no place to pull over. The bridge stretched for miles, hanging over open water, and I was alone in the car.
A terrifying thought shot through my mind:
Something seriously wrong.
I grabbed the steering wheel and tried to keep driving, sure I could get away before I got to the other side.
At that moment, it felt like my body had completely betrayed me.
For a long time after that, I was scared to drive and kept calm for fear of that feeling coming back.
I started avoiding certain activities and situations. I constantly monitored my body for signs that another attack might begin. Even when I appeared calm on the outside, a part of me was always on high alert.
if you experienced panic attacksYou know this feeling well.
Racing heart. dizziness Suddenly something terrible is about to happen.
It’s not just uncomfortable – it’s terrifying.
And most people experiencing panic believe the same thing I did:
Something must be seriously wrong with my body.
But what I learned in the end changed everything.
The body is not the enemy
The first concept that really changed things for me: Sensations of Panic feeling Dangerous, but they are not.
They sound an alarm in your nervous system.
When we perceive danger, the body activates a natural survival response known as fight-or-flight. Adrenaline floods the bloodstream, heart beats faster, breathing quickens and muscles prepare to react.
This response evolved to keep humans alive.
If our ancestors faced a threat, such as escaping from a predator, their bodies had to react immediately. When the nervous system is regulated, the rest-and-digest response prompts the body to naturally return to a relaxed state after the threat has passed.
However, if the nervous system is under stress for a long time, it becomes unbalanced. The fight-or-flight response is working in overdrive, and the rest-and-digest response is no longer functioning properly. The body does not relax.
Consequence: The nervous system sometimes sounds this alarm even when no real danger is present.
This was definitely true for me. I was a single parent, living in San Francisco, running a wedding photography business (hello, super-stressful career).
I was in the car for hours every day with crazy traffic: two-hour roundtrips to bring my daughter to school, client meetings, evening engagement photoshoots…
I photograph weddings most weekends, leaving three to four hours ahead of time because wedding photographers are not allowed to be late. ever
Rest was something I dreamed of. I was constantly tired, burned out and on edge, and there was no end in sight. So yes, my nervous system was basically fried, which meant my panic attacks became more frequent.
I was afraid of the next attack.
When the body unexpectedly releases adrenaline, the sensations can feel overwhelming.
Many people interpret these sensations as signs of disaster.
Am I having a heart attack?
Am I going to faint?
Am I losing control?
These thoughts create more fear, causing the body to release more adrenaline.
And just like that, a cycle forms:
Sensation → fear → more adrenaline → strong sensation.
It can feel like being trapped in a panic loop that you can’t escape.
The shift that changed everything
My healing did not begin by trying to control the panic.
It started with understanding.
For the first time, I saw that my body was not bad. It was responding exactly as it was designed to respond.
My nervous system just learned to be on high alert.
Once that understanding is settled, something subtle but powerful shifts.
The panic sensations were still uncomfortable, but they no longer felt like evidence that something catastrophic was happening.
They are signals from a nervous system that has been carrying too much stress for too long.
And the nervous system can learn new patterns.
Learn safety again
I realized that the cure from panic is not to force the body calm down.
In fact, fighting the sensations often makes them stronger.
Instead, the process involves helping the nervous system relearn what safety feels like.
Sometimes it looks like slow breathing. I practice a simple breathing technique I call “four-six breaths”. You close your eyes, then inhale, count to four, then exhale, count to six.
Deep breathing slows your heart rate and sends a message to the nervous system: “We’re OK.” It activates the relaxation and digestion reactions and the body relaxes.
Sometimes it means allowing sensations to pass without resisting them. The sensations of a panic attack may be uncomfortable or intense, but they are not dangerous. Once I understood this simple truth, it was easier to be with the sensations, knowing that they come and go, like the waves of the ocean.
Sometimes it’s just learning to trust that the body knows how to restore balance. Healing was not an event at all but a gradual process. As my panic attacks became shorter and less intense, I felt more confident, because I knew exactly what to do to take care of myself.
Finally, they left and never came back.
Some people believe that panic attacks can’t be cured, but I’ve found that’s simply not true.
With practice, the nervous system learns a new pattern and begins to recognize that the alarm is no longer necessary.
The reaction is less intense.
Episodes become shorter.
Eventually, many people find that the cycle of panic dissolves completely.
A different relationship with the body
My panic attacks were once so severe that I was afraid to drive for years. Today I drive without fear. Road trips have become a favorite pastime and a meditative experience. This past summer I drove over 3,500 miles around the country – by myself.
I move through the world with a sense of confidence in my body that once seemed impossible.
What I discovered during my healing journey eventually became the foundation of a new path in life:
Listening to my body’s signals instead of overriding them.
Prioritize rest Because it is a key component of health.
Finding my deepest knowledge of myself and my ability to maintain my strength, vitality and well-being.
Gathering tools and practices that allow me to be peaceful and grounded, no matter what’s going on in my life.
The calm, confident, joyful person I wanted to be.
Because the truth is this:
If you experience a panic attack, your body is not broken.
It is trying to protect you.
Sometimes healing begins not with fighting what we feel, but with understanding it – and in that understanding, the body slowly remembers how to feel safe again.
about Greer Cooper
Greer Cooper is a trauma-informed anxiety coach and creator of the Panic-Free Formula. She helps high-functioning women retrain the neural patterns behind anxiety and panic so they can feel safe, grounded and fully present. A former professional ballet dancer, she brings a body-based, compassionate approach to healing. Her work focuses on transforming fear into safety and helping women regain inner peace and trust. Download his free 3-Minute Panic Reset GrierCooper.com.
