anxiety self-management · 4 min

Riding it out

Riding it out offers one bounded help-now step without promising a particular feeling or outcome.

Use when: panic sensations

How the practice works

1. Read the frame Name what is happening: the body alarm is active. If symptoms could be a medical emergency, use emergency care. Otherwise, this exercise is willingness—not escape. This is for building tolerance, not for escaping. You aren't doing it wrong if the feeling stays.
2. Notice the intensity What intensity do you choose right now?
3. Allow time Let the alarm rise, stay, or fall without checking whether you are making it stop.
4. Record what you notice What did you learn about being present without obeying the alarm?

Primary source: Origin: Grounding, applied relaxation, and CBT for panic · Studied as part of a wider therapy