Daily · Sep 18, 2026 · Grounding

What to do during a panic attack: feel your feet

By Vernon B · Reviewed and edited by Vernon B · Updated Oct 19, 2026

Panic can yank your attention into your chest and your thoughts. Your feet are still on the floor. That is not a metaphor. It is a nervous-system cue you can use right now.

Try feet-on-the-floor grounding

• Sit or stand. Press both feet into the ground (shoes on or off).
• Notice the pressure under your heels and the balls of your feet.
• Softly say, out loud or in your head: "My feet are here."
• Stay with that for three slow breaths if you can.

You do not have to feel calm yet. You are giving your body one solid fact. This peak can pass.

For more free tools, keep our coping tools nearby.

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