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When Panic Takes Over

I know how overwhelming panic can feel. One moment, everything seems fine, and the next, your heart is racing, your chest is tight, and your thoughts are spinning so fast that even breathing feels difficult. It feels like a wave crashing over you, sudden and impossible to stop.

If you’ve ever felt this way, I want you to know that you’re not alone, and you’re not broken. Panic is your body’s way of trying to protect you, even when it feels anything but helpful.

Instead of fighting or suppressing it, what if you could observe it? Not to make it disappear, but to create space around it. To see it for what it is, rather than letting it take over.

If you’re curious how creative expression can help during these moments, I share gentle tools like this in The Creative Shift, my weekly newsletter for women in STEM. You can sign up here to receive ideas for calm and clarity.

Let’s explore how observing panic without judgment can soften its grip, and how creative expression can help you process these moments in a way that feels safe and empowering.

Understanding Panic: It’s Not Your Fault

Panic isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a survival response designed to keep you safe. But when it shows up at unexpected moments, it can feel frustrating and out of control.

Common Panic Triggers

• Intense stress or burnout. When your body and mind are stretched too thin, panic can surface without warning.
• Fear of failure or rejection. The pressure to succeed can make even small setbacks feel overwhelming.
• Unprocessed emotions. Feelings you’ve pushed aside may surface when you least expect them.

Instead of blaming yourself for feeling this way, try to approach it with curiosity. Panic isn’t something to eliminate, but you can change how you relate to it.

Reflection Question: When panic shows up, where do you feel it in your body? What’s your first instinct—do you freeze, try to escape, or push through?

The Power of Observation: A Softer Approach to Panic

When panic takes hold, the instinct is often to fix it, run from it, or push it away. But what if you could take a step back and simply notice it?

Try This: The Pause and Observe Technique

1. Pause. Take one slow breath in and out.
2. Notice. What sensations are present? A racing heart? A tight chest? A buzzing mind?
3. Name It. Quietly say to yourself, “I notice I’m feeling [emotion]. This is temporary.”
4. Stay Present. You don’t have to change anything. Just observe.

Observation creates distance. It reminds you that panic is something you’re experiencing, not something you are.

Practical Tip: The next time panic rises, gently tell yourself, “I’m noticing this feeling, but I don’t have to react to it.”

How Creative Expression Helps with Panic

Sometimes, panic feels impossible to put into words. That’s where creativity comes in. Art gives emotions a place to exist outside of your body, without needing to explain or justify them.

Why Art Helps with Panic

• It externalizes emotions. You don’t have to hold everything inside.
• It creates distance. Seeing panic visually can make it feel less overwhelming.
• It gives you control. You choose the colours, shapes, and movements, even when panic feels chaotic.

Reflection Question: If panic had a colour, what would it be? If it had a shape, how would you draw it?

Creative Activity: The Panic Landscape

This exercise helps you visually map what panic feels like, giving it a shape, colour, and form outside of yourself.

What You’ll Need

• Blank paper or a journal
• Coloured markers, pencils, or pastels

Instructions

1. Breathe. Take a few deep breaths and centre yourself.
2. Reflect. Think about a time when panic felt overwhelming.
3. Draw. Without overthinking, create an abstract “landscape” that represents that moment.
4. Observe. Notice what colours and shapes emerge. Does panic feel jagged or fluid? Heavy or light?
5. Reflect. When you look at your drawing, what do you see?

There’s no right or wrong way to do this. It’s just a chance to put what’s inside onto paper.

Reflection Prompt: Did anything surprise you about your drawing? Did your emotions shift as you created it?

If you found this activity helpful and want to keep going, the 5-Day Creative Reset Challenge offers more short, sensory-based exercises to support your nervous system and spark gentle creativity. You can join for free here.

Creating Safety in Moments of Panic

Panic can make you feel unsafe, even when there’s no real danger. Grounding techniques can help remind your nervous system that you are safe.

Try These Small Grounding Practices

• Feel the ground beneath you. Press your feet down firmly and notice the support.
• Hold something steady. A warm mug, a smooth stone, or anything comforting.
• Use a simple phrase. Repeat, “I am here. I am safe. This moment will pass.”

Practical Tip: Pick one grounding technique and practice it daily, even when you’re not feeling panicked, so it’s familiar when you do need it.

Reflecting on Your Relationship with Panic

Observing panic isn’t about making it disappear. It’s about changing how you relate to it.

Ask yourself:

• What happens when I simply observe panic rather than react to it?
• Did expressing panic creatively change how I felt about it?
• What’s one small thing I can do next time panic shows up?

Reflection turns experiences into learning moments. Over time, you’ll notice patterns and start to feel more in control of how you respond.

Final Thoughts: Observation Creates Space

Panic feels suffocating when you resist it, but when you observe it with curiosity, it softens.

I want you to remember this. Panic is an experience, not an identity. It does not define you. You are bigger than it.

And when it does show up, you have tools. Your breath. Your ability to notice. Your creativity. You are never powerless in these moments.

Want more ways to explore emotions through creativity and mindfulness? Sign up for my newsletter, The Creative Shift, and get simple, supportive practices delivered to your inbox every week.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. Let’s create space for calm, together.

CREATIVE SHIFT