When panic is loud, whether brief or prolonged, journaling offers structure and grounding. It doesn’t magically stop the racing thoughts or the body sensations, but it gives us a way to process, observe and discharge them safely.
By George Cassidy Payne
Panic attacks can feel like a sudden storm inside our bodies.
We might feel a racing heart, shortness of breath, dizzying thoughts, and an overwhelming sense of doom. For some, the storm passes quickly. For others, it lingers for hours or days, morphing into rage, sadness and a sense of helplessness that’s hard to name.
What’s especially destabilizing is when panic returns after a period of stability. You were getting your mental health together, therapy was consistent, medication was helping and life felt lighter and more manageable. Then winter arrived. Days shortened. Routines shifted. The internal weather followed. Suddenly, the question becomes not just, “What is happening to me?” but “How did I lose the version of myself who was doing better?”
When Progress Reverses and the Body Feels Like a Trap
Prolonged anxiety doesn’t just tax the nervous system; it changes how it feels to inhabit our own bodies. Panic stops being episodic and starts feeling ambient. There’s a restlessness that won’t settle, an irritability that surprises us, and a sense of being perpetually on edge, stuck in our own skin.
Alongside this comes grief and frustration. We remember feeling happier not long ago. Now we feel miserable, grumpy and irritable. Medication helps, but it can feel like a necessary compromise: I hate relying on it to feel normal, but I need it. Winter can intensify all of this. What feels like a personal failure is often a predictable physiological and psychological response to seasons, stress, and disrupted routines.
When Panic Turns Into Shame
Distress begins to feel personal—less like something we’re experiencing and more like something we are. Thoughts creep in: I’m the problem. I’m exhausting. I feel so alone. Everyone would be better off without me. And then another voice whispers: If I say this out loud, it will sound like I’m just asking for attention.
Feeling alone during panic is not proof of isolation. It is a symptom of a nervous system under strain. Journaling can help you name these experiences without judgment.
Journaling as a Bridge
When panic is loud, whether brief or prolonged, journaling offers structure and grounding. It doesn’t magically stop the racing thoughts or the body sensations, but it gives us a way to process, observe and discharge them safely. Here are practical ways to use writing during panic:
1. Panic Attack Log
After an episode, write:
Date and time
What you were doing or thinking before it started
Physical sensations
Duration
What helped or didn’t help
Over time, patterns emerge. You may notice triggers, timing, or coping strategies that work best.
2. Preemptive Check-In
Daily or nightly, note:
Current mood (1–10 scale)
Stressors on your mind
Tension in your body
This raises awareness before panic escalates.
3. Sensory Grounding
During panic, focus on your senses by writing:
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
This keeps attention in the present and calms the mind.
4. Thought Reframing
Write anxious thoughts as they arise, then respond with rational or compassionate counter-statements:
Thought: I’m dying → Counter: This is uncomfortable, but it will pass. I am safe.
5. Gratitude or Positive Anchors
After a panic episode, note three small positives:
A warm drink
A comforting sound
A moment of sunlight
Even tiny reminders of safety and pleasure restore perspective.
6. Visualization Through Writing
Narrate a feared scenario as if you handled it calmly.
Example: I entered the crowded room, noticed my racing heart, and grounded myself. I spoke my thoughts and stayed present.
7. Free-Writing for Release
Set a timer for 5–10 minutes and write continuously. No grammar or structure needed — just externalize the emotion:
Angry
Tired
Trapped
Ashamed
Grumpy
This releases tension without judgment.
8. Writing the Internal Narrative
During prolonged anxiety or depression, externalize self-critical thoughts:
I feel so alone.
I feel stuck in my own skin.
I believe people would be better off without me.
I’m afraid saying this sounds like attention-seeking.
I just felt happier, but now I feel miserable and grumpy.
Writing these truths reduces shame and separates feeling from identity.
Reframing and Curiosity
Journaling also allows curiosity instead of judgment:
What changed recently—season, routine, medications?
Would I judge a friend who felt this way?
What coping strategies have helped even a little?
The goal is not immediate resolution, but awareness, insight, and self-compassion.
Panic and prolonged anxiety are not linear. They ebb and surge with seasons, biology, circumstances, and care. Journaling does not erase the misery of feeling stuck, grumpy, or dependent on medication, but it gives a safe container for these experiences. On the page, you are allowed to mourn feeling better, resent the season, and need help without shame.
And sometimes, that permission is enough to carry you through until the internal weather clears.
Photo: Pixabay
Editor: Dana Gornall
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George’s essays have appeared in publications such as The Good Men Project, The Buffalo News, The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, and many more. A poet at heart, his work often blends memoir, philosophy, and theological reflection, rooted in the belief that language can be both a balm and a spark.
Whether reflecting on the writings of Marcus Aurelius, the parables of Jesus, or the mindfulness of a Jain monk sweeping the ground before them, George writes to make space for wonder, doubt, and dialogue.
He joins The Tattooed Buddha as a regular columnist to explore themes of death, inner peace, activism, grief, and contemplative life in a world on fire—and to ask, again and again: How can we live as if everything we do matters?
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