Do you feel panic coming on? These 4 short exercises can help you right now:

1 - Butterfly tapping

Butterfly tapping, also called “butterfly hug”, is a super simple exercise that can quickly calm the nervous system:

• Place one forearm across your chest, then the other forearm on top of it. Your thumbs should touch, and your forearms and hands should form a butterfly shape.
• Gently position your fingers on your upper chest, directly below your collarbones.
• Tap your chest lightly, alternately with the fingertips of your right and left hand, in a rhythmic tempo.
• Breathe deeply and evenly. Focus on the tapping and feel the calming effect.

2 - Nervous system reset through cold

Applying a cold pack to the chest can work wonders during panic attacks, because:

• The cold stimulates the vagus nerve and thereby calms the nervous system.
• Breathing becomes calmer, which also allows thoughts to quiet down.
• The cold stimulus is distracting.

If you don't have an ice pack handy, running cold water over your wrists or taking a cold shower will also help.

3 - Counting Colors

This tip sounds almost too simple to work, but believe me, it's worth its weight in gold!

• Look around and name five objects that are blue.
• Then five items that are green
• yellow,
• red,
• and so on 🎨

This exercise can quickly bring you back to the present and stop the annoying spiral of panic.

4 - Conscious breathing

Breathing exercises activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for relaxation and calmness. At the same time, they help regulate the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies. In our blog article, ' How just a few minutes of conscious breathing a day can change your life, ' we've compiled five practical breathing exercises for you.

And… (you probably already guessed it 😅) through regular yoga practice, you can train your nervous system to remain relaxed (or more relaxed) even under stress. Don't know where to start? No problem! Here's our 6-hour video course LUVIYO FLOWS .