A Prayer for a Panic Attack

God, my heart is pounding so hard I can feel it in my ears, my hands are tingling, and the air will not seem to reach the bottom of my lungs. My mind is screaming that something is terribly wrong, that I am dying, even though part of me knows this is panic and not the end.

I am scared and I am ashamed, because this keeps happening and I cannot just talk myself out of it. I confess I feel weak and out of control, like my own body has turned against me.

So I am reaching for You in the middle of this wave, not after it passes. You are here in this bathroom, this car, this corner where I am crouching. You are not afraid of my fear.

Help me breathe out slowly, longer than I breathe in. Hold me while this crests and then, as it always does, begins to fall. Remind my racing body that this feeling is a liar and that it will pass.

You said that when I pass through deep waters You will be with me, and the flood will not pull me under. Be that steadying presence around me right now.

I cannot fix this with my will, so I stop fighting and lean my full weight on You. Carry me through the next sixty seconds, and then the next. This will pass, and You will still be holding me when it does. Amen.