18/10/2025
Wonderful advice.
Out flight is on the runway.
We have clearance . It’s go time.
Pilot throttles up to max thrust… nothing from the port side jet.
Back to the gate
JQ58 is grounded.
Panic ensues. Aircon goes down in the cabin. It’s hot- Bali hot and all around me is a wave of anxiety. At first, just unease, then sympathetic diaphoresis joins the humidity induced sweat.
Unease turns to panic in one woman just out of reach of my seat. She is mobbed, crowded by well meaning Aunties and well wishers assuming their inane comments like :
“Calm down.”
“Stop panicking.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You’re overreacting.”
“Just breathe!” (without guidance)
She is in crisis. Her focus is narrowed, she can’t breathe - she has crushing chest pain. She in impervious to reasoning. She is a victim of a debilitating episode that is the most feared among those vulnerable to crescendo anxiety.
This is not behavioural. It’s crippling, it’s physiological, and it strikes without warning - though triggered by unanticipated change.
When someone is having a panic attack, the goal is to help them feel safe, grounded, and in control, without dismissing or overwhelming them.
Here’s a calm, supportive script you can adapt:
⸻
1. Stay calm and validate
• “You’re safe. I’m here with you.”
• “What you’re feeling is very real, but it will pass.”
• “You’re not going crazy—you’re having a panic attack, and it will end.”
2. Encourage slow breathing (without demanding it)
Instead of “Just breathe,” try:
• “Let’s slow the breathing down together. In… 2… 3… Out… 2… 3…”
• “Try to breathe into your belly, not your chest.”
3. Ground them in the present
Use gentle sensory grounding:
• “Can you name five things you can see?”
• “What can you feel under your hands/feet right now?”
• “Listen—what’s one sound you can hear?”
4. Give them permission
• “It’s okay to feel this way.”
• “You don’t need to fight it—just ride the wave. It will peak and ease.”
5. Offer choices, don’t take control
• “Would you like to sit, walk, or stay where you are?”
• “Do you want me to stay quiet or keep talking?”
6. Reassure about time
• “Panic attacks usually peak within 5–10 minutes.”
• “Your body can only stay in high alert for a short time—it will calm down.”
7. Afterwards (when it passes)
• “You did so well getting through that.”
• “Is there anything you need now—water, quiet, space, a hug?”
Pe patient , be kind and be informed.