ROAR : Skill for Anxiety and Panic Attacks

The words panic or anxiety attacks can instantly trigger one’s heart rate. It is often hard to know
as well as be able to deal with the feeling of a panic attack coming on or occurring. We’ve been
using an acronym we learned about a while ago for our clients experiencing these attacks and it
is called ROAR. This could be a key to helping you when you feel that build up of anxiety or
escalation of a panic attack. Here’s what it stands for and what it looks like to use:

ROAR

R- Relax:

Anxiety and Panic Attacks may increase one’s heart rate, make one sweat, or develop an upset
stomach. Here are some ways to try to relax.
Diaphragmatic Breathing: as you inhale feel your stomach go outward and as you exhale feel
your stomach go inward
Square Breath: breathe in for four counts, holding for four counts, breathe out for four counts,
holding for four counts. Picture it as if you are drawing a square!
Focus on the inhale/exhale: make sure your exhale is as long as inhale or even longer.

O- Orient:

Be in the here and now. Learn how to orient yourself to the p r e s e n t.
Grounding: Tell yourself what is around you, what is going on in that moment to focus on
orienting to the present.

A- Attune:

Turn inward in order to attune to your needs.
Check in with yourself on the inside: ask yourself what do you need in this moment? What is
causing this anxiety? Try to figure out what need is unmet.

R- Release:

Release the resistance to the anxiety.
Listen to your emotions: often, your anxiety is telling you something about how you are feeling,
which is why you may benefit from trying to acknowledge and accept that anxiety.

You can access our free pdf here!