Bojack Horseman Panic Attack Hack Really Works
Bojack’s Panic Attack is a real trick! In the final episode of The Bojack Rider, Hollyhock (Aparn Nancherl) has a panic attack at a party. A guy named Peter tells her about it. “Look around the room and tell me what you see,” he says. Hollyhock names things – first what makes her anxious, then more and more mundane things in the room. “My psychiatrist taught me this trick,” says Peter. “This should help you ground yourself.”
This is a real trick, one of many methods that can help you cope with anxiety or panic attacks. It is sometimes structured as a 5-4-3-2-1 technique : name five things you can see, four that you can touch, three that you can hear, two that you can feel, and one that you you can try.
(A word on terminology: Panic attacks occur faster and faster than panic attacks, but the two have similar symptoms and treatments. Some doctors view anxiety only as a long-term event and avoid the term “panic attack” altogether .)
Psychologist Barbara Marquay suggests a similar method by Pete in a 2014 article reprinted on Lifehacker : “Silently describe simple objects in your environment. For example, talk to yourself about the carpet. Physical contact with the object sometimes helps. ” By staying in the present, she says, you keep your anxiety from building up and distract yourself from your own physical symptoms.
There are many other methods you can try during attacks or in your normal daily routine to prepare for attacks. Alternatively, you can help someone else survive the attack, like Peter did. You will find more coping methods in these Lifehacker posts:
So when you’re in a concussion like Hollyhock, unlock: take stock, stare and talk, count slok!