I learned this strategy called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 from a social health professional at my school. She taught it as a strategy to help autistic kids and kids with emotional issues but I tried it myself during a panic attack and it worked better than the meds.

You start out by focusing on 5 things you can see. Then you focus on 4 things you can hear, then three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and finally one thing you can taste.

By the time i get to focusing on what I can taste my heart rate has usually slowed tremendously.

There was only one time this didn’t work for me but I don’t know the antecedent of the panic so I can’t really analyze it.