Social panic shutdown line. A verbal emergency brake for runaway social anxiety. Panic attacks in social situations, overwhelming waves of anxiety, feeling trapped and desperate to escape – social panic can be debilitating. Then, I developed a “social panic shutdown line.” A phrase, a mantra, a mental anchor designed to interrupt the panic cycle.
The line wasn’t about magic words, but about cognitive interruption and self-soothing. My line was: “This feeling will pass. I am safe. I can handle this.” Repeated silently, calmly, firmly, this line acted as a mental reset button, interrupting the panic spiral and reminding myself of reality and my own resilience. Social panic shutdown line wasn’t about eliminating panic entirely, but about having a tool to manage it, to interrupt the cycle, and to regain a sense of control in overwhelming moments. Social panic lessened in intensity and frequency, replaced by a newfound ability to self-soothe and regain control in anxious situations. Develop your own social panic shutdown line. It’s your mental emergency brake for runaway anxiety.