Have you heard all the recent talk about how if you’re noticing a panic attack starting up, one of the things you can reach for in addition to breathing and grounding strategies is sour candy? Well, we’re here to let you know that the talk is true, this absolutely can be an effective strategy for some people!

When we’re experiencing panic or anxiety, all of our attention tends to be drawn to what we’re feeling, thinking or experiencing in that exact moment. When we’re panicked our internal alarm system (the amygdala) alerts and starts sending the message to our brain and body that we’re in danger, and our fight-or-flight response gets activated. When this happens our sympathetic nervous system is activated and prepares us to take action, it sets up to gives us energy to run or get away. Ideally afterwards our parasympathetic gets activated which helps our body transition back to a calmer state, but for people who experience panic or anxiety this may take longer to happen and they may need support in helping their body get back to that calmer state. This is where coping strategies - like sucking on a sour candy - can help.

“Candy on it’s own is likely not going to be enough to manage all your symptoms of panic each and every time, and to ensure you’re prepared we suggest combining sour candy with CBT and ACT.”

Sucking on a sour candy is first and foremost going to cause a distraction. That puckering sensation when you put the candy in your mouth is going to momentarily shock you and pull all your attention to the sensation, thus distracting you from the thoughts that are cycling or the physical reactions of panic you’ve been zeroing in on. It’s a grounding strategy, just like focusing on the breath going in and out of your mouth, holding on to an ice cube, or pushing and stomping your feet into the floor to feel how solid the ground is under you. Sucking on sour candy also serves the purpose of generating saliva in our mouths, and the generation of saliva itself is actually one way to activate the parasympathetic nervous system in our body - the system that helps our body to transition back to calm. So in that way sucking on a sour candy actually helps us in two different ways - to ground us with our senses of taste and sensation, and to activate that calming system in our body.

Candy on it’s own is likely not going to be enough to manage all your symptoms of panic each and every time, and to ensure you’re prepared we suggest combining sour candy (and other grounding strategies) with some thought techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). But if grounding yourself during panic is difficult for you and you’re looking for a new strategy to add to your toolbox, sour candies can definitely be something for you to try!

If you’re struggling with panic attacks and looking for strategies beyond the ones mentioned here, you can also reach out to our team to see if one of our psychotherapists might be a good fit to help you work to better understand and manage your symptoms of panic.

If you or someone you know would like to explore the ways that Growth & Wellness Therapy Center can help you on your journey, please contact our intake and administration team to set up a free consultation with one or more of our practitioners.

How Does Sour Candy Help with Panic Attacks?