The Hobbit Preference Book

How would they help if you had a panic attack?

Requested by anonymous; What would they do to help you if they saw you having a panic attack? With Elrond, Bilbo, Bofur and Merry.

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Bofur; He noticed it from across camp. The company had just been attacked by a pack of orcs. And now that everything was starting to sink in, your anxiety decided to show its ugly head.

It started with rapid breathing. You tried to control it but there was just so much blood, guts, decapitated orcs laying around... You didn't know where to look. There was no where else to look but at their dead bodies.

Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm - TELLING YOURSELF TO STAY CALM DOESN'T WORK! THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF FREAKING OUT!

That was all it took. The panic attack announced itself loud and clear.

Bofur was already standing in front of you. He gently grabbed you by your shoulders. You looked up at him to meet his eyes.

"Now, lass, breathe with me. Just watch me breathe.' He inhaled deeply, holding his breath a couple of seconds before letting his breath escape trough the 'o' of his lips. He repeated that a couple of times until you were breathing normally again.

Merry; "You know... Merry... sometimes, it is just like... These messages just keep repeating themselves." You jumped on to another rock in the small creek. Merry was already a few stones ahead of you.

He didn't look back, he was too focused on landing on rocks instead of in the water. "What messages?"

You sighed. "That I'm panicking, and that I should relax, and that I should panick, that the situation sucks, that I may die from panicking one day."

"Then just shout 'stop'." Merry continued on jumping.

"Excuse me?"

He shrugged. "If those thoughts keep the panic attack going, then just shout STOP. Maybe they will stop because you stop your train of thought?" He landed on the other side of the creek with a triumphant smile.

You stood still, smiling. "Yes. I can just shout 'stop'."

Elrond; "I can't - I am going to die!"

"I hardly doubt it. Do you remember what your friend Merry told you? Scream 'STOP' and then, repeat after me: 'I am not going to die. This panic attack will pass. I can breathe just fine.'  Repeat that with me now."

Elrond stood next to you. He looked out over his kingdom. There was nothing he could really do for you right now. He was standing next to you and helping you clear your thoughts.

The rest was all up to you.

You focused on screaming stop inside your head, and repeating after Elrond. The message gradually spread through your head and replaced the negative one.

It worked. It really worked.

Bilbo; You sat down beside him with your own cup of tea in your hands. You took a sip.

"Can I ask you something?" Bilbo asked, breaking the silence. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. "What is exactly that causes the anxiety?"

You frowned. He didn't interupt your thought process. Instead he gave you all the time you needed to think. "The thoughts that come in become more frantic... I guess."

Bilbo nodded. "Alright. But what are those thoughts about? What is the emotion that you are feeling?"

You looked sideways at him. "I feel overwhelmed by my fear."

"And what causes the fear?"

"I am afraid of death."

"What would happen when you die?"

You shook your head. "I am not afraid of dying myself. I just... I don't want you all to die" you finished in a whisper.

He wrapped an arm around you. "And it makes sense that you are afraid of that. It is okay to feel that way." You allowed your head to rest on his shoulder. "We are not going anywhere, though. We will always be with you."