How do I respond to people who tell me to "just calm down, it's not that bad" when I'm having a panic attack?

It helps if you calmly say 'What you're telling me isn't helping me at all. If you want to support me, please ask questions on how to distract me from my anxiety' or walk away and find another way to distract yourself.

People who don't have panic attacks themselves don't understand them. They mean well and just assume it's easy to calm down from when it isn't. Just realize that they will never understand your situation and deep down they are just trying to help you out.

I can't calm down ! it's like telling someone wounded not to bleed! i'm feel like i'm about to have a heart attack and my chest is hurting me and can't breathe well,so i just can't calm down.

I respond to people who tell me to "calm down, it's not that bad" when having a panic attack by acknowledging it is not their fault that they are uneducated and inexperienced in panic attacks. So, my response is calm and just letting the person know what pain I have to deal with during a panic attack and how hard it is to recover from one. To them it may looks like I am going "crazy", but in my head a million thoughts are racing, I can't breath, and my heart is beating faster than a cheetah. In my head, it is that bad. The people who tell me this should not be speaking on matters that they do not understand.

Tell them for them it isnt that bad , but you dont understand what it feels like to have your breath feel like its bing taken away and having your heart beat so fast that your gunna pass out tell them that is anxiety and it is a mental illness and you cant just "calm down" Because your body is on autopilot whe this happends

Tell them that it's not easy to "just calm down". Remind them why you're feeling anxious, and maybe they'll be able to talk you through it.

Tell them, it is bad to you, or you wouldn't be reacting badly. Also tell them, saying that isnt making anything better, and they are dismissing your feelings as stupid.

Explain that minimizing your anxiety will only worsen your feelings and that panic attacks are very scary and that you need to have people around you who support and understand what you're going through.

Get away from them. I have witnessed a panic attack and I know it's bad. If you can get away from them, then ignore them.

As they are trying to understand what you are going trough, understand that they might have no idea of what you are going through, you have in mind that they are only trying to help in the what they can.