Breathing Through The Panic

[Verse 1]
Heart doing double time
Hands shaking at the checkout line
Buying milk
Pretending fine
Blinking back the rising tide
Phone says
“Are you okay?”
Thumb hovers
I look away
Counting tiles on the floor
Just to make it through the door
[Chorus]
I’m still here
Breathing through the panic
Riding every wave till it breaks and it passes
Might fall apart in the back of the bathroom stall
But I get up
I get up through it all (oh)
I’m still here
Heart a little frantic
Somehow finding quiet in the madness
I’m not “all better
” I’m just holding on tonight
And that’s alright
[Verse 2]
Morning hits like a glare
Same ceiling
Same heavy air
Coffee shakes in a chipped mug
But I give myself a small hug
Talk to myself in the mirror
“Hey
You made it
You’re still here”
Tie my shoes
Not my worth
Step soft on this turning earth
[Chorus]
I’m still here
Breathing through the panic
Riding every wave till it breaks and it passes
Might fall apart in the back of the bathroom stall
But I get up
I get up through it all (yeah)
I’m still here
Heart a little frantic
Somehow finding quiet in the madness
I’m not “all better
” I’m just holding on tonight
And that’s alright
[Bridge]
Every tremor
Every tear in my sleeve
Is a chapter
Not the end of the story for me
So if tomorrow
Feels like too much to take
I’ll just promise
I’ll stay for one more day (one more day)
[Chorus]
I’m still here
Breathing through the panic
Riding every wave till it breaks and it passes
Might break down crying in the car at a red light
But I stay
Yeah I stay in the fight
I’m still here
Heart a little frantic
Somehow finding quiet in the madness
I’m not “all better
” I’m just holding on tonight
And that’s surviving
Yeah
That’s surviving (oh yeah)

Warm indie-pop ballad with intimate male vocals, soft fingerpicked acoustic guitar, and subtle piano swells. Verses stay close and hushed; chorus widens with airy harmonies, steady kick, and a gentle bass underpinning. Light shimmer pads bloom on the bridge, then everything drops to near-solo vocal for the final hook, ending on a held guitar chord and fading vocal ad-lib.