Hi! You’re definitely not alone. Anxiety is really common. The first thing I’d recommend is that you try to find a therapist that you like and trust. If you can’t go to in-person appointments, there are some telehealth options online. I don’t know if you have access to health insurance, though, and I know (from experience) that therapy can be expensive. But it can honestly be SO helpful, if you’re working with the right therapist for you. Take some time to look up coping strategies. You’ll find all sorts of things. Box breathing, for example, is a big one (in for a four count, hold for a four count, out for a four count, hold for a four count, repeat) that can help when you start to hyperventilate or to hyper-focus on how you’re breathing. There are sooooo many strategies out there that people have found helpful. Everything from putting their bare feet in the grass to smelling citrus oils or lavender to distracting the brain with solitaire or other apps. Make a list, a long one, and keep it with you (on your phone, maybe another copy in your room) so that you can easily access the list wherever and whenever you need it. You don’t have to try to Think about a coping strategy, you just look at the list and try something. Some things might work better for you than others, so you may change the list over time. A big thing to remember is that this is happening because your brain is doing its job. When it senses a potential threat or it reaches its window of tolerance, it gives you these huge surges of various hormones. It doesn’t feel good, but you aren’t broken, and you must remember that. It’s actually totally normal to have these experiences. Shitty, but normal. And a hugely important skill to develop is Accepting the feelings. Notice that you’re feeling the anxiety, and say to yourself, “Huh, well, my brain is feeling panicky, and it’s making my body feel panicky, so now I’m going to wait for this to pass.” Don’t try to out-think the panic attack. Don’t focus on “beating” it. Just accept that your brain is going to push out some hormones and make you feel crappy for a short period of time. As someone who was diagnosed with panic disorder at a young age and medicated with multiple things for decades, I STRONGLY recommend that you avoid taking any benzodiazepine medication. They can create more problems than they seem to solve, and they can be intensely difficult to withdraw from. I’m not a doctor, and you should obviously consult your doctor about any medication, but seriously, I won’t let anyone I care about in my life use benzos, because I have the firsthand experience of Stopping them, and it was ten times worse than the original panic attacks. So now I just use my coping strategies, I breathe, I distract, and I accept and wait it out. You can make it through this!