Hi Cheyenne. I'm Sarah Jane. I get anxiety too. Hope you are ok?

im not doing so well today, my anxiety was and still is acting up

Hello Cheyenne. Welcome to the forum.

Gentle empathy on the anxiety. You are not alone. Anxiety genuinely sucks, both literally and figuratively. Ready to listen whenever you are ready to share details.

Welcome aboard.

I have panic attacks a lot because of my anxiety. Today I was at summer school and it started getting loud and people were crowding in one area and my anxiety start to flare up, I tried my best to calm myself and figure out my trigger.

Yea, those panic attacks and anxiety are close running buddies. They are not quite the same, but one often follows the other. What did you do to calm the panic attack?

In my personal psychosis, I work on calming the anxiety before I worry about finding the trigger. My shrinks and I believe that all too many of my triggers are one-time circumstances and the repeat triggers reveal themselves in time. Worrying about identifying every trigger just feeds my anxiety. In the scenario you described for today's episode, an unruly crowd triggers me, every time. I think that particular trigger is a sign of intelligence. An unruly crowd is among my proofs that none of us is as stupid as all of us. They turn into mindless mobs with the greatest of ease.

My therapist taught be a breathing exercise, breath in for 5 counts and breath out for 7 counts. And to focus on one thing. It works most of the time and it really helps me to calm down

It is amazing how much those breathing exercises can help. I tend to hold my breath when I'm anxious. Gee. . . Why am I dizzy enough to have tunnel vision?

Tactile grounding also helps me. Something as simple as running my finger tips across my arm or across a table top can help bring me back to the here and now.

Hello Cheyenne! Everyone here is here to help you and encourage you. I hope that you can find a way to cope with your anxiety. I am new to coming here again and have been getting lots of suggestions and ideas on how to cope with my anxiety. I believe one of the biggest things for me has been to see that there are people here who are willing to listen to me and help. I hope that this finds you well.

Hi! Glad to see you here. I'm glad you found an exercise that helps you with your panic attacks. I've never had panic attacks, but anxiety used to be my best friend who never left my side, haha. I had tried a lot of different things to help relieve my anxiety, but I didn't find any lasting help. I think my freedom from anxiety began when I heard these words:

"God is our shelter and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken
and mountains fall into the ocean depths;
even if the seas roar and rage,
and the hills are shaken by the violence."

These words reached deep into my heart because in my anxiety, my whole world was uncertain and scary, But this is a promise that even in the most terrible and scary situation, God is my help. He is my hope. He is my protector. I am powerless, but he is powerful! It really helped me begin to see life in a different light. It took me on a journey of fighting and overcoming the distortion my anxiety was casting in my life.

Anyways, glad you are here. :)