Anxiety about Anxiety? Will it always be like this?

Hey there!

Just a concerned girl looking to maybe get some answers if you have any! I have a fear of having severe anxiety. One day I was sitting in my room and received some news about something mildly stressful. My body freaked and I had a panic attack about it. I kept ruminating on the thought "will I always be this stressed?" "what if I can't calm down?" Needless to say that was a little over a month ago and I still get uncomfortable with that thought, it doesn't drive me to a panic attack anymore but it's super bothersome! I ruminate on it nearly all day and sometimes it's very difficult to focus because the thought "are you feeling anxious?" keeps popping up into my head. I really want the very thought to stop because even in the most stress free situations the thought goes through my head. I don't really even have much to be stressed out about right now! Any advice for how you manage anxiety about anxiety? How have you walked through managing intrusive anxious thoughts?

Hey there

Little backstory: I had a mental breakdown half a year ago and suddenly had anxiety about the simplest things and activities. I couldn't take the train, buy food, have a conversation, etc. What I did the last six month was confronting the activities which have caused panic attacks. This sounds easy, but was really hard and exhausting work. Now, after 6 months I can do most of the things again, I could before my breakdown.

What I'm trying to say is, that you have to find out of what exactly you are afraid of. I don't think you're only afraid of having anxiety. This is all in my opinion, so no guarantee .
I think that you're afraid of a panic attack, which is completely rational, because these moments aren't really something you're proud of. You (probably) don't want an attack to happen again, because during one (that's at least how I experienced it) you're helpless. In the beginning of my "anti-anxiety-work" I always had to have someone with me who exactly knew about my condition and how to react. People who have never experienced a real panic attack can't possibly comprehend how exposed it feels. People without the knowledge just see a person randomly gasping for air.
Try to figure out, which situations caused your panic attacks. If your lucky you even find a reason (for example being afraid of taking the train because one got robed in one). Maybe you're just in phase in your life, in which you're not as resilient as usual.
Well, long story short: If you figure out in which situations who had anxiety, try to create these situations but with someone you trust. No-one functions under pressure brilliantly in every part of life, fortunately it's something you can train. Face your fears (with support) and train to handle them, and you will get used to formerly stressful situations.

I hope that helped .. If you wanna talk about your anxiety, you could text me via private message (so not everyone gets the details; I wouldn't feel that comfortable) - I might not be able to "cure" you but I'm a great listener

all the best

Use a self-distraction technique if possible. Try breathing exercises or visualisations. That's the sort of advice I got for my generalised anxiety.

Thanks so much for your advice!
I think what has got to me is I still get heart palpitations and the stomach flutters and I always just wanted to answer the question: why? Looking back on it I had just walked through a stressful semester of school and kinda felt burnt out after it making me more sensitive to those thoughts and I had to get things ready for traveling abroad and the numerous stresses that go along with that. Needless to say I've learned that it was just my body worried about having panic attacks wherever I go and getting down to what has caused the initial stressor was super important because we don't just get them for nothing! Understanding why has always been the hardest part. I think that whenever my body feels anxious I am now able to recognize: OK what is the root cause of this and what breathing/yoga exercises/speaking with my counselor/etc can I use to help me calm down and be more accepting of what my body is going through.
Thanks again!