Hey everyone. I'm not particularly sure how to start this. I've struggled with anxiety and panic attacks for years now. And compared to others, it's really not all that bad. It's just I'm not good at handling it. I'm on medication (Fluoxetine to be exact), and that's helping quite a bit. But whenever something slightly stressful occurs, I go into panic mode. Have a heartfelt conversation with your dad? Que panic and crying. Try calling a stranger on the phone? Heart races and speech skills plummet. My anxiety isn't 24/7, what happens is that while yes, I still get more nervous than the average person, but I also get panic attacks whenever goes something goes slightly wrong. Today I just started crying cause I thought my college math class wasn't going to prepare me for Praxis. Which was stupid because I'll be taking a class later on that will prepare me for it. I remember I once started hyperventilating cause I spilt my moms water cup. Now it doesn't happen too often (I don't think) but I still feel like it's out of my control. How do you guys deal with this? How do I calm down when a panic attack starts to form? My brain always shuts off when it happens, and I don't know how to stop it. If anyone has any advice, It'd be greatly appreciated.

My friend struggles with anxiety too. She gets attacks very frequently. This is something that cannot be avoided, but we are always here to support her. So as long as you have your family and friends nearby they will help you. That's why you should talk about it so that you get support. I hope I could be helpful.

Dude, I'm the exact same way. As dumb and simple as it sounds, those breathing exercises help a ton during a panic attack. I forgot exactly how they go, but it's something like breathe in for 6 seconds, hold it for 4,then breathe out for 7,and repeat. Because during panic attacks, a lot goes on in your body, such as increased heart rate, shakiness, unstable breathing, and so on. Slow, steady breathing will help to steady everything else, which in turn makes it easier to focus. It took a while for me to actually get used to doing that when a panic attack occurs, but now it's kinda a reaction.
I wish I had advice for the crying and inability to think properly, as those are still things I'm figuring out myself. The breathing exercises help a bit with those, but they still are a problem for me. At this point I kinda just tell myself "okay, I'm overwhelmed right now, which is why I'm [insert anxiety related action] right now. I need a bit to breathe and get in a better mindset. Once I do, I can get this done without issue".

It's very much a "fake it until you make it" kind of thing. You have to keep telling yourself that you can handle your situation even if you don't necessarily believe it. It takes a while to be able to replace the negative thoughts that come with anxiety, but it does help. There's no way to make the panic go away, it's more of a matter of how to deal with it when it happens. Good luck and I hope I could help!