BeRock,
that is GREAT news~!
Recovering from Panic takes positives just like this and it gives you not only hope, but something that was real and you can build on. To make it a possible turn around you have to remember this....If you have another panic attack and can't seem to calm it....don't let it take away from the fact that you were able to calm yourself from panic....don't beat yourself up and think it was a fluke.
For all the ones who have got to a good point in their life by managing anxiety, they will tell you that sometimes they have taken a step backwards before going forward again. I just want to encourage you that at some point if it doesn't go as well as you had hoped...by no means does it mean your progress is over.
I actually used to put it into a different perspective and looked at it like....if I didn't have another panic attack, how else would I practice my calming skills...so instead of worrying about the next one...I looked at it like a challenge to see how well I was doing....for every negative, there is a positive that can be got from it, you just have to develope the vision or the understanding of what value that negative brought.
My personal opinion is.....to make progress grow, the key is to pay less and less attention to the symptoms and do exactly what you did....even though you didn't feel right, you continued with what you had to do and you got through it....and when you do get through a rough anxiety spell and you feel like you did well....make it a big deal...do a little happy dance...fist bump...back flip or even honeydew and kiwi....it's those happy moments you must draw strength from and slap anxiety in the face and let it know that it is losing power over you....keep it up and you will have the last laugh....Best wishes ...WM