Ladybug,
If you don't mind me asking, are you in high school or college? I just wanted to know because I used to have severe anxiety attacks growing up. I mean, SEVERE. When I was about 16 or so, I even got to the point where I couldn't go in the school cafeteria for fear of having an anxiety attack. I was home schooled for a while.
I will tell you a story that has helped me get over my anxiety attacks. I remember a therapist explaining this to me but it didn't make since at the time because I was even having an anxiety attack while seeing him even. He told me that in order to get over your fear...you just have to face it. I was like, "What...there's no way I can do that." I didn't even really listen to him after that but I do remember a silly little story he told me. He told me an example of this would be a person who is afraid of balloons...to take that person in a room filled with a balloons and just let them freak out until they finally calm down. I was 16 at the time so I thought, "that would be cruel and wouldn't help me." I had developed severe social phobia...I cared too much about what others' thought of me.
I was working at a fast food restaurant during the midst of my "social phobia" and I requested to work in the back making the burgers instead of the front as the cashier around the customers. My old supervisor understood this so she never asked me to work up front.
Well...one day around Christmas time, a few employees had called out and our new supervisor told me I needed to work the cashier, that they had nobody else. At first I was scared...but then I was like, "OK, maybe I can do this." Anyway, the line was forever long filled with tired, hungry, and grumpy Christmas shoppers ready to eat. At the midst of ringing someone up, I had a severe panic attack. I couldn't even count the money she had given me...that's how bad it was. I couldn't think straight. Well, my new supervisor wasn't too far away and I just loudly told her..."I'm having a panic attack and need a break." She looked at me strangely and said, "OK", and she finished ringing the customer up for me. I sat down and started smoking a cigarette...very flustered. Another employee was on his lunch break and sat down at the table I was at while I was smoking. I told him, "I'm having an anxiety attack and just left what I was doing." He was like, "Oh, really." Like it was no big deal. I then calmed down while talking to him. After about 10 minutes, I told my new supervisor that I was ready to come back. I finished ringing up that huge line of people and never again, in my life, had an anxiety attack.
I started thinking about what that therapist had told me before about putting the person who was scared of balloons in a room full of balloons. It made perfect since to me after that.
about 7 years after that incident, I went back to college to further my education. I will never forget the struggles I had growing up...but I do believe that fast food job experience helped me get over my anxiety attacks for good (and I never thought anything would).
I hope everything works out for you. I am now taking Xanex twice daily as needed. I take one at night just to help me sleep. You are right about one thing...it's all in your head. Once you figure out HOW to get it out of your head...sometimes by just going through it and realizing everythings going to be OK (like in my case) for example.
One thing you may want to do though...just in case...is get a medical exam to rule out anything more serious (just in case it isn't "Just an anxiety attack"). Once you have ruled this out, maybe talking with a therapist you trust can be of some help. Sometimes it doesn't help just to be on medications, and sometimes it doesn't help just to see a therapist. One may help you...the other may not. Or, you may need both (as I did growing up). Good luck and post back soon.
By the way...welcome to this magnificant board!!! You will get tons of great advice and insight here.