Factory reset--changing your environment?

Afternoon y'all!

I wonder if anyone has had a similar experience?

When anxiety and its entourage are in town (intrusive thoughts, heart palpitations, fuzzy sense of reality, and all the rest), I have a tendency to hunker down at home and wait for it to pass. I understand that it's the natural reaction. Go home, be safe, don't drive, etc. So much of what drives my panic episodes seems to be internal. I have an intrusive thought, I obsess over the thought, the thought doesn't go away, BOOM panic.

Has anyone else had personal success by battling anxiety (internal) with going somewhere with some strong external stimuli? Crowds usually give me intense anxiety (especially if it involves driving somewhere new downtown in the dark), but I didn't feel a shred of panic at my first hockey game. The arena was packed to capacity and everyone's excitement was infectious. The game itself was a little stressful (we lost in overtime, blech) but just getting caught up in everyone else's feelings for awhile left me feeling loose and relaxed for days. I couldn't hear myself think for two hours without mind-altering substances and it was awesome. I get the same sort of feeling when I go to the zoo and hang out behind crowds of school children when they're not tapping on the glass or trying to feed the animals. Happiness and excitement seems to be infectious.

Maybe just some food for thought when a walk or regular exercise don't cut it.