You're not a victim
You probably care too much. Anxiety is like a classroom bully. The more you feed into its cancerous energy, the more its effects weigh you down. Some get weighed down so much that they lose themselves and never regain faith.
That was my life for 12 years.
You don't "have anxiety" any more than a 'non-anxious' anxious person would say they have "happiness." They're just feelings. We don't own our feelings.
It's a tool our bodies use to protect us from immediate danger. It's useful sometimes. What's not helpful is thinking too far ahead or behind to the point of mental paralysis.
Here's the crux of how you'll regain control.
Being present is the antidote. A friend of mine says "the poison is the cure."
You'll remind yourself that the moments are temporary and won't kill. Despite the palpitations, the lightheaded feeling, and hyperventilation, you're not going to die, at least at that moment, from an anxiety attack.
You'll remind yourself that you're not a victim. A fire goes out once you starve it of oxygen. Acceptance and grounding yourself in the present is just that.
I've done 100+ hrs of talking therapy. I cared too much about being in control over insignificant parts of my life.
The truth is, life is random, absurd even. We can live in good faith and die anytime through no fault of our own. All because someone was texting while driving.
Once you accept many possibilities, there's peace in realizing it was our egos talking all along.
Care less, and you'll gradually become a happier and less anxiety-ridden person with time.
