Well....I guess I would like to share that I have been back in school for 5 weeks now and my anxiety is under my control for once(most of the time anyway). Today I actually ran up a few flights of stairs so I wouldn't be late to class and this sent my heart racing extremely fast. I got to class and sat down and the anxious thoughts flooded me. I thought to myself, "i am having a heart attack, i gotta get out of here." Then my more rational self kicked in and I stayed the entire class period doing breathing exercises and telling myself that I am fine, it isn't a heart attack, my heart is just racing because I ran up several flights of stairs, I will be fine, etc. And guess what, It actually worked!! After about ten to fifteen minutes I was feeling much better and was even able to participate in class, which is something I haven't done in a long, long time. I am really happy, too, that I haven't missed hardly any school, just one day because I had the flu. There are still days when I dread going and when I get really anxious in class but I do not let the anxious feelings and thoughts debilitate me as they once did. It is crazy because just a few short months ago I felt doomed and destined to live a life filled with constant anxiety which I had no control over. I think more and more I am learning that you do have control over anxiety because anxiety feeds off of your fears, your anxious thoughts, negative thoughts so if you can control those, you can begin to control your anxiety. The next step is to become familiar with the physical aspects of anxiety, like the dizziness, nauseousness, fatigue, muscle tension, pounding and racing heart, etc. and if you can recognize them as just being anxiety and not something else, then you can take even more control over your anxiety. I am slowly getting better at this but I am by no means cured. It is probably something I will have to consistenly struggle with but I can live with that as long as I do not let it control my life. I hope this helps someone or gives you that feeling of hope because I am truly proud of myself for the past 5 weeks and you all deserve the same ;) SORRY for writing so much!