YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

how come a quiet dinner out with two friends turns into a stressful situation?
Major weather event, including a large branch from overhanging trees now in the car windshield vision - had to drive through! On the way home passed a fire truck attending to a car - flames from said car leaping into the night sky ....! Armageddon in suburbia....
And I wonder why my anxiety has peaked !!! Felt safe only when inside my unit
Vow to stop drinking tea to help stop anxiety. Realize the anxiety must be a sugar spike from yesterday's Overeating session

Sorry that you had to deal with that. My anxiety peaks a lot when there's a lot going on. I'm visually impaired and I can't stand when I'm in a restaurant and the music is going and people are talking. My senses get overloaded.
When those things happen, I try to take a deep breathe or just excuse myself and go to the restroom and splash water on my face. If I can't excuse myself, I just listen to the music, because that's a coping skill I use.