How do you feel with the trapped feeling?

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Hi, I've been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and recently I feel like I will just break at some point and I also feel trapped. I keep getting caught up in anxiety cycles, acting on them and sinking further into this feeling and it always feels like there is no way out. No matter what I do I am in the wrong. Right now I panic about friends leaving me but if I say anything I get convinced I am making it happen faster, when I say nothing I feel like my anxiety will make me burst when we speak and this makes me pull away, which makes me feel like I will cause what I fear. I have other anxieties too, some big, some small but they make me feel like I'm drowning, constantly living in dread. It feels like I'm trapped inside an invisible box that's slowly getting smaller and like I'll just break. I know this happens with anxiety sometimes so I just wanted to ask how others deal with it?

I don't let others dictate my actions. I make up my own mind and do not worry about the reactions of others. One of my observations is that most NTs respect that. I may be eccentric but I am 72 years old and am happy.

Sorry to hear, Iv. That's a bad place to be. My thoughts are that when I've felt in a similar place, it was coming from feeling I had a lack of control over my life and what was being thrown at me. A complete break from the setting or people causing you to feel this way, no matter how irrational, might help. Christmas break, being in Tier 4, if you're not already, might help break this cycle for a bit. Assuming you might be on a small dose of med from the Doc to aid the anxiety, if not, you might consider talking to your Doc about finding one that works for you, or assessing how all meds you might be on are going for you.

Releasing the tension and anxiety each day, as best you can through breathing exercises, general exercise, walking in nature, writing out how you're feeling as mentioned in the past. Breaking the cycle that's causing you to feel like you're a hamster on a treadmill and that something will snap ... you're at an age where things are amplified, emotions in general, being on the spectrum won't make that any easier, but try to remind yourself that where you're at now is temporary. Try to find comfort in just being you. Put aside for a moment that your friends matter, that they have an impact on you ... they need you as much as you need them. Everyone needs to feel validated or cared about. Once you get a handle on the anxiety, and it's more manageable, I'm hoping you'll find some empowerment in being a female Aspie.

Like most everybody else, distractions. Plenty of distractions. Also lay of the caffeine helps.