I'm in the middle of a grocery store and it's overcrowded and loud. A baby is crying in the next aisle over, and the lady running the register seems to be scanning in slow motion. Meanwhile, my brain is running like it's hopped up on 10 energy drinks. For the past 10 minutes it's been categorizing all of the things I still have to do for this week, plus next week, and everything I still have to do before I graduate.

Two group presentations to run through, one exam to study for, three texts to respond to when I get back home, and eight emails to send out. I need to update my LinkedIn account and get in an hour workout at the gym, but I also have to meet up with my adviser to go over my resume.

I look at my watch and I see that the post office is about to close, and I remember that I forgot to send out paperwork for my mom. As my mind continues its demanding list, I feel hot tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. Two seconds later and I'm breaking out in a sweat. The thoughts continue to speed up faster in my mind, and I can feel the sickening feeling of my heart fluttering in my chest. Immediately I realized what was happening in the middle of this very public setting; I was having an anxiety attack.

For a long time I was ashamed of having anxiety. It made me feel weak and vulnerable.When I first began having attacks, many of my friends didn't seem to understand what I was going through, and I was too stubborn to actually go talk to a doctor or therapist about my anxiety.

The summer before my junior year I experienced the worst panic attack to date. It was after that, that I listened to my parents and met with a professional to help me cope with my anxiety. After accepting the fact that I truly had anxiety, I was able to finally focus on taking care of myself and learning to manage my anxiety.

Since then I've found a set of things I tell myself whenever I come face to face with my anxiety. I give myself the time I need to bring my thoughts together and count down.

Then I tell myself these five things.

1. "Breathe"

Pause. Stop thinking, and just let the sound of your breath filter out the negative thoughts in your mind.

2. You don't need to push yourself.

I tell myself that I don’t need to make myself do everything in life. I don’t have to say yes to every set of plans that comes my way, I don’t have to lead every group project, and that’s OK. Taking on what I can handle and succeeding is better than pushing myself too far and overwhelming my body and mind.

3. Is it really so worth getting all worked up over?

Sometimes I’ll get so wound up throughout the day that I begin to get agitated over the smallest details. I'll get anxious over simple things like forgetting to bring my laptop with me to a lecture. But if I just pause and take a step back, and look at the grand scheme of the day I realize that what I’m freaking out about is about as important as a speck of dust. So what if I forgot my laptop? A notepad and pencil work just as well for taking notes.

4. It’s OK to be afraid.

Facing your anxiety head on is better than trying to ignore it, and since you can’t always stop an anxiety attack from coming on, you can at least learn to ride the waves out. Understand that there is nothing to be afraid of in reality and that it’s just your body going through its own way of dealing with stress. The simple reminder of telling yourself everything will be alright can be enough to soothe yourself during an anxiety attack.

5. No one is going to be angry with you for your anxiety.

There have been plenty of times when I was in the middle of a terrible panic attack and wanted to reach out to a friend or family member. But I stopped myself. I was always so worried that they would get annoyed with me or I would inconvenience them. I've realized that a lot of my friends live with anxiety, friends who are understanding and willing to sit down with me when I'm having an anxiety attack.

Every day is both a new struggle and a new achievement for me.

While living with anxiety has been a struggling battle, I'm not letting it stop me from going after the life I want.