I started to cry uncontrollably, followed by intense shaking, dizziness, lightheadedness, inability to breathe and nauseated. What happened to me?

It sounds like you had an Anxiety Attack. I have them too. They suck. Mine end sooner if I do breathing exercises and doodle. Talking about it can help - whether to people here, a counselor, or a physician. 1. Talking to people who understand helps to make me know I'm not crazy. Here is my favorite! 2. Counseling helps. A lot of schools/colleges have free counseling, or you could get it online, or look up cheap counseling in your area. 3. Some people need antianxiety meds. I don't, so I can't give specific suggestions, but my friend takes them, and they really help her! So talk to your physician to learn more. It's scary, but if I can make it, you can make it. You have a good community here to support you.

It sounds like you had a panic attack, which is a symptom of anxiety. Panic attacks can range from freezing up and losing focus, to full blown shaking, crying, and struggling to breathe similar to what you experienced. It’s definitely scary and it feels so real in the moment, but there is hope! If you ever feel like you are about to have a panic attack, you can focus on your breathing, taking long, deep breaths. Find something to ground you, this could be an object such as a stress ball, a sensation like breathing, or even the flavor of food or focusing on a pleasant smell. It works best to do a combination of things to calm down. It’s best to recognize your symptoms before it becomes a full blown panic attack, because it’s much harder to calm down in the middle of one, but not impossible. It’s highly beneficial to recognize your feelings.

The same thing happens to me a lot due to anxiety. I'm not sure if this is what you have at all and I'm definitely not trying to diagnose you but maybe think about anything recently that has been on your mind or stressing you out. Think about if this is the first time something like this has happened to you. If so, it is most likely a specific reaction. towards one triggering moment or a series of triggering events. If this happens again, something I do to calm down is called grounding. You look around and find five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. It doesn't completely stop every symptom but it does help me connect with my thoughts a bit more.