What triggers random anxiety and panic attacks when nothing is going on?

The underlying thought and emotions or the memories of certain events. Even an anticipation of a certain object or an event can trigger anxiety or pain attacks. Such as overthinking about the spouse's death when she/he is in ICU can trigger panic attacks. In this example though a little something is going on but it is in the head of the individual not in reality as the spouse in the above example is under 24/7 supervision and care of the highly trained medical professionals. Random anxiety is generated by underlying sources of fear that one might or is struggling to bring in consciousness for the same reason that it is, troublesome. Which is why people who have suffered from severe trauma usually forget the whole incidence or the event as a defence mechanism as it is easier for them to function without the memory.

Sometimes it can be a smell, or a sound. Something that can be seemingly unnecessary but is also connected to the traumatic event (or what led up to it) or memory. It can also be associated with touch as well. Some times these potential triggers can’t be avoided, because there are factors in the environment that can seem similar to what one has gone through. It doesn’t make any week, or mean they are overacting. It just means there is some healing that needs to be address. Much of this is up to the individual though. It can be difficult and scary to continue to heal a wound you thought was better. It’s ok to feel fear.

I would say mostly focusing on negative thoughts. Most anxiety attacks come from pent-up stress and negative emotions, and it builds up to the point where the extreme panic starts to set in. I'm not an expert obviously, but from my experience attacks would always happen when I was really anxious about something and overexaggerated it's importance. It may seem like "nothing is going on" at the time in your environment, but a swarm of dark thoughts could be manifesting in your brain. The main way to immediately combat anxiety attacks that I use is to distract myself. By redirecting my attention to something else, my brain won't be focusing on what got me to such a state in the first place. I highly recommend finding something to comfort you and redirect your attention in times where you feel a anxiety attack coming on. It could be anything, but any comfort shows, videos, games, foods, etc. work great. I usually put on an episode of my favorite show! And by going back to something you know and are familiar with, you can ground yourself.

From a personal perspective, anxiety and panic attacks can be triggered by underlying thoughts or emotions - sometimes, these lie more within the unconscious. I have found that reflecting upon my previous week can help me to identify any conflict, events, or other issues that may have been undesirable that could be triggering these acts of anxiety and panic. This can help me to remain mindful moving forward of possible triggers. I have also found that major events, loss, and other undesirable experiences can build within a person if they do not discuss these experiences with others - resulting in a random and unexpected burst of emotions.

Sometimes when we are idle or when there is nothing really going on around us, our minds tend to drift away. This is when we begin overthinking, reminiscing, or simply just reflecting on our past actions or other people's actions. Sometimes, this is what triggers random anxiety and panic attacks although it seems like nothing is going on. When people feel anxious, it is usually caused by something else. It may be because you are bothered by a situation or something may have happened which may have caused you to feel this way. The best way to deal with this is to practice mindfulness and do breathing exercises. That way you will be able to calm yourself and reassess things better.