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

It could be any number of things; sights, smells, people, places, or even passing thoughts. The key is to breathe through it though, and remember that it will pass.

There is no one certain trigger or triggers for anxiety or panic attack. It really depends on the person themselves. It usually has to do with something from their past or something that they fear of the future.

Anticipation/waiting for something. Unfamiliar areas. Tight spaces. (Especially cars) Flying. Large crowds. People I don’t know.

Your body naturally has a flight or fight response, going back centuries ago, when this was important thing for humans to survive in the wild. Some people still have a heightened response to additional stress, or random factors, that can trigger the bodies flight or fight response. This causes anxiety and panic attacks, even if we are not in a dangerous situation. While having a self preservation tactic in our bodies may not be something that is required for our everyday lives in this century, our bodies can still be triggered into that response. Often watching out for triggers and stressors, and practicing mindfulness in your day to day life can help curb the anxiety and panic attacks.

The words anxiety and panic trigger me sometimes. Sudden loud noises or alarms going off often trigger me also.

A reminder of a traumatic event, such as a sound (like a song for example, or tune) or a phrase that someone says could release the repressed memories in your mind.

Lack proper coping mechanisms to deal with stress. Anxiety feels like the normal state of mind. Possibly not on proper medication or not taking medications properly.

I have panic attacks and anxiety out of the blue. It's hard to try to pin point what brought it on when all you are doing is your normal daily things. I think sometimes it could be from a previous stressful moment or overthinking and perhaps something triggers it at an unusual time. I wish I knew the answer but I have learned how to try to recognize the warning signs of an impending panic attack. For me it sometimes helps to try to focus all of my attention on one task in the moment.

Probably the cause is internal, fostered by experiences and expectations from some authority figure that the person respects. That person fears the disapproval, believes that the disapproval will diminished his self worth. Thus he is in a constant state of wanting to meet those expectations resulting in random anxiety and panic attacks.