Oh boy, I can tell this is going to be a long one
In 2015 I had three panic attacks in the space of around 3 months or so. I had always considered myself as a chill, relaxed person and suddenly I was having panic attacks. Was a very strange experience I can tell you. I haven't had any panic attacks since but I have come very close on a few occasions. Recently, having graduated, I've been needing to find a job. I've been doing cover shifts at the one place I've been working at since I came to Finland (summers at an old folk's home), but now I'm feeling more expectation and pressure from others that I now need to go work in a big hospital doing "proper" nursing and I need to be competent and knowledgeable and it has left me a bag of nerves and anxiety.
My original problem that lead to the panic attacks is that I was putting too much pressure on myself to be perfect at Finnish and so every time I had an interaction with someone and I used the wrong word or didn't quite catch what someone said I would beat myself up horribly about it and think I was stupid and the other person was going to look down on me and I would never be able to make it in Finland and and and and etc. It's the same thinking I know have over starting a job somewhere new.
I still haven't conquered the original trouble I have with Finnish and I haven't solved the job problem (though I have more cover shifts), but I've learned a lot about what does and, more importantly, doesn't help:
1. Don't avoid doing stuff. This is my go-to defence mechanism and it's terrible. Avoiding doing the thing or confronting the thing just makes the thing scarier. Push through!
2. Avoid "and and and". The best thing to do when panicking or stressing is realise you're panicking or stressing and not allowing it to keep spiraling.
3. Related to 2., BREATHE. One very important thing I learned from my nursing training is stepping away from a situation and taking a breath. It's very easy to be caught in a situation and only seeing what's in front of you. Tunnel vision is terrible and makes things worse. Stop, step back, rotate your head left and right to open up those blood vessels to the brain, breathe in, breathe out, step back in. It's amazing how much it helps.
4. Everyone is their own worst enemy. We save the worst criticism and judgement for ourselves and the way to battle the inner critic is to talk with others about it. Like now
It's all about perspective and getting other people to help you see already doubles the number of perspectives you have available to you. Other people are very useful.
5. Listen to your own advice. Oh wait, this one is just for me
I still have a way to go. I know all these tips and I have a lot of help but all of these things are a process. That can be number 6. maybe. It takes time. None of this stuff gets fixed over night and patience has long been labelled a virtue for a reason. There are a lot of philosophical motivational phrases I've heard from wise men, but the most useful is probably "Keep on truckin'". I hope you feel better and find yourself in a better place soon.