The mall wasn’t open yet and the door was still locked. Laughing, I realized that I’d never had this problem before. I’m never early for anything.

This is perhaps my most niche blog post ever, but: if you have an anxiety disorder and are planning on getting a septoplasty, this post is just for you.

I didn’t want to avoid grocery stores forever, but I also didn’t want to cruelly subject myself to a guaranteed panic attack at the helm of a shopping cart every week. I needed to re-frame the grocery shopping experience into a game.

So, guess what I did at 4:21 a.m.? I turned on the lights, picked up a pen, and started an alphabetical list of Things That Make Me Anxious.

Have you ever immersed yourself so deeply in a task that you don’t notice the world around you? Maybe you forget to eat a meal (because you honestly didn’t even notice that you were hungry!). Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this flow.

College: cheap fiberboard shelves, neon clothes hangers, drawstring laundry bags, and extra-long bed sheets. And futons — crisp and clean futons that, by the end of the school year, will reek of days-old beer and mildew. Oh, and stress. And anxiety. And panic.

Let’s face it: in the throes of panic, it’s not always comfortable to mindfully meditate on the present moment. Focusing on your pounding heart or on your irregular breathing patterns can fan the the panic attack flames. So, here are a few ways to distract yourself out of a panic attack.