lingering feeling following panic attack.....

Last week on Thursday, the company that I work for participated in a practice tornado drill. All employees are *required* to comply.

There are about 40 people in the build that I work in and we are all supposed to go to the restrooms. So we go there and after I enter (being one of the first), I hold the door open for others to enter.

I am very uncomfortable in groups where people want to small talk. And the room was getting very loud with others chattering. And the drill dragged on and on..... we are not allowed to leave until management gives the "all clear". Five minutes go by, then ten minutes, then fifteen.... The panic feeling starts to wrap around me......

I know I can not flee (which I really, really wanted to do) - so I just stand there with the door open. A person from the other room comments "why are you keeping your door open, do you have claustrophobia?

Now I know that the question was innocent enough, but now I was pretty much knee deep in a panic attack and I was "trapped". Nobody from my work knows of my issues. So I said "something like that"...... and looked down (so as to not make any eye contact).

Twenty minutes go by. Twenty-five..... FINALLY we get the all clear and I pretty much race to my cubical. I could not function for the rest of the day.

That was almost four days ago and I still feel like I can not think. I "look" normal on the outside, but my head feels like the top of it wants to crawl right out of my body......

Do anyone have experiences like this? Or am I just a freak?

No you're not a freak. I have issues with people too (space). If you want to can talk to someone or us more. I find for me that working helps but it has never gone away completely. At least with strangers.

I used to get really anxious when I was in situations where I was stuck with the possibility of having to make small talk. Dreading someone talking to me, because I wouldn't know what to say, and all of that fun stuff. I've worked on it a lot over the past year, and now find I can go through those situations, and be calm and relaxed the whole time. It's kind of weird not worrying, after living with anxiety for nearly 30 years. I'm not complaining though.