Store Anxiety

Today, I nearly had a panic attack at the store, I can't be 100% sure what it was caused by, but im pretty sure it was my body image. I'm in no way fat, I'm 17, 6'1, 178, I workout quite a bit, and have a bit of muscle, but I used to be obese when I was younger. Now obviously I dropped the weight, the majority of the mentality has stuck with me, I get really awful anxiety in public settings about my perceived body image, especially when it involved buying food, I hate buying food and or eating in front of people, even the thought of it makes me anxious. Is there anything I can do, I hate not being able or wanting to do stuff because an outdated mentality runs my life, I'm tired of it making me anxious about every little thing, whether it's a store, or a pool, or whatever.

Never mind the self consciousness over being tall. I'm 6' myself.

The greatest extent of a bikini I've traveled, at this point in my life is a tankini. Last summer, tossed my hands in the air, metaphorically speaking, after numerous days at the public pool.

How about a shopping list for grocery shopping, gives a different appearance, so to speak.

Tall women do get an extra look, so I can appreciate your self consciousness. Your weight sounds healthy for your height. I've had weight ups and downs, prefer being thin, myself.

Giving you moral support.

What helped me get over anxiety because of my self-image was to just go to the store and observe people. I focused on what I thought about them as they walked past, then tried to recollect everyone I encountered when I got home. I quickly realized most people are there and gone so quickly I don't even have time to register a thought about them, let alone an opinion. By the next morning, I couldn't even remember the faces of the random strangers I noticed the day before.

It got me thinking. If I don't even notice, or remember, people when I encounter them at random, then why would anyone be that focused on me? Realizing I'm just a face in the crowd, who'll be passed by and forgotten has made me feel a lot more relaxed when I'm in public. Now I don't care if I look tired, or I've got a pimple, or my socks are mismatched colors, because the only person who'll focus any amount of negative attention on me, is me.