I seriously appreciate everything you just said. And am so happy I found this site. I will definitely try meditation. Is there a way or video you can recommend to start with? Again I appreciate all the help.

My therapist taught me a practice that often helps. When I am rationally aware that my anxious thoughts are ridiculous, I think about the worst thing that could realistically happen. The key here is realistic. I used this last week when anxiety was keeping me from making some important phone calls. My anxiety was greatly reduced when I realized that the worst things that could realistically happen would be that I'd have to leave a message or that someone would say no to the request I was calling about. I did end up leaving a few voicemails, but no one said no!