Thanks for sharing this moment of significant emotional experience with us. When we feel that our response to a particular moment is excessive (and that can mean different things to different people), it usually speaks to a reaction not only to the present moment, but to past moments that have felt similar.

This can mean that we have past traumas that are unresolved (haven’t been supported or processed), and so our body memory can have us “overreact” to a current situation that may not require such a strong emotional response. It does seem that this particular moment may have brought up fear of losing a friend, or having a friend harmed, which seemed, given the sight of the building, a completely reasonable reaction. However, it seems you are seeing a pattern with this type of “over” response, so I would recommend finding a counselor to talk to, perhaps one who specializes in trauma. If you are interested in pursuing this, we have therapists in our clinics, and if you are far from one of those, www.goodtherapy.org is a great resource. Best to you- Coach Zoe

Bstevenson 
I too have been known from time to time to be an over reactor. I believe my family at one point in my life wanted to have a movie made about me because if it (joke, i think).  One thing that might be helpful to you is an important fact i have learned about panic and anxiety which i have dealt with for a long time.  During that time, there is a moment of clarity that you feel and if it doesn’t go by you like a 500 mph train, you can use that as a tool to help bring your thoughts back under control. I realize it is easier said then done but, what makes it for a lack of better terms “exciting” is the fact that it is not easy to do. As an elite level competitive powerlifter of 26 years i always remind myself of one thing. If it were easy, everyone would do it. The challenge is what makes it the accomplishment.  I hope this helps

Have you ever heard of Mindful Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)?  A book called “The Mindful Way Through Depression” by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. It refers to knee-jerk reactions.  I am using this book myself and it has helped me go deeper in treating negative emotions.  There is also website for MBCT called mbct.com.