Perhaps this may sound a little strange, but it is something that I am truly struggling with-and I don't have any idea what is causing this. Whenever I go to the grocery store, a mall, Wal-Mart, etc.. I get hot all over, and dizzy. I don't feel relaxed at all-I feel like I just want to hurry and get out of there. I try to talk myself out of these feelings, reassuring myself that everything is fine- sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. When I get up to the checkout, the feelings get intense. I will get so dizzy and hot, that sometimes I have to leave my cart and walk out. There have been times when I have had to leave a shopping cart full of groceries and just leave. These feelings are much worse in large, crowded stores. I don't seem to have as much of a problem going in small stores. Things have gotten so bad that I rarely go anywhere anymore. It is easier just to stay home and not deal with it. I do not want to become one of those people who never leaves the house. Any advice is greatly appreciated!:o

Panic attack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack)

Go to this website... it will explain a panic attack and compare it to how you are feeling.
I personally have experienced this in the past and I visited my Doc and she gave me a prescription for anxiety and depression... to say the least it has worked wonders .
I hope I have at least put you on the right track.. :)

I am not a professional or anything but is something haunting you that happened in your past. Like was there ever an incident in a store maybe when you were younger you blocked out? Or maybe something horrible that has happened on the news that may even have you subconsciously scared?

You may want to talk to your doctor about possibly getting a medicine like paxil. I have the same anxiety as you describe. I can be very excited to go somewhere that would be a lot of fun and chicken out and want to wait in the car upon arrival. Paxil really helped me, I was much more relaxed in public. I hope your doc can help, I know how much it hurts when you just want to run away and everyone acts like you are crazy.

Sidenote- if you ever need to leave a cart of groceries, tell someone, an employee or another customer who can relay the message. I work in a grocery store and when a cart is abandoned, most customers and employees who pass by it assume you have just walked away to grab another item and it often sits there until all perishables are damaged and must be thrown away... Which is a shame considering all the hungry people out there, plus its loss for the store which ultimately leads to higher prices! We would rather put it all away than throw it all away! =)