How long can symptoms of anxiety last in comparison to a panic attack? my symptoms have been continuing for a while and only stop when i am distracted

Varies: Panic attacks are anxiety attacks, but they are the climax of theses attacks, people can have sustained high level of anxiety with concomitant physical symptoms, can last for days, however the climax of the anxiety which is the panic attack , usually lasts 5-20 minutes and mostly less than 10 min. Sometimes people feel these 10 min laying for ages. Anxiety disorders are very treatable.

Anxiety symptoms: Anxiety itself can last a long time -- especially in people with generalized anxiety disorder who worry all the time about many different things. This is distinct from panic episodes, which are usually much shorter in duration (they tend to peak in 10 minutes and be back to baseline within 20-30 min). It might be possible to have both in the same person.