Hi Heather,
I’d just like to let you know that you are not alone! I suffered from very similar anxiety last year where I would sit down to read papers and I would burst into tears. But it got better, and it will get better for you too. Sri is right, for me too it was about letting go and not putting so much pressure on myself. I know this sounds quite abstract, I was baffled by such advice myself. For me, the university councellors really helped me get on my way to recovery and I also did a self improvement programme online. But ultimately, for me what worked was proactively building new habits like yoga and meditation in the morning and committing to one hour of work everyday. It wasn’t a quick fix but it got better slowly and I tried lots of things before I found what workes best for me.

I would recommend reaching out to get help from a councellor because an outside perspective helps to break the cycle of negative thoughts and feelings.
I really wish you the best of luck

Mu xx