Hi Shutterbug and Welcome!
Oh my God, how I resonate with your experience. One night I was half asleep and woke up hyperventilating in the parking lot of my apartment complex. The anxiety gets horrible, and I could barely drive by the end.
Two things are an almost certainty for you at this point. Smoking won't help your anxiety. In fact, there's definitely a chance that it'll make it worse. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and this could be your wake up call to move towards a more fulfilling existence!
When we stop using, our emotions hit us all at once. Sometimes it can be good for us to cry and let it out. If you have past trauma in your life, being clean will give you a real opportunity to actually work through it.
Glad you're feeling better. Marijuana, especially the kind most people smoke today, is actually a very powerful substance. Many underestimate it. We're here for you though. Just keep it a day at a time.