Whenever I realize that I’m dreaming, I tend to freak out and feel claustrophobic
On one occasion everything around me paused, and I started clapping my hands saying " wake up!wakeup!" I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t.
Any advice?
By “claustrophobic”, do you just mean that you feel trapped in the dream, or that you literally feel like you’re in a really tight space?
For the former (which is the one I think you mean), the only thing that can really be said is to try to think rationally and calm down. Remember that if your WL body is uncomfortable or really needs something, you’ll wake up and your brain won’t let you stay in the dream at the expense of how you feel in reality. The fact that you started with “Whenever” means that you’ve had more than one LD… have you done anything awesome yet? Maybe focusing on that will make you more willing to stay in the dream.
For the latter, there is nothing stopping you from making more space. Make your surroundings move away from you by sheer will or by moving them with dream strength. Shrink to a smaller size to have more room or grow until you burst through what traps you. Fly up and out of the area or teleport elsewhere through portals or your own willpower. There’s lots of ways to approach this, but it all boils down to realizing the level of control you have.
EDIT: Also, this topic probably belongs in the Lucid Adventures board instead of Lucid Lounge.