Trouble coping with an extreme change

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I am extremely sensitive to changes that take place in any close familiar family members. Recently my mom who had long hair (just below scapula) cut it to just above her ears. The change was so drastic that I started having a panic attack when I saw it for a second through FaceTime; the kind of panic attack I get when I am in a room full of strangers. I have been in semi panic attack mode since then. When I am in the same house or area as her, it feels like a full blown panic attack (shaky, sweaty, hyperventilating, fell like I am going to pass out). There is nothing I can do about and she has the right to do whatever she wants with her hair so does anyone have any tips to help me cope and achieve familiarity again?

There may be no way except time and experience - that as time continues on experience shows this is still her.

Consiously, I am fully aware that it is still my mother but subconsciously my mind registers a stranger in the role of my mother. This is the only explanation I have come up with pertaining to my involuntary reaction (the same when I am in a room full of strangers). It actually makes me less anxious to talk to her (while looking the opposite direction) because I recognize her voice. For at least 7 years I have associated her image and voice with home which was comforting after any less enjoyable experiences such as having to talk to complete strangers. I suppose that is why I started to forget my anxieties temporarily. The only feasible solution I have come up with on my own is to (subtly) not look at her until I forget what she used to look like (maybe a week) and then maybe my subconscious can be reprinted. I know this sounds like an absolutely selfish and unconventional solution but it spares me from have an 'episode'.

The Scarlet Ibis is the national bird of Trinidad. Are you from there?

Try different ways to prove to yourself that it is her. This includes tapping into your intuition... observing everything you can and then feeling out if it's really her.

I am not. The Scarlet Ibis is the title of a short story by James Hurst that I read a couple of years ago. I was deeply moved by the story and it has stuck around in my memories since I read it. That is why I use that username for many websites (including this one). I highly recommend reading it.

I have always had difficulty recognizing faces. Usually, I distinguish people by their voice, hair, height, and posture. I can remember someone's voice for years but forget a face after a couple of weeks or less. Perhaps this is why I even have a problem like this, it would be like an NT having trouble recognizing someone who had plastic surgery (different facial features), since I depend on other factors to recognize people this might be why if someone drastically cuts or dyes their hair then it makes them different to me. I will have redraw the criteria that make my mother in my mind (unintentional alliteration)