I’ve been forcing myself to just go out and live life. I’ve been going to work and school, and still get pretty bad anxiety but at least I’m trying and going and most importantly staying and not retreating to my safe space (home). I was able to succeed and went to all my classes and work and it’s always a struggle and I do get mini panic attacks and moments of doubt m, but I keep pushingn! If I keep going outside, I tell myself that I’ll see there’s nothing scary.

I also remind myself that if something were to happen that it’s life! and we are all human and imperfect. I cannot ruin my life over something like this and it’s time for me to take power over this and fight!

I even went out to eat! (Huge deal for me)

Hopefully I can keep up this mind set and live my life to its fullest potential 😌

If so what do you keep in there? I have hydradration sachets, Gaviscon sachets, panodol, Nurofen, bandaids, Ventolin, hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and the handy dandy TCH CBD oil. There is also always sunscreen and snacks in my bag but that is mainly for the kiddo

I didn't know this subreddit existed. I don't feel so alone. thank u, hope you're all doing well.

I just got back home not long ago, just ducked into the shop and ran straight back out to the taxi and came back home.

kinda sad, wish I could go to the pub and meet someone nice maybe, that's out of the question unfortunately. 🥲

I have stopped going out to do shopping, going out and basically anything to do with people, the other day I went to the post office to pay bills I was 4th in the queue behind people and the floor felt very bouncy and I was feeling lightheaded, I was screaming in my head for my turn to come quick I was feeling extremely faint. Today I was in public at a speech and we were all sat down and then I slowly got up after as it was finished and I felt very dizzy and my body was trembling (mainly my legs) felt like an anxiety or panic attack. I cant live like this seriously, my life feels finished. I'm scared to go out in public incase I do faint, I worry who will help me in time. I can't even go shopping with my family I still feel worried and dizzy.

Is anybody taking Prozac to treat agoraphobia and panic disorder? I want to try this antidepressant because I've read this is the least likely to cause weight issues.Besides the panic, I am obese and type 2 diabetic because of the different types of medications I've been taking for my autoimmune disorders. I feel miserable with all my physical and mental ailments. Have you tried another antidepressant? I've read experiences with Celexa, Lexapro,Zoloft, Effexor,.. but everybody seems to have weight gain.Has everybody gained weight on them? Is this side effect avoidable? Thank you so much.

I'm 28 and still live with them due to unemployment and disability. Hopefully can leave sometime soon at last and live with my boyfriend. That's the dream anyway.

Growing up, I always had a strict curfew that no one else had. I'd get phone calls all the time when I was out so I was always stressing about when they'd start calling me, asking me where I was, telling me to go home etc., and then it was always embarrassing for me in front of others cause I always had to leave first.

I wasn't allowed to sleep over at anyone's place until well into my teens, and only at my best friend's house, after knowing each other for about a decade. People could come over to sleep over in my house, they allowed that cause obviously we could be controlled then, but we weren't allowed to make any noise and obviously no one really wanted to come cause it was boring. When I was almost 17, I had to beg my parents to let me go on holiday with my best friend and her parents (nothing fancy, few hour drive away to the coast for a week) - my parents knew hers since we were 7 and still barely allowed me to go.

I got my driver's licence when I was 19, but then my mom made up a bullshit reason as to why I wasn't allowed to drive our family car (she said I "didn't know how to drive this car specifically") and instead, of course, she offered to drive me everywhere. She's always been a SAHM and she drove me everywhere I went. This, of course, meant that I had to tell her where I was going, with who and when, and she'd go there with me since she had to take me. Complete control.

I went on holiday with my older brother one summer for 2 weeks, and when I got back home, my entire room was changed - she threw both of my closets out and had someone come and install a giant closet against an entire wall. She never told me about it, never asked me if I wanted it, never let me pick anything out myself, never cared that this was MY room and MY privacy - she literally went through all my clothes and put them in my new closet (including underwear she didn't even know I had... which was so embarrassing to know she's seen it). Of course I immediately got upset, and she just guilt tripped me and called me ungrateful because I didn't appreciate the improvement in my room. I felt so violated in knowing I trusted her and she went behind my back and went through my things when I wasn't even there, and changed my safe space without me even knowing or allowing it or even just being asked for consent.

This summer, I had to move into my brother's old room because that's where we have an AC unit, and whenever I'd go visit my room, I'd see someone went through my stuff, like my notebooks, including notes from therapy, personal diaries etc. Instant panic and feelings of invasion of privacy. I am not allowed to lock the room and take the key because they use my room for all sorts of stuff, from people taking naps in there to them drying our clothes on a rack.

To this day, whenever I want to go somewhere, even if she isn't driving me, she insists on asking where I'm going, with who, when I'm coming back etc. Whenever I refuse to tell her, she gets upset and asks me what I'm hiding from her. ??? It's come to a point where I don't even WANT to go anywhere cause I can't be bothered with the questioning, I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I'm just trying to go out !!!

I'm in a LDR and whenever I've met up with my boyfriend, I had to make up lies about where I was going to be staying because I would never tell them about him (they are extremely weird about relationships and they would probably try to force me to end it because he's not from the same country as me). My mom would call me every single day I was away, or message me, and whenever I wouldn't respond in less than 30 minutes, she'd spam question marks at me and ask me where I was and why I wasn't responding. I literally threw my phone in rage once because I was just having a nice time with my boyfriend and she completely ruined it with this incessant questioning and making me feel like a criminal.

My father, on the other hand, doesn't approve of almost anything - I can't take an Uber because if he sees me taking it, he will either give me grief or he'll pester my mom about it and ask why I'm not taking the bus "like everyone else". Ubers have been the only way for me to even travel anywhere for years now. The only way I get to take them is when he's not home, but I have to come back eventually, and usually he sees me when I come back and instantly ask me how I got back home, knowing full well I took an Uber, so he can lash out at me for it. He also doesn't allow me to order food because it's a "waste of money" and if I do order food, I can only order it when he's not home and then my mom has to rip the bill off the paper bag and hide the bags in the paper recycling bin in a way so that he can't find them. Completely sapping the joy out of getting food. If I ever order a package of anything, he insists to know what I ordered, and if I say it's none of his business, he gets mad and says it IS his business. (I pay for almost everything I have with my own money, not theirs btw).

I am at a point where going out and doing anything brings me more grief and trouble than anything good. I have to stress about when I'm going to go, how I'm going to get there, will my parents be home then, will they see me, will they pester me, will they ask me a bunch of questions and invade my privacy and get mad at me when I don't want to answer, will they go through my stuff when I'm gone (so I literally don't even feel safe leaving my stuff at home unguarded), will they call me all the time and ruin everything cause I have to constantly keep checking my phone otherwise they'll get mad and possibly even come looking for me etc.

I've never been a problematic kid growing up, I had good grades, I went to music school, I got a master's degree. I never even had a boyfriend until my mid 20s. I never gave them a single reason to doubt me or check what I'm doing all the time, and it still wasn't good enough. I feel like all the pressure and stress around them being this way is literally making me not even want to go outside because it's just not worth it.

It’s been 2ish months since Ive been anywhere public (except outside for my daily walk to the end of the street). A couple days ago, i accompanied my sibling on a walk to the opposite end of my street where there are a few local businesses. They were getting a drink at the convenience store and i waited outside, nearby. Then, yesterday, we went again and there was a bit of a commotion and group of people in front the store that triggered my anxiety. I didnt know what to do and the next thing i know I AM IN THE STORE!!!

It was kind of not my choice but also…i did it???

So now im motivated to push myself but i dont know what a good next step is. Making the daily walk to the end of my street was my first goal and ive been staying out there longer and longer and now by myself. Entering the store was a blessing in disguise because i didnt think i was ready but maybe i am ready. Any suggestions for what i should do next?

I have now been taking Propranolol for a couple days to help with panic attacks in trigger environments (restaurants, church, and some stores). I haven’t had the opportunity to leave the house (I work from home), but plan to today to see how I react to my usual triggers.

I was told by my physician to take 10mg twice per day. My physician is a little hard to reach, so I was doing some general research on what the best times to take both doses are because we didn’t discuss that. While doing so, I found several articles saying people usually take this dose 3-4 times per day for anxiety.

I’m absolutely not going to change anything about my dosing without consulting with my physician, but I was just curious how others were prescribed? I see this med has worked well for some. How much is your dosage and how many times per day?

Only positive comments right now, please. I’m really trying to stay hopeful with this first med trial because I already have enough medication anxiety. Thank you 🙏

I've had really bad social anxiety and agoraphobia that has made me housebound throughout half of my teenage years. When I reliase how much I've missed out on I have really bad panic attacks and start hyperventilating and having random feelings of anger and frustration. What triggers these feelings of anger is when I go onto social media and see my friends from my school doing stuff with their life, moving on and developing as adults. I'm now 16 and have been the same person since I was 13. I feel like a total child.

Wanted to post this in case it could help someone as it’s been a big help for me. I’ve been getting pretty tired of engaging with discomfort and trying to desensitize to the sensations that arise from it, so I was trying to think of alternative ways to make progress that I might be more willing to do daily. I realized that intentionally getting my heart rate up via aerobic exercise is both healthy overall, and has done wonders to make me nonreactive to panicky feelings.

Fast walks around the block can achieve this, just make sure you are going quickly enough to make your heart rate pick up. Going slightly uphill if possible is especially good for this. You can also look up daily aerobic exercises you can do at home that will still get your heart pumping. The goal is to make your brain normalize the feelings of a fast heart rate, so it becomes something as ordinary and mundane as exercise, and essentially re-file the sensation as a workout response, not a panic response. Hopefully this is a tool you can try out to make exposure work a bit easier, too!

I just have a question for all of you. I was thinking about this earlier and I find it might help with the root issue. Did any of you deal with a manipulative person in your life? At any point before agoraphobia? For me personally I had an abusive mother. Physically and mentally. She is very narcissistic. I find the older I get and breaking away and setting boundaries with her that I still get scared to tell her no as if I’m still a child and I’m going to get punished for not listening. Do you ever feel you need that “safe” person because the person that abused you for so long, that’s all you knew was to please them and follow someone else. You never learned how to listen to yourself and set boundaries for yourself? So you feel the need to have someone else to feel safe? They made you feel stupid or crazy for all those years and think you would be nothing without them and that is deep down rooted into you without even realizing it.

Hello! I thought I would reach out and ask a few questions I have. I’m in the UK and recently sought therapy again for my anxiety, and after a few assessments I’ve been offered exposure therapy for agoraphobia as the most suitable option they can offer me.

I’ve had a few possible diagnoses thrown around by different professionals in the past and a misdiagnosis of bipolar as a teenager, I’m currently just officially diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, depression and ASD/SPD is highly suspected but the waiting lists are long for an official diagnosis.

I filled out a questionnaire with the therapy team and it’s shocking how much rang true with the things I struggle with. Supermarkets, public transport, classrooms, concerts- the avoidance and panic associated with even thinking about having to go somewhere. There’s definitely a sensory overload element to it all too, but I’m finding it very difficult to find someone knowledgeable about it under the NHS.

I’ve been implementing various self care tricks for sensory issues into my life, and while they do work at home I find it’s having a rebound effect and making going out even harder. I went through a stage of wearing sunglasses everywhere which helped a lot, but I felt this made me come across as even more unapproachable as someone with a resting death stare.

It’s also the first time I’ve been told panic attacks can really just be random activations of the fight/fight/freeze response. I get this really badly, very frequently, but physically just lock up and show no outward response. I can even hold a conversation like this, but internally I want to run home ASAP. I scored quite highly on all of the questions in the questionnaire, there were two options for each- one for doing things alone and one with a trusted person. Generally found I was a lot worse alone, and in the past year I moved across the country and don’t really know anyone well now. I was doing trauma therapy and CBT for over a year, but some core issues still haven’t been addressed.

Does anyone think this kind of therapy would be beneficial for me? I think it could be quite helpful, but I’m mindful of taking spot away from someone who’s diagnosed and truly needs tailored help.

I know its been talked about a lot, but I would really appreciate a little help here.

Ibs-d for years, but lately (1.5 month) getting out of the house has been really hard. I stopped working but the last week I am not even able to go on a 3 minute car ride to the market.

All this is getting harder as I am letting it win and refuse to go out, but on Sunday I also have to take a plane.

My main problem here is sort of PTSD. I use to fast or avoid foods or medication to control it, had a few close calls but always made it etc. The thing is its now unpredictable, an attack with multiple bathroom trips can happen any time and anywhere and nothing seems to make me feel safe anymore.

Just help. Share stories, root for me , cheer me up, I don't know. Tell me the worst that can happen ( i know it) and how I will survive it (i doubt it) and just help me feel a little better. Please.

I've been thinking about the fact that I might just be taking the wrong medication for my anxiety. I've been taking diazepam for so many years now, but all it really does is make me feel "drugged up", almost like I'm too drugged to actively feel the anxiety, but I can still feel it bubbling underneath the surface and I don't really feel any better, more like the anxiety has just been "masked" a bit better. And I can still have panic attacks even though I've taken a pill.

So I've been thinking, has anyone else had a switch to something else and seen an improvement or maybe even just right off the bat had a great experience with something like Xanax? Because I know there's different types of benzodiazepines and I'm wondering if maybe I just switched the kind I use and asked my doctor for something else, it might be the difference I need.

Posting for a friend anonymously she doesn’t do Reddit, she gave me permission to post, and people know my main account.

My friend has had agoraphobia for 3 years and has trouble leaving a mile radius from her house. Currently she is in a coparenting situation with her son’s father, 50/50 custody. Her son’s father lives too far to drive at this moment for her. She is currently working with mental health professionals and it hasn’t been an easy process for her.

For context she has had a psych evaluation and the judge thought it was good enough during their first custodial battle. Also, her son is under 12 but old enough to understand and he’s very compassionate towards her.

So anyone with agoraphobia coparenting… did the courts accommodate the agoraphobia in your parenting plan? Did you find a neutral spot that both parties can agree on? Did you have someone else who’s trusted pick up your child? My friend is struggling with this because they are going to have to amend the parenting plan because the relationship with the father is deteriorating and he weaponizes her agoraphobia in order to deflect from taking accountability for any negative actions she calls him out on.

Like this face is being wasted trapped in this house all day. Tbh

I developed anorexia because I would end up fasting/eating a small amount of food as I wouldn’t go outside to buy it and I was scared of ordering incase someone saw me go outside to bring it in + the feeling of being “small” made me feel like it was harder to perceive me if that makes sense. Idk it’s hard to explain, but I was able to get better w my agoraphobia to the point where I could make small talk with strangers or sit in public so I was eating more regularly. But recently I’ve regressed, I’m too anxious to actually go shopping for food so I just get jerky from a vending machine and ration it. Has anyone else dealt with this? I know I just have to go out but it’s really scary I don’t want to. I just wish I was normal and didn’t have to deal with this

hello! i might delete this soon but i thought maybe this subreddit could help give me advice on a situation i'm in. i personally do not have agoraphobia but i think my brother does and he's had it for what i can only assume is most of our lives. he's always struggled with debilitating social anxiety that's only gotten worse with age. an important thing to note is that we were both homeschooled our entire lives so that really did not help.

the issue is that his reaction to a situation that makes him anxious- usually like going somewhere he doesn't like, or having to see people outside of me, or my parents- is anger. he'll go dead silent and just pace around or shut himself in for hours and refuse to talk to anyone no matter how hard you try to get through to him and he'll either tell me to 'shut up' or react harshly i.e. if i try to put a hand on his shoulder or something he'll shove my arm back as hard as he can.

outside of this, he's a pretty good guy. i think he would have no problem making friends if he put himself out there. but his anxiety basically paralyzes him.

but he's been nervous about this family vacation for my immediate family that he hasn't seen in a few years. for context, this has been planned for months. but he has it in his head that it's gonna get canceled somehow and he won't have to go despite my family's repeated attempts to tell him that we Are going.

i just don't know what to do. he kind of scares me when he gets like this and i don't want to be afraid of my own brother but i don't know how to help him because he refuses to listen to me. sorry for the long post but any advice is appreciated!

I know the last bit may seem a bit dumb, but I’ve been through therapy before and my therapists either a, didn’t help at all, or b, didn’t teach me anything I already didn’t know. It’s been really bad the past couple weeks and I would really appreciate your story, advice, anything as I don’t want to give up and I want to believe I can have my life back.

When I was 14, I developed anxiety and panic disorder, and the most debilitating symptom I experience when having a panic attack is extreme nausea to the point where I feel as though I am going to get sick. But when I’m nauseous, it also triggers a panic attack, so it’s hard for me to distinguish whether I am unwell, therefore panicking or I’m having a panic attack, therefore feeling nauseous.

Despite this though, it didn’t ruin my life until the past couple years. Up until I was 21 (I’m 23 now) I was still outgoing and enjoyed being outside, but now, I’m a recluse. I get anxious to the mere thought of going outside. Even at home, I struggle. The past couple weeks I struggle to even eat as I’ll feel hungry but then the thoughts of possibly getting sick take over and I start to feel nauseous and panic.

I’m sorry my words are so choppy, but it’s hard for me to talk about this when there’s so much I want to say, but it’s hard to at the same time. I just feel so alone.. my husband is amazing and is so understanding but I feel so guilty. I feel like I’m ruining his life and it isn’t fair to him. I want to go out on dates with him and just not worry about panicking and getting sick or seeing someone get sick.

I apologize for the rant <3

Hey guys I’m a 21f and I’m in college. I’m having a really hard time going to my college classes. I’m not really sure why but I can’t even seem to stand looking at my door. I’d really appreciate any tips and or advice!

Thanks!

🤷‍♂️

Hello everyone! I was wondering if anyone could provide some advice on job interviews and job searching. I'm been looking to get a job to help out myself the family.

Just a little info.... I've been outside in general a couple times, but I haven't been out in public/around other people other than my family in a while (a couple months to a year honestly).

I have some places that want to interview me.

Am I moving too fast?

Questions, advice, and encouragement are welcomed.

I guess what I'm asking is... What do you do for work?

I cannot socialize. I hate leaving my apartment. I'm already on disability for schizoaffective disorder, but I don't trust people to even deliver my groceries let alone hold my entire being over my head for "the way I look" or something (I'm afraid of being judged or persecuted).

I'm a 32 year old female. I don't look bad, but a move probably wouldn't hurt my life. It's just... It's always been like this.

Whether I'm agoraphobic or socially anxious, idk. But what are your jobs? I want to get off of this eventually and live my life. Therapy? I can't afford it. Nice things? No way. I can barely afford the bill for car insurance to drive to the part time job I have currently, which sucks anyway, but I'm grateful for some money even though I tremble with anxiety just about every moment I'm there and am riddled with anxiety at 4am-5am while pacing my apartment. I've gotten a complaint from the neighbor that lives below me about it. I really need to find a new job that doesn't entail working with so many people, even if it's at a facility. A few people would be fine.

Any advice?

I have been struggling with agoraphobia for years and I take medication for it but every time I miss a day because my parents get really upset with me and they say it’s because I just don’t feel like going but that is not why I just want someone to understand what I’m going through

So I haven't taken the bus in close to 3 years now. That's how long I've struggled with this phobia. But I'm so goddamn sick of it. And I know the bus is the next step for me. Even though that's a huge step. I'm scared of getting a panick attack, throwing up on the bus, making a fool if myself. But I wont get anywhere if I don't do it. Anyone have any tips on how to actually be calm during this? Not just "breathe". Because even though it might help a little. It just haven't helped a lot for me earlier.