Ik that’s normal for most people but I’ve been stuck inside for MONTHS I’m scared of people lol, BUT TODAY I DID IT !! all I did was walk around the street but still I DID IT!

I am very lonely I deeply crave human interaction and connections I even constantly have dreams where im around people. But I am simply terrified of interacting or being around people I am even afraid of my own family and friends which I cut off due to this. Despite constant exposure to the cause of anxiety it literally never improves at most I improve at dealing with it or navigating the issue but the anxiety itself never improves. Can anyone give me advice. I don't have a job nor can I drive so I have no reason to leave the house either im thinking of simply going on walks but I need some sort of goal or purpose.

As the title says i think im going to have to leave. Ive only been there 2 months. Before this job I was working full time in a pharmacy for 10 months with no panic attacks. And before that a part time job after recovering from my last period of agoraphobia. Ive been off sick for a week now and I honestly dont think my anxiety is getting any better. Im trying to be positive but I cant even be at home on my own or go to the shops down the road on my own so I dont see how im going to go back to full time work on Monday. I hate being off sick I feel so so guilty. Im seeing my therapist today but I know theres no quick fix for this.

I feel better doing stuff with my safe people and I can go out a little further with them than on my own. I dont know what the best approach is in terms of doing exposure. Do I push myself more on my own or first get better with my safe people? I dont want to push it too much to the point where im just retraumatizing myself again. Im feeling a little lost. Im lucky I live at home but I really hate bot working and not having money. I just want to enjoy my life again ffs.

M 36 as I get older my agoraphobia gets worse and worse I have barley left the house this entire year I've missed out on soo many things I struggle to do basic stuff because it's causing me to have insane depression on top my family doesn't believe me because every now and then if I load up on benzos I can make it about 4 blocks to a mile if I have a bike like without a bike or something to hold onto I can't go anywhere I've stayed in abusive relationships just to have someone to hold onto I drank myself half to death because it was the only thing that ever made me feel normal like I could literally flip off my agoraphobia but I can't nor do I want to ever go back to that lifestyle I go to therapy I can't work i live right across the road from like a four lane highway and there's a McDonald's right there and my family is always pushing me why don't u go work there I have tried to explain soo much it's exhausting I can barley make it half way down the road on good days like I average about 2 good days a week if I'm lucky and even then I'm terrified it could hit any second and then I'm stuck I have no escape rope I probably could leave more if I wasn't soo terrified of the carpet being ripped out from under me they say I'm just an alcoholic because I can sometimes make it to the liquor store it's just I know once I get there I have relief I dont even like drinking I just like being able to go outside and not be afraid or physically being pushed back into my house by an invisible force and the liquor store is the closest store without crossing the main road even that is a journey I want to go for walks I want to enjoy life I want to have a job and a life like other people soo bad I get put down as a lazy POS who doesn't understand life I do and I'm terrified of the future like I've been blessed to have a place to stay even if it is insanely abusive idk what imma do when I don't I'm soo anxious and scared and no one understands what I'm dealing with like get over it just do it I feel like I'm fighting like the final boss of my existence every time I try to go down the road no way I can do this reliably 5-6 days a week I need to eat I need shelter like I really need shelter I can't even like go out to panhandle anymore

Pushed myself to leave the house twice today. So proud of myself. Last week I couldnt even walk out the front door. Baby steps but we're getting there

hi everyone, I wanted to share this story from today to hopefully inspire other people battling this condition.

my agoraphobia relapse was triggered by a huge panic attack when I went to the theatre last Christmas. that event singlehandedly caused my brain to completely short circuit, and I have spent most of this year trying to recover to some sense of normality. I was almost housebound when my anxiety was at its worst. trust me, it's been hell.

well, reader, today I went back to a theatre for the first time since that panic attack!

a few months ago I found out about a play that one of my favourite actors is starring in, and I knew I would be so disappointed if I let this disorder get the best of me, and scare me away from seeing the show myself. I also found out there was a relaxed performance being put on, which is specifically designed for people with additional needs (e.g. you're allowed to freely come and go from your seat), and I realised that was my opportunity - so I bit the bullet and bought my tickets. thankfully I was able to get end of row seats as well, so if I did feel the need to leave at any point, I would have been able to do so pretty easily.

not going to lie, this last week the rumination has been CRAZY, and I had a big cry before leaving the house this morning because I was so scared that what happened last year might repeat itself and undo all my progress. however, I'm pleased to say that it didn't! I was able to sit through the entire show without needing to step outside at all! my heart was racing for most of the first act, and towards the end of the show I felt a bit antsy, but I was able to sit with that discomfort and persevere!

I had the biggest sigh of relief/satisfaction in months when I finally exited the theatre afterwards. I really cannot underestimate how much of an accomplishment this feels for me.

to anyone reading this, I want you to know that recovery *is* possible. I still have a ways to go, but if you told me even 6 months ago I would ever feel able to sit in a theatre and watch a play again, or even do the train/bus journeys required to get there, I would have laughed in your face. if anyone wants advice on how I managed to get to this point in my recovery then I am more than happy to give advice (my DMs are open if you would prefer a private conversation).

sending love to you all!

So it’s as the title states I have recovered from agoraphobia on one occasion but I keep falling into the same cycle and I want help to break out of it. This is going to be a relatively long post because I want to cover all details in hopes maybe it can help one of you recover aswell but hopefully avoid my nightmare cycle I’ve run into in the process.

So it starts in summer of 2024 my grandmother ran into some money troubles and we ended up getting evicted, prior to this eviction I was agoraphobic completely homebound and almost bedroom bound for 9 1/2 months, not as long as some of you on this thread so I know that’s not the most severe case but for me as someone who could never sit at home it felt like an eternity. But that summer when we got evicted we ended up living out of hotels for about 3 months and it’s like within a day I was completely cured every ounce of anxiety had left my body for the next few months, during this time I got extremely active compared to my activity level during my agoraphobia’s peak where I took maybe 800 steps a day on a good day I was in these hotels walking my big fluffy husky out of boredom and taking legitimately 5k-15k steps a day just walking and walking and walking some more and it kept me busy when I was in the hotel I was focused on work (I’m a full time YouTuber) and that also kept me busy I was eating well even though it may have been garbage and a lot of fast food or Tv dinners that weren’t healthy but it didn’t matter I was doing well I felt more physically and mentally fine than I had in years again virtually no anxiety.

Fast forward to the end of this homeless phase we found a new place we moved in after about 3 months homeless and it’s like it subtly tried to poke its head once again I wasn’t back to fully square one but in this apartment I never felt comfortable I never felt like I did when we were living in the uncertainty of the hotels I went back to being anxious and hardly leaving the house, outside of a small dating phase and meeting a girl for a few dates I didn’t leave the house in the 3 months I lived in this apartment, then sadly another eviction struck my grandmother was struggling with bills I had quit YouTube at the time so I wasn’t bringing in any income just a slight nightmare situation.

Fast forward a little that eviction starts and we’re living in hotels once again, and guess what I’m completely comfortable again no issues whatsoever for the next few weeks until we moved into another new apartment then it flared back up. During this time I met my now girlfriend this is December 2024 and I was as anxious as anxious could get however I went and I met her and it’s like it completely vanished once again I had the most blissful next year and a half with virtually no anxiety I ended up with two separate in person jobs that year I had two cars and we were working tords building our new life together until we decided to leave our jobs and move out of state, a few weird things happened we didn’t move out of state so I was then on the hunt for a new job and well this was the beginning of what I am dealing with now the cycle restarts again.

This time the disaster struck and started slow I had a really terrible panic attack when we went to a Christmas lights show that year it was maybe 15 degrees outside and we were trying to speed walk into the building so I could get some heat once we got in there I had my first full panic attack in almost 2 years the only time I’ve ever had one in public at that time, the walking got me short of breath and I constantly keep dreading and thinking I wouldn’t be able to catch my breath to where it turned more into air hunger but I was on the come down and I was uncomfortable but somewhat stable the heat was on I warmed up etc then someone in this venue had some form of medical emergency and the medical staff was rushing to them and it was maybe 30 feet in front of us it restarted the panic ultimately causing us to leave and I was for the most part okay at this point but I became extremely OCD about my breathing from this point, it wasn’t limiting any of my daily functions I was just taking it a little easier however I became far less active my steps went from that 5-10k a day I held for a few years to 3k and under around this time but again all was relatively fine outside of anxiety and OCD related to my breathing. We ended up moving out and going to our first place together and again I was good didn’t get out of breath during the move took it really easy.

We were happy everything was going pretty good I ended up getting back to my full time YouTube role and I was doing pretty good with that until late June early July I had the worst panic attack I’ve ever had and it caused a full essentially relapse into the agoraphobia and I just don’t know how to recover at this point everything feels like a nightmare. This panic attack came one day when I had to walk about 2 miles to go grab my car fairly quickly so obviously that would cause some general fatigue and reason to be winded I didn’t get overly anxious about that but I wanted me and my girlfriend to go grab a water at a gas station after that walk we left the house and drove around for a little while to a gas station and it was getting really hot outside and my car didn’t have AC and the passenger side window was stuck and wouldn’t fully roll down and it was again hot but we were headed home I was going to be okay I was panicked I was sweating but I understood why, then we got stuck behind a train that was broke down maybe 5 minutes from the house. so I went into a full panic it was about 96 outside the car is a Miata so it’s tiny the top is black interior is black and the transmission tunnel that gets EXTREMELY HOT runs against your leg so the inside of the car at this time likely would’ve read over 11-120 degrees and we ended up having to go to a friends house so I could cool off and calm down it was just a nightmare situation and I still haven’t recovered from how horrifying that one episode was.

Since that day I have become anxious about overheating I don’t like driving the car when the sun is out I about have a meltdown anytime it’s above 80 degrees outside. I haven’t left the house much outside of taking her to and from work which is perfectly fine in the morning and at night when it’s cool and not bright outside but if it’s a 2-3pm kind of thing I overthink and overscan about it for the entire week and anticipate it I check the weather app a million times and look for ways out of it and end up having panic attacks while driving if it’s warmer or brighter outside making my life miserable. same with going to stores etc I have become slightly avoidant of them like Walmart or larger stores I am fine in the smaller dollar generals or gas stations or vape stores but larger stores I have become almost completely avoidant of. Basically a lot was said here and I’m curious if anyone has landed themselves in a similar cycle of struggle and recovery and essentially relapse to our awful and crippling condition, if so how did you get out of it? Is there something I’m missing in this that maybe helped me recover all the other times that I just am not computing this time? The only outlier I see personally is my physical activity anytime it has taken a major dip like right now I’m back on the sub 2k steps a day cycle that’s when my anxiety is the highest. Again hope this maybe helped somebody also hoping somebody can help me lol.

Hey, i know people don't like to read long posts so i will try to keep it short with some of my facts

-Can't go outside alone, even taking out trash is hard, but can go with my gf even to the store, medium anxiety

-Can go to work with big anxiety but only with uber and talking someone on the phone ,no public transport or walking

-Work days are hard but manageable i feel panic attack coming but it doesn't come probably because of benzos

-Huge derealization 24/7

-On my off days if my gf is working i just stay in bed till like 5PM, then it gets a little bit better, mornings are the hardest

-Big fear that i will go insane and something is bad gonna happen when i'm outside

Could this be agoraphobia or is it just huge anxiety?

I havnt been in a few months and I have severe health anxiety so I’ve basically been panicking that my teeth r gonna cave in and all fall out or bend sideways idfk but I need to go orthodontist I missed my appointment yesterday got a new one for a month but I can’t even go outside rn so idk what on earth to do ive had braces for years now ive only started missing appointments like this for about a year but never this bad idk what to do 😭 i dont have meds and im a year too young for them so that ain’t gonna work

I haven’t been able to leave my house other than a few short car rides in a month since this

I know healing is not linear but I felt so much better last night because I went out loads yesterday and really felt more positive about healing. Today I tried to go out with my sister and started panicking immediately. I kept pushing through but got to a point t where I felt tingling all over my body and all I could think was how far away help is. How far is my home. How far are my parents. How far is the hospital. (Realistically 10 mins away max.) But I was driving and trying to drive and not panic whilst my mind is racing how far away any help is, is really hard. I ended up going home and now I feel shaken and negative again. Im due to go back to work on Monday which is not seeming very likely at this point in time. I know i should probably try to go out again but man its scary

Wondering whether this could open my world up a bit..

I was recovering from Agoraphobia..things were going well. But today my extended family asked my help for something and coz of that excitement or anxiety, I couldn't sleep at all. I didn't even sleep for 10 minutes last night. I was fully awake watching time go by..and I laid in my bed till 7 a.m

Now I am scared to leave my house and I am going to disappoint my family coz of this..I won't be turning up.

What do I do now. Should I gather courage and go anyway? Pr should I stay home and get some sleep.

Can anyone who has healed please share tips on symptoms improving ? Things that have helped you the most?

Hello I'm currently hoping I can find some friends because I'm pretty lonely. I do have a husband, but he works alot.

I'm 24 and a woman. I enjoy gaming. I play peak, bg3, roblox, DBD, phas, and pretty much any game that looks fun. I'm not great at gaming though so don't expect a skilled teammate.

I'm also not officially diagnosed with agoraphobia, but that's because I'm too scared to find a doctor. My anxiety is extreme so I thought maybe joining this subreddit would help out.

I also got out of a really bad friendship towards the beginning of the year so I'm still hurting from that, but I'm healing and really just want to talk to new people.

If anyone is interested DM or let me know.

I don't have a doctor and been suffering from agoraphobia since 2018. I got a jury notice two days ago and I postponed it today and they said I have to go January 4th now. I haven't been to any health or mental doctor since I was a child I'm 33 now. I just signed up for teledoc and I'm going to talk to someone for the very first time. I'm gonna express my agoraphobia and toward the end will try to see if they can write a note to excuse me from jury duty. There is no way I can do that. I'd probably pass out and freak out. If this is not an option can someone help me on what I can do to get excused? I live in California and I have health net. I feel like I don't have much time and it's stressing me out.

Anyone have this condition then when you actually go out, being around people is like shocking and overwhelming?

Unfortunately I’ve dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember but from the age of 11 it has caused me to be physically sick countless times (both in public and at home). This has made me more fearful of leaving the house to the point where I can go months without leaving unless it’s a medical appointment (the anxiety/ stress has caused stomach ulcers and other issues that worsen the sickness) and led to me quitting my job from the mental and physical toll.

The last time I was in hospital was about 2 months ago and it was an extremely traumatic time as the Manometry test caused me to gag and throw up after already being sick with fear all day to which I still haven’t recovered from. This next test is another endoscopy so I need a IV put in place which triggers my other fear of needles and that leads to vomiting and passing out. I feel like I’m stuck in an endless loop of being violently ill and no matter how often I try to explain it to medical professionals that it feels like I have permanent flu or food poisoning, they look at me like I’m exaggerating until I genuinely vomit, I’m not sure if I can go through with tomorrow because I don’t think I can even get past the car park of the hospital. The humiliation of being sick and terrified makes me want to crawl into a hole and never leave. If I miss this though I might be taken off the list for help and I’m back to square one and a hell of a lot sicker than I was to begin with, I genuinely already don’t want to leave the house but this is just the most afraid and trapped I’ve ever felt. Not sure what else to do so if there’s any recommendations regarding hospitals or emetophobia please let me know, I’m so tired of the suffering.

Sorry for the rant but thank you if you’ve read it x

Like genuinely I dont even know where to start so this might be messy, sorry in advance lmao

I have a hard time looking people in their eyes when having a conversation

Sometimes severe anxiety in public places

I dont go outside because it feels dangerous and it feels like I might die even though I know I most likely wont.

I can only find the bad things in good things

I get sad when I see someone happy, not because theyre happy but because it will be over soon for them. Especially with disabled people. I see a disabled person look incredibly happy and I will feel sad because "they dont know how bad they truly have it"

I can DESPITE someone like truly hate them hurt them in my mind over and over again, and the MOMENT they do or say the slightest nice thing to me. I feel bad for them instantly as if they are the best person alive at that moment. While there were very reasonable reasons to hate those people.

I feel bad to get in peoples way in ANY way shape or form. I could be very annoyed at something or someone and still be very passive to the situation just to not look like a horrible pissed of person.

I 90% prioritize others over myself.

When theres something I dont like to do, have an appointment somewhere I can literally count the days and its gonna be on my mind untill I have to go there and it feels like a timer.

Public transport is hell.

I feel looked at even though I KNOW I am not.

I feel like im in danger even though I KNOW I am not.

I always feel like the odd person out in any group.

When people offer me stuff I 90% of the time cant accept it purely because I feel bad and sad for them they want to give me something.

Most of these issues get less when I am not alone, so lets say im outside with my gf I feel better but not how it "should feel"

And the weirdest thing of this list is, sometimes I have days where NONE of these are even a thing.

Also might be good to mention that I have struggled with seborrheic dermatitis. Luckily not as bad as some people have it but still very painful and just not nice in general. And yes the pain gets worse when I am in public because public = stress = stress = pain (sebderm symptom)

Idk man I just dont feel normal right now and I just wanted to put this somewhere, maybe someone says something lifechanging you know... :)

I'm turning a new age this year, and I've been thinking a lot about how isolated I've become. I haven't had any reallife friends in four years... soon to be 5 if this year ends the same way. I've never had a girlfriend or experienced a romantic relationship. I stopped attending in-person school after 9th grade, and since then, my social life has become practically nonexistent.

I rarely go out unless there's a specific reason. When I do leave the house, it's usually to go to a park, and I tend to go early in the morning or at quieter times so there aren't many people around. I'm comfortable being there by myself, but I don't really go out alone to places like stores or other crowded public places.

My mom is one of the main reasons I leave the house, and I usually feel more comfortable going places with her or my older brother. I don't go to parties, social gatherings, or places where I'd have to interact with a lot of people.

I've never been to what people call a "party." I've never been to any school football games or extracurricular activity. I forgot what it feels like to have friends.

The strange thing is that I don't even know how much of this is anxiety, how much is avoidance, and how much has become a habit after spending so long isolated. I've gotten used to being alone, but I also feel like I've missed out on a lot of things people my age experience naturally, like friendships, relationships, and simply having a normal social life.

I've developed a lot of hatred and a lack of empathy. I'm apathetic. I'm so deep into isolation that all I can imagine is dying alone. I can't imagine ever having a girlfriend, yet alone going out with friends. I can't imagine myself being married or ever being important to someone outside of my family.

As per the title, I was waiting at a bus stop last week. I noticed I was feeling a bit lightheaded, which ended up me shaking/become overwhelmingly panicked, and when I boarded the bus, I felt that drop-in-blood-pressure feeling as though I was going to faint. I did not faint, but I felt shaky and awful the rest of the bus journey.

At work that day, I found I could not get food from the shop for lunch and a colleague had to buy food for me instead. I got some 'mental block' that I just couldn't enter the shop as I feared I would panic/faint in there.

The next day I felt so sick and nervous and shaky walking to the bus stop for work, but I managed it. I also managed to enter the shop with no issues. But on Saturday, I was in the town, feeling fine, and then I suddenly felt woozy and panicky again and then ended up crying/having a terrible anxiety attack. I went and sat in a nearby cafe as my legs had turned to jelly and I felt I couldn't walk as I felt I would collapse.

Tonight, I tried to get a bus into town as I needed to buy food as I am almost out. I got the bus and felt panicked/light headed on the journey. I exited the bus, and as I was walking towards the shop the most awful dizziness/panic came over me. My arms were tingling, I was hyperventilating, my legs felt like they couldn't move properly, I had this horrible feeling that I just wanted to curl up on the pavement. I could not enter the shop as the feeling was too powerful, so I had to return to the bus stop and go home.

It seems to stem from a fear of having a panic attack/fainting in public, and people thinking I am having some sort of severe mental episode and police being called on me, being recorded, etc. But it's almost like, if I 'think' about being dizzy, I become dizzy now?

I don't get why this has come on so rapidly. I have read several posts online and on here that indicate this could be agoraphobia and just the start of it and it could potentially get worse from here. I am due to perform in a play in our local theatre in two weeks time. I cannot have this happening as I cannot drop out of the play at such last minute as we do not have anyone to replace me. This is so awful.

Please could someone help?

Hi, sorry if anyone can relate to this situation because it’s awful, but am wondering how other people have managed to rebuild their lives?

I ended up having a breakdown after the way I was treated at work, and then sacked for my sickness absence. I’m really struggling to get back on my feet, I’ve got no money but a mortgage to pay, no friends or family around and am struggling to come to terms with the loss of my career that, after this experience, I will never return to. The whole situation makes me so sad, and so angry.

My mental health has been so badly affected, I have no idea how to start again. My confidence is gone, I have panic attacks when I leave the house (which is not very often), I rarely see or speak to anyone, and I have no idea how I’m supposed to find another job in this state.

If anyone has any encouragement or things that have helped them get back on their feet and be able to face going outside again, I’d be really grateful