how can i get over my agoraphobia?

[Postphobia]

This is what worked for me. You have to get fed up with it enough to where you don't care what it does to you. You have to say, "come on, do your worst" and mean it. Then, the feelings start to retreat. It seems weird, but it feeds off fear, and when you DEMAND the worst panic attack, it has nowhere to go. Then, slowly, you keep this up, day after day, living your life without regard for how you will feel. Then, in about a year and a half or two I was taking a trip to Disney world for a full week and rode everything! It's the only thing that worked for me, and I tried everything!

 

[HelpOut123]

I hope you'll all tune into Housebound: Trapped Inside airing on TLC on Sunday, November 28th!!

 

[Rashidan]

Each time I think I'm over agoraphobia I relapse. I've relapsed several times in the past decade. It's a lifelong battle for me.

 

[ZITA21]

it is not easy thing to get over. it is really hard and constant work.
My agorha started at the age you are now. i would leave the house. i was always afraid. i am now 22 and better in some ways. i can be outside. actually i want to be outside. being inside for a long time makes it worse. i need constant exposure. all the time. its the only thing that helps.
i know how hard it is. belive me. i been there and back. i find it a little easier to have something on the other end. something that inspire you, a little gift for you at the other end. a reward.

 

[rosyrose]

I have agoraphobia for already 5 years. Now I have one-month-old baby and I really want to get rid of my agoraphobia to be able to go out with my baby. I tried to find answers in the internet but as far as I could get there is no way you can fight it completely. Is there anyone who has overcome it?

 

[rosyrose]

P.S. Has anyone tried hypnosis since I am kind of considering it?

 

[hfuhseuhtuhsugh]

Remus, I hope you are reading this. You are a faggot control freak. You are a sad man with no life. I guess when you were raped when you were younger is the reason for your power trips. Go suck the webmasters dick you ****ing ****. And that bitch LurkNoMore is gonna get hers too for starting all this with lies. I hope you guys have fun cause I am going to give you guys a lot of action.

 

[some guy]

When i first heard about the exposure steps i thought to my self "it's the same thing as saying just go do it, get over it !" and i still do to a degree. I like to look at it like your "fight or flight response" helping you to survive. Face it, people are different and people like us with social phobia's are more prone to self medicate which we all know always leads to bad things in my opinion. There are many paths in life and though's who indure hard ships at the early stages of there live's become humble, caring, inteligent people. Just look at all the posted messages. I'm 25 now and back when i was 16 in the most paralizing point of my agoraphobia that's all i wanted to do was go out and be "normal" but now I couldn't be more greatfull for having gone through the experince because now I still have that thurst for life and I'm an adult now
(i guess with a hole world of oppertunity open to me that isn't when your in your teens.
I never got caught up in the wrong crowd, I never hurt anyone, never been to jail, no kid's. I'm as free as you can get in this world and there's so much i havin't done... I love it. so i'll finish by asking this......would you give up a quarter to get a dollar ?

check me out not using spell check I'm not afraid, lol

 

[thumbs07]

Stuff that's helped me

-Avoiding coffee as much as I can
-Stuff I call nerve exposure, you know you're nerved up so you go out for a fair walk, long enough for that nerves just to calm down a little.
-Don't beat yourself up

 

[bamboorobot]

I recovered fully from Agoraphobia w/ Panic Disorder. Once you understand it, Agoraphobia is easily "curable"(Maybe a bad choice of words).

Firstly, I'd like to say I understand it is frightening. Panic attacks appear very scary, yet they should not be. Panic attacks should merely be uncomfortable and with the right thought processes, Panic attacks can become so.

My agoraphobia started after my first major panic attack in 2010. I was at the laundromat on June 12. I hadn't eaten much in the days prior to this incident, because I thought I might have food poisoning. Upon washing my clothes I started to feel light headed. Subsequently, my heart started to race and I became really shaky. I ran to my car leaving my clothes in the machine, and sped home. On the way home I felt very dizzy, I felt I was going to pass out or even die. I experienced shaky leg and hot sweats. When I got home I ran to my room, and yelled for my father. Shortly after though, all my symptoms had passed. I felt tired, yet fine. This first attack subsequently caused more and more attacks until I was home bound for nearly a year. Not until I received excellent help and treatment from Boston Universities Center for Anxiety and other related disorders.

I'd like to start by saying PANIC ATTACKS ARE NOT DEADLY. Panic attacks are a result of our central nervous system. Panic attacks are a result of the sympathetic nervous systems secretion of chemicals such as adrenaline. This system is outdated! This system was used by our ancestors to flee or fight danger. Would it not be counter intuitive is this system was harmful to us?

For example: When a caveman would see a Tiger, the caveman would essentially experience a panic attack. The symptoms felt by the caveman would include; increased heart rate, sweating(provides a slippery service to fend off enemies), nervous stomach(blood is supplied to legs and arms), tingly limbs(result of increased blood flow), etc. These symptoms were only to help the caveman defeat the tiger or escape from the tiger.

Most of you who have panic attacks have an irrational fear of panic attacks causing you harm. Most of you think you may faint or even die. But that is not true! Our central nervous system only seeks to protect us! We wouldn't have survived as a species if our nervous system caused us harm! Would our central nervous system cause the caveman to faint? NO! Because he'd be eaten by the tiger.

Thus, Panic attacks are not harmful or dangerous! In addition, Panic attacks can only last for a short amount of time. You're body is not able to sustain adrenaline for more than 30 minutes. Most of them peak somewhere in the middle, and the parasympathetic nervous system realizes a chemical which destroys the adrenaline.

YOU MAY FEEL LIKE YOU'RE DYING BUT YOU NEVER DIE. YOU MAY FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO PASS OUT BUT YOU NEVER PASS OUT. The odds of this happening are close to zero.

I can only suggest you contact Boston University. Even if you're not from that area, they may be able to suggest the guide they use to treat their patients. I'm sure they sell it Amazon.

PS. If you're going to go out for short amount of times, let yourself experience the panic. Don't turn around when you feel the panic arise. Experience it, let it pass where you stand. I have an outline I made Boston Universities guide if anyone wants it.

Good luck to you all! If I can do it, you all can too!

 

[sai]

i am going to industrial tour from our college for 6 days out of state so... i am little worried but i think i can take it... (i never use any sots of medication could be therpy or any thing else.. i am just training experimenting myself... now only thing i panic is WOMEN..!! i think i will get over it very soon once i start talking

 

[sai]

This is what worked for me. You have to get fed up with it enough to where you don't care what it does to you. You have to say, "come on, do your worst" and mean it. Then, the feelings start to retreat. It seems weird, but it feeds off fear, and when you DEMAND the worst panic attack, it has nowhere to go. Then, slowly, you keep this up, day after day, living your life without regard for how you will feel. Then, in about a year and a half or two I was taking a trip to Disney world for a full week and rode everything! It's the only thing that worked for me, and I tried everything!

i use this techq all the time's to push my self to limits ... it defnetly works... some times it will end up with the worst panic attack ever but that will teach us how far we can go and u will realise that it is very close to some thing called total confidence

 

[redishtomota]

Join some activity that you love .
let say you love flower as a example.
Find a group online so that way if you got out there a reason for it.
I don't go out if there no reason for me.
Well you can still go out on a nice day!

Activity is the way to go out . At the same time you will meet new friend.
The key is stop thinking about it and just doing it!
Life is short and it never too late for anything.

I'm just starting my own company now after thinking about it for the last 20 years , because i was too scare .
Right now i'm broke , but this is the best time of my life.

Listen to motivation speech those work for me like crazy

You only live once so now is the time and you will never regret it

Hope this help

 

[mca88]

Wish I had the answer to that!!! for me, constantly having music in my ears seems to help a lot. Music I can think about. Hope you start feeling better soon!!!!

 

[akala]

Try to tell someone, or ask someone you know online if you are uncomfortable to ask.

 

[mismeek]

It's all about pushing your limits. Panic attacks suck but you have to remember they can't kill you and you'll feel so empowered after

 

[grapevine]

A mixture of relaxation with small steps of things you avoid. I remember just walking down the driveway to put the bin out and being terrified because of the neighbor's views i felt eyes all on me. I decided to calm my breathing and body by listening to music that helps my body relax in a courageous kind of way, also putting myself in a narrative that made me feel nurtured and safe and just started going to the bins and back, then up the street and back and then i just kept walking and months later i could do it without feeling uneasy so much. It made a difference too if my stress levels on other things were down. Panic attacks for me were about emotions out of control and it building up in my subconscious and body and it took me a while to tune in and see the signs beforehand. I had agoraphobia over a decade ago and it can be overcome.

 

[voodoochild16]

There's a lot of great recommendations in this thread. That's great. I hope you are successful, because this condition is horrible. I sort of went through it during the first stages of Social Phobia, and I obtained a paper route just up my street from a friend of mine so, that's what kept me out of the house and was my only source of income until I turned 18. Then, turning 18 meant looking for a job and I found one pretty fast. Ever since then.

If I had not have taken advantage of these opportunities I may not have left the house, but in doing some research SP is fear of social situations and AP is fear of places. Even though these conditions are separate, they can happen at the same time.

Anyways, to this day I don't leave my apartment much unless I have an appointment. Don't go to the bar much because I'm really fat I guess. Will be doing more of that in the future when I lose weight.

I hope my success helps other people, even though I didn't go to college (learning disability), I guess I've accomplished something good.