So what was the best moment in all of 2012

[kilojoule]

The moment my whole life changed!!! I took my life back. I worked hard on my issues.:thumbup: Gruelling.

Now Im out on my own in the world having moved away from everyone, severed toxic relationships and built new ones for myself, Im in college with plans to go on and do a degree in Sept this year. I have a lovely supportive boyfriend and new friends and even a social life. I leave my house pretty much everyday. I still struggle somedays with both health and agoraphobia but pfffft nothing like before! I'm a functioning person and I'm happy!

 

[CursedSoul]

The moment my whole life changed!!! I took my life back. I worked hard on my issues.:thumbup: Gruelling.

Now Im out on my own in the world having moved away from everyone, severed toxic relationships and built new ones for myself, Im in college with plans to go on and do a degree in Sept this year. I have a lovely supportive boyfriend and new friends and even a social life. I leave my house pretty much everyday. I still struggle somedays with both health and agoraphobia but pfffft nothing like before! I'm a functioning person and I'm happy!

Hey whats agoraphobia? Is it another name for social phobia?
:question:

 

[Hellhound]

Got rid of unhealthy people, expanded my collections, got my medication adjusted... Hmm... I don't remember anything else.

 

[kilojoule]

Hey whats agoraphobia? Is it another name for social phobia?
:question:

Not really, though people with social phobias may also suffer from agoraphobia. Its linked to and follows on from post traumatic stress disorder for a lot of sufferers although some people suffer it as part of a generalised anxiety disorder. This website has a forum for agoraphobia aswell as anxiety, depression, shyness, avoidant personality disorder, panic attacks, hyperhidrosis, facial blushing, OCD and bullying, though the social anxiety forum is most popular.




Heres some links to information


What Is Agoraphobia? What Causes Agoraphobia?



BBC - Health: Agoraphobia

 

[twiggle]

I really enjoyed 2012, it was a very good year for me, but I have no plan for 2013... and think I ought to make one quick...

 

[kilojoule]

Hey whats agoraphobia? Is it another name for social phobia?
:question:

I never actually answered you lol sorry

Its basically the fear of leaving your home, your safe place. In severe cases (most diagnosed cases are severe) people are mainly housebound and going out usually leads to panic attacks but mostly sufferers will never allow it reach the stage of the panic attack because they'll just avoid leaving their home altogether (though from talking to people on here its definitely true that a lot of agoraphobes are more comfortable going out and will go out at night time.) Being agoraphobic interferes massively with the ability to lead a normal life; work, build relationships, exist really since the sufferer won't easily leave the house. Aswell as that the sufferer is more at risk of developing other disorders like depression, avoidant personality disorder and social anxiety. It also means they're either reliant on other people or the computer. Muchly grateful for online shopping lol. What did we do before the internet? ...What did Emily Dickinson do???

 

[pop-princess]

Hmm I think a cruise trip that I made with my friends that I beforehand was very negative, nervous and against beforehand but then turned out to be super fun. I made some new friends on that trip.

 

[Lea]

Sitting outside in the sunshine, cracking walnuts probably. Yeah..

 

[Kiwong]

The moment my whole life changed!!! I took my life back. I worked hard on my issues.:thumbup: Gruelling.

Now Im out on my own in the world having moved away from everyone, severed toxic relationships and built new ones for myself, Im in college with plans to go on and do a degree in Sept this year. I have a lovely supportive boyfriend and new friends and even a social life. I leave my house pretty much everyday. I still struggle somedays with both health and agoraphobia but pfffft nothing like before! I'm a functioning person and I'm happy!

Fantastic Jewel, good luck with getting that degree.

 

[Kiwong]

Last year, it was finishing my first marathon. That was quite an achievment given the health problems I have had, and when running was not something I even dreamed of doing

 

[twiggle]

The moment my whole life changed!!! I took my life back. I worked hard on my issues.:thumbup: Gruelling.

Now Im out on my own in the world having moved away from everyone, severed toxic relationships and built new ones for myself, Im in college with plans to go on and do a degree in Sept this year. I have a lovely supportive boyfriend and new friends and even a social life. I leave my house pretty much everyday. I still struggle somedays with both health and agoraphobia but pfffft nothing like before! I'm a functioning person and I'm happy!

Didn't see this when I posted here before...Jewel this is all absolutely fantastic :thumbup: You're a very inspirational lady indeed.

Last year, it was finishing my first marathon. That was quite an achievment given the health problems I have had, and when running was not something I even dreamed of doing

^That's an awesome milestone to have reached. Well done, Kiwong - you must have felt so great crossing that finish line.

 

[pop-princess]

The moment my whole life changed!!! I took my life back. I worked hard on my issues.:thumbup: Gruelling.

Now Im out on my own in the world having moved away from everyone, severed toxic relationships and built new ones for myself, Im in college with plans to go on and do a degree in Sept this year. I have a lovely supportive boyfriend and new friends and even a social life. I leave my house pretty much everyday. I still struggle somedays with both health and agoraphobia but pfffft nothing like before! I'm a functioning person and I'm happy!

I want to say congratulations :applause:

I find your story inspiring.

 

[Kiwong]

Didn't see this when I posted here before...Jewel this is all absolutely fantastic :thumbup: You're a very inspirational lady indeed.



^That's an awesome milestone to have reached. Well done, Kiwong - you must have felt so great crossing that finish line.

Thanks Twiggle. In truth I have never felt so tired in my life, and had trouble sitting down and standing up. An ice cream and cool drink never tasted so good. The pain made the achievment real, and so did the medal hanging around my neck.

 

[Xervello]

Election night reactions on FOX News when Obama was re-elected. :applause:


As for myself personally, nothin'. Was an awful year.

 

[CursedSoul]

I never actually answered you lol sorry

Its basically the fear of leaving your home, your safe place. In severe cases (most diagnosed cases are severe) people are mainly housebound and going out usually leads to panic attacks but mostly sufferers will never allow it reach the stage of the panic attack because they'll just avoid leaving their home altogether (though from talking to people on here its definitely true that a lot of agoraphobes are more comfortable going out and will go out at night time.) Being agoraphobic interferes massively with the ability to lead a normal life; work, build relationships, exist really since the sufferer won't easily leave the house. Aswell as that the sufferer is more at risk of developing other disorders like depression, avoidant personality disorder and social anxiety. It also means they're either reliant on other people or the computer. Muchly grateful for online shopping lol. What did we do before the internet? ...What did Emily Dickinson do???

I don't leave my house as well infact everything you listed there is here in me, but for most people they've to go out to run their livelyhood, this means housewives must make a big percentage of this category because they depend on their husbands for money thats why..i'm just saying though... i do go outside but its just sort of intervals of experiences that change my mind... so I am an interval based agoraphobe?:question:

 

[kilojoule]

Em no I don't mean housewives are all agoraphobes....

I can't speak for others but I heard from many agoraphobes on this forum who would be similar to me. In my case, I've been dealing with it for 9 years. I spent long periods of that stuck in groundhog day sitting on my stairs opposite my front door, coat on, bag packed and ready to leave... from 7am until 9pm willing myself to go out the door....but not able to do it. I couldnt even walk a few houses down or go to my garden gate during those times. I couldn't go through that front door at all. I just sat there staring at it all day, wanting to leave, and then I did it all over again the next day. Theres probably a mark on the stairs from where I sat everyday in my old house. For the periods that I worked, I worked within minutes of my house and I missed days and weeks because I couldn't leave and had to think up excuses which got me in trouble. I was ok when people came to me, to my house. But I was not okay with people outside my house.

 

[kilojoule]

Fantastic Jewel, good luck with getting that degree.

Didn't see this when I posted here before...Jewel this is all absolutely fantastic You're a very inspirational lady indeed.

I want to say congratulations

I find your story inspiring.

Thanks all The help and support I got on here really helped me, in loads of ways! This forum has given me perspective, compassion, understanding and patience.

 

[CursedSoul]

Em no I don't mean housewives are all agoraphobes....

I can't speak for others but I heard from many agoraphobes on this forum who would be similar to me. In my case, I've been dealing with it for 9 years. I spent long periods of that stuck in groundhog day sitting on my stairs opposite my front door, coat on, bag packed and ready to leave... from 7am until 9pm willing myself to go out the door....but not able to do it. I couldnt even walk a few houses down or go to my garden gate during those times. I couldn't go through that front door at all. I just sat there staring at it all day, wanting to leave, and then I did it all over again the next day. Theres probably a mark on the stairs from where I sat everyday in my old house. For the periods that I worked, I worked within minutes of my house and I missed days and weeks because I couldn't leave and had to think up excuses which got me in trouble. I was ok when people came to me, to my house. But I was not okay with people outside my house.

And now you say you've improved, how did you do it, how long did it take and what bothered you in public before you improved?...in my case, being looked at as a fool, lowlife and an ugly person are some of my phobias in public, they all are connected to some past experiences and considerations...I've written a little about my story here in another survey thread by me... Where i've mentioned how my wrong assumptions about myself and the society caused my phobias..how 'bad looks' may put you in recluse..
So what experiences caused your problems?, please let me know so i can correlate...!

 

[kilojoule]

*deep inhalation*

Cause:

Well, I was 'normal' I may have been anxious but I functioned normally, just a normal teenager really. Then there was an incident when I was 19 and I suffered from a post traumatic stress disorder. If I had to go out, I couldn't get in a taxi, bus, car, train, aeroplane. So I walked everywhere which sometimes took me 5 or 6 hours to get where I was going. I counted people. I knew where everybody in a room was and exactly what they were doing, I was like a pigeon looking around, twitching, watching, guarded. That phase went on years. I don't know how I functioned. I fainted a lot under the stress, when I had to work it was a nightmare. On my first day in a new job after the incident (a year or so after) I was so freaked out I kept fainting. I fainted over 8 times in a row and had to be rushed to hospital.

Duration:

First I had the initial stage of PTSD and then after a long time that became agoraphobia and I did calm over the years and become less jumpy and more relaxed but I also stopped going out over periods of time. For a few years I went out but in a very limited capacity to work...to the shop...home. My agoraphobia is ongoing. I'm vastly improved but I keep and eye on it so I don't relapse. I'm pretty much 'normal' in my life now. So far it's been 9 years I've had it. Im at the point now where I wouldn't go abroad but I will travel nationwide, day trips, car journeys, train journeys, go to restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, other peoples houses, boyfriends parents house,college, gymclasses. More or less unlimited, sometimes I like to know in advance and prepare myself but I'm pretty flexible.


What solved it for me:...

The realisation that I really did want to live a life. And that came for me in the form of a serious illness. I developed an autoimmune disease. After years of immune suppression and very serious drugs, they decided to try send me to a psychologist to help me deal with being ill. (I was so insulted and defensive about being sent there) But my symptoms massively reduced after I started talking to her. I havent been an inpatient in hospital since October 2011 so it kinda worked. There is a link between mental health and immune response. They use me as a case study in the hospital. They think that the stress I was under was the direct cause of my condition. They say that they are seeing incidences like mine more and more frequently.


How long to fix it:

Em, since I joined this site I've been working hard to try and sort myself out.
Psychologist every week
Group therapy sessions over 12 weeks
Major lifestyle changes...the list is endless, check out myjournal for details.


I've kept a journal here for a year and a half. http://www.socialphobiaworld.com/diary-of-a-closet-agoraphobe-35486/ Prior to that I was mildly functioning for a few years and before that not at all.

Its not like thuis for everyone, each person is different.

If you think you feel effected by anything I talk about, maybe a good idea to talk to your g.p. nothing is insurmountable. You can get better!!!


*Exhale* phew

 

[CursedSoul]

*deep inhalation*

Cause:

Well, I was 'normal' I may have been anxious but I functioned normally, just a normal teenager really. Then there was an incident when I was 19 and I suffered from a post traumatic stress disorder. If I had to go out, I couldn't get in a taxi, bus, car, train, aeroplane. So I walked everywhere which sometimes took me 5 or 6 hours to get where I was going. I counted people. I knew where everybody in a room was and exactly what they were doing, I was like a pigeon looking around, twitching, watching, guarded. That phase went on years. I don't know how I functioned. I fainted a lot under the stress, when I had to work it was a nightmare. On my first day in a new job after the incident (a year or so after) I was so freaked out I kept fainting. I fainted over 8 times in a row and had to be rushed to hospital.

Duration:

First I had the initial stage of PTSD and then after a long time that became agoraphobia and I did calm over the years and become less jumpy and more relaxed but I also stopped going out over periods of time. For a few years I went out but in a very limited capacity to work...to the shop...home. My agoraphobia is ongoing. I'm vastly improved but I keep and eye on it so I don't relapse. I'm pretty much 'normal' in my life now. So far it's been 9 years I've had it. Im at the point now where I wouldn't go abroad but I will travel nationwide, day trips, car journeys, train journeys, go to restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, other peoples houses, boyfriends parents house,college, gymclasses. More or less unlimited, sometimes I like to know in advance and prepare myself but I'm pretty flexible.


What solved it for me:...

The realisation that I really did want to live a life. And that came for me in the form of a serious illness. I developed an autoimmune disease. After years of immune suppression and very serious drugs, they decided to try send me to a psychologist to help me deal with being ill. (I was so insulted and defensive about being sent there) But my symptoms massively reduced after I started talking to her. I havent been an inpatient in hospital since October 2011 so it kinda worked. There is a link between mental health and immune response. They use me as a case study in the hospital. They think that the stress I was under was the direct cause of my condition. They say that they are seeing incidences like mine more and more frequently.


How long to fix it:

Em, since I joined this site I've been working hard to try and sort myself out.
Psychologist every week
Group therapy sessions over 12 weeks
Major lifestyle changes...the list is endless, check out myjournal for details.


I've kept a journal here for a year and a half. http://www.socialphobiaworld.com/diary-of-a-closet-agoraphobe-35486/ Prior to that I was mildly functioning for a few years and before that not at all.

Its not like thuis for everyone, each person is different.

If you think you feel effected by anything I talk about, maybe a good idea to talk to your g.p. nothing is insurmountable. You can get better!!!


*Exhale* phew

Well so it was a psychiatrist/psycologist who solved your problems? It didn't help much in my case...though they tried...well thanks for sharing...will check you journal for sure..have a nice time..