on and off agoraphobia

[panickylady]

Does anyone else have 'phases' of agoraphobia?

I can be okay to go out alone for a few weeks. I mean, I still avoid situations that I know give me panic attacks: busy buses, trains, long queues, big crowds. I very rarely feel brave enough to face these situations, alone or not. Does that make me agoraphobic all the time? I'm unsure of the definition, how severe the avoidance has to be to be 'agoraphobia'. Then something upsets me, then I can't go out on my own. Whether it's a panic attack or a fall out with someone, or even just a migraine episode.

Right now, I don't feel like I can go out alone. I feel pathetic. I know that once I've built my confidence a bit I'll be able to go out again. I live on my own and I hate feeling totally alone, so this agoraphobia just makes me miserable. I like to be able to go to my town when it's quiet just to see people. Anyone. Even if I don't talk to people, it just makes me feel a little less pathetic and helpless.

I guess I need to sulk it out and hope I pick myself up again 

[zube]

i am agoraphobic and i live a normal life i go out of the house and work and socialise and to most other people i would not be what they would consider the text book agoraphobic. In fact my occupational nurse at work when assessing my illness said well its not really agoraphobia because you can leave your house..i did tell her well my psychologist who diagnosed me may disagree...anyway getting back to the point. So yes i am this 'normal' person until you get me in a car head me up a motorway ( to which i would not do ever!) put me in a massive wide open space im surrounded by countryside so i tend to not travel far from my home town in a car. put me on a bus that goes somewhere i dont feel comfortable which is mostly a 5 mile radius on a bus. give me a bridge to cross that's too big and i have time to think about it...I travel to surrounding areas like brighton and hastings ( i live in eastbourne) on the train i panic occasionally on the train i cope because i have the toilet to escape to this i have worked on over the last few years, my next goal is london. So i think agoraphobia isnt as cut and dry as it would seem. if i didnt have to travel outside my home town for anything then i wouldnt be agoraphobic but unfortunately there are times in my life when this has been crucial and i havent been able to, leading to devastating results.

I think in my understanding of it is a phobia or a group of phobias that can lead to panic attacks or that have been brought on by panic attacks that make you avoid places, situations you feel you have no escape from without that safety clause whatever your quirk maybe so i think perseverance is the key you know you have managed these places on your own before so you must try again slow and small targets and you will get back there and maybe achieve even more

x

[stresspuppy]

sounds like good advice Zube, and glad you recognise that even the 'professionals'

i am agoraphobic and i live a normal life i go out of the house and work and socialise and to most other people i would not be what they would consider the text book agoraphobic. In fact my occupational nurse at work when assessing my illness said well its not really agoraphobia because you can leave your house..i did tell her well my psychologist who diagnosed me may disagree...

we sometimes rely on don't always understand the subtleties of anxious presentations - pure definitions are not always helpful or necessarily truly informing!! Certainly many of the people (and myself)  I've met through the forum and elsewhere do experience periods of highs and lows of their anxious presentation and I do believe that if we can learn to disciplne our wayward minds that this can help take us away from much of the distress that stops us in our tracks. Not sure if that's helped - think I may need to re-visit this