I'm getting worse since I've been out of college
- Thread starter SMFTW07
- Start date
tweetebird
Well-known member
I have agoraphobia, and I can't say that I'm a professional or anything, just someone who has been where you are now. You are right in assuming that your agoraphobia and social anxiety was better because you were out of the house everyday during college.
I view my agoraphobia as wet cement. It will always be there for me, always a challenge, but the longer I stay in my home, my comfort zone, the more the agoraphobia 'sets' into a much harder wall of cement. By making sure to get out on a regular basis, I am able to keep my agoraphobia from taking over completely.
When I haven't been doing my part in getting out, it does take over. When this happens, I have to start over, with baby steps, slowly widening my comfort zone. Start by just stepping outside your house, in your backyard or your front porch. Sit and observe your surroundings. Do this until you feel your anxiety lessen. Next, expand your area by walking to the mailbox, or sitting in your car, etc etc. Next start making daily trips to any nearby store and just park, observe surroundings until you are relaxed, and go home. The next step is to actually go into the store. Go with a short list, or just window shop, walk among people for a few minutes, then return home. I think you get the idea
Of course you can customize your own plan. Do this at whatever pace you need, a few days at a time for each step if needed, as doing too much will just trigger panic attacks, as you have experienced.
You will deal with this for the rest of you life, most likely. It is important to keep it under control with daily management, much like diabetes. The good news is that the more you manage it, the easier it becomes, until it almost seems to disappear, but don't forget about it and stay home for a few days in a row, because its still there, just in remission
I view my agoraphobia as wet cement. It will always be there for me, always a challenge, but the longer I stay in my home, my comfort zone, the more the agoraphobia 'sets' into a much harder wall of cement. By making sure to get out on a regular basis, I am able to keep my agoraphobia from taking over completely.
When I haven't been doing my part in getting out, it does take over. When this happens, I have to start over, with baby steps, slowly widening my comfort zone. Start by just stepping outside your house, in your backyard or your front porch. Sit and observe your surroundings. Do this until you feel your anxiety lessen. Next, expand your area by walking to the mailbox, or sitting in your car, etc etc. Next start making daily trips to any nearby store and just park, observe surroundings until you are relaxed, and go home. The next step is to actually go into the store. Go with a short list, or just window shop, walk among people for a few minutes, then return home. I think you get the idea
Of course you can customize your own plan. Do this at whatever pace you need, a few days at a time for each step if needed, as doing too much will just trigger panic attacks, as you have experienced. You will deal with this for the rest of you life, most likely. It is important to keep it under control with daily management, much like diabetes. The good news is that the more you manage it, the easier it becomes, until it almost seems to disappear, but don't forget about it and stay home for a few days in a row, because its still there, just in remission
SMFTW07
Member
I never really considered myself to have agoraphobia, but when I compare how I feel and how my life is at the moment with my mom and other people who are dealing agoraphobia in their life, it makes more sense. I guess I didn't because I always left the house, although I always had really bad anxiety while being out and about.
My mom for example, she can't go into malls or stores that are really big with lots of people. As for me, I feel very uncomfortable and my social phobia gets the best of me when in public, but I was able to push through it and get my shopping and whatnot done. That's not the case anymore.
The good news, I'm house bound, but I'm still leaving the house here and there and pushing myself to go places for the most part. There are places I won't go to as of recently, especially if they're about twenty minutes away or longer.
I'm going to try your tips and continue to get out of the house, but push myself to do it more. I'm really scared that this is going to get the best of me. I want to be in college and it's one thing I love and I feel like I'm good at. And also, I want to be a graphic designer, which requires talking with a lot of people, traveling at times, and giving lots of presentations! I would hate to see my future career, social life, and active life feel not possible.
Thanks for the reply, and I hope everything works out for you too. I know how badly it feels and I could only imagine how it would feel to be a full blown agoraphobic.
My mom for example, she can't go into malls or stores that are really big with lots of people. As for me, I feel very uncomfortable and my social phobia gets the best of me when in public, but I was able to push through it and get my shopping and whatnot done. That's not the case anymore.
The good news, I'm house bound, but I'm still leaving the house here and there and pushing myself to go places for the most part. There are places I won't go to as of recently, especially if they're about twenty minutes away or longer.
I'm going to try your tips and continue to get out of the house, but push myself to do it more. I'm really scared that this is going to get the best of me. I want to be in college and it's one thing I love and I feel like I'm good at. And also, I want to be a graphic designer, which requires talking with a lot of people, traveling at times, and giving lots of presentations! I would hate to see my future career, social life, and active life feel not possible.
Thanks for the reply, and I hope everything works out for you too. I know how badly it feels and I could only imagine how it would feel to be a full blown agoraphobic.
Last edited:
awkwardamanda
Well-known member
Yeah, I've become a recluse ever since I finished up school. I graduated university last spring and haven't had the motivation to go get a job. I'm still working at a crappy retail job and it's exhausting. I've seen even less of my friends over the past year. While I was in school I was busy and didn't get to see them a lot, but a least I was able to once in a while. Now, I'm less busy, but I just don't feel like it. I'll hardly even send a text message to say hi and see what's up. I know I should, and I mean to, but then it doesn't happen. I only leave the house to go to work and occasionally, do a few errands. Sometimes it's a struggle to drag my ass out of the house. It's not really agoraphobia. I don't get panicky and I'm not afraid to leave the house. It's just that I have no motivation to. At least school kept me doing something productive and got me out of the house more. I didn't exactly make any friends there, but at least I was around peers, and not just store employees and bitchy customers.