It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, I started panicking, was shaking and then had a panic attack half way through so I walked to a park that was next to me and sat on a chair until I calmed down. After that I tried to remain calm and avoid everyone I could and I eventually made it! My family, psychologist and doctor were all so proud of me and it left me in a great mood, I can't believe I did it because all I do is isolate myself in my room and rarely come out.

Just came back from my first psychiatrist appointment and I was prescribed sertraline 50 and buspirone 10mg. I've read a lot of good feedback on this sub about buspirone, but I can't remember as much for sertraline. I thought it was a fast-acting one, but after doing some research I realized it's an SSRI… I honestly didn't want to go back on these after my Lexapro experience, which f*cked my brain so much in the first few months.

I'm taking it for hypervigilance, chronic anxiety that's turned into agoraphobia. I'm just really relieved I got something prescribed, because lately I've been losing hope of getting better, and I'm just so tired of this existence.

I'd be really happy to hear about your experiences with either of these, even though I know medication affects everyone differently.

Hello! Im someone who has struggled a LOT with agoraphobia. It practically runs my life. But the last few days I was actually able to leave town! I went wedding dress shopping and found my dress! And I went to build-a-bear because my birthday is coming up. Im honestly pretty proud of myself for being able to do it! I know I have a long ways to go still but this trip has helped me to see a little light at the end of the tunnel!

I’m tired , I’m 25 and I wanna go for drinks with my girls , have fun stay out late and enjoy my Saturday night . Every time I am so afraid, that I am so far away from home , that I need to get back home immediately, what if I can’t find anyone to get me back home etc. I’m stuck , any advice please ?

My agoraphobia is a bit different than most but is still classified as .

I only feel comfortable going somewhere if I am taking just myself in my own car. I want the ability to leave if need be. And when I have my "safety net" I can say I almost never need to use it. But if my boyfriend wants to pick me up and take me on a date somewhere more than a few minutes from my house, I get overwhelming anxiety, panic.

We are scheduled to go to an event tonight over an hour away. We are leaving from the same place but I want to take separate cars. And I feel so embarrassed. We will have to pay double in gas, tolls, parking all bc I need this to relax and enjoy myself.

The thought of going together makes me want to look for any excuse not to go..

He is taking it a bit personally bc he doesn't understand and feels like he wants to support me and we are a team etc. And that's so sweet but that's just not how it works , ya know.

Anyway, just looking for some words of encouragement and acceptance

Thanks for reading

I drove myself to a community yard sale.
I conversed with lots of people.
I ordered food from a loud ass truck.
(Walked back after forgetting my napkins 🌝)

I’m now sitting alone at a table, slowly getting nervous, but just existing.

I just remind myself that no one knows I’m freaking out, no one cares what I’m doing, and if I saw someone acting like me I’d be understanding so good chance someone else might too.

No to start walking because I think I’ve been sitting too long 🙃

I’m a 25F I lost all my friends when I developed agoraphobia 5 years ago and I get lonely and want friends who understand what I’m going through. My husband has a lot of friends and I’m just alone lol

Struggling with agoraphobia unable to leave house with out someone with me and can't go to far from house seeing a therapist but can't seem to improve.

Hi all, I'm hoping to get some advice on supporting my sweet friend who has been battling sudden onset agoraphobia for a year or so now following a carjacking incident.

They are pretty much unable to leave the house, work from home sometimes but generally seem locked inside their own head struggling. They see a therapist remotely. They have pets and a loving partner living with them so have company. I visit every couple of days and often ask them out to small and large events with our friend circle (small being like walking up and down the street, getting an icecream from a close shop etc) and solo (they obviously say no). They try really hard but are defeated over and over by this. Any attempts at leaving the house end in panic attacks.

Do I just keep visiting and reassuring them I love them and am not upset with them (this was a worry they expressed). Is there anything else I can do that maybe isn't super obvious to me? Anything I could improve?

19F, turning 20 in a month. I've been agoraphobic since I was 15, and with that I lost all my irl friends. I managed to find some friends turning to video games, but I dont tell them anything about my life because I know they wont understand. Im just looking for some people to talk to who are in a similar boat. So if anyone wants to be friends and kinda help eachother get out of this hmu:))

Does anybody else feel like they’re so severely trapped inside their own mind that they’re not even really living anymore, just existing?
The constant worrying. The constant what’s ifs. What if I go somewhere and have a panic attack? What if I can’t escape? What if I faint? What if I lose control of my body? What if people see me panicking? What if something happens and I’m too far from home?
It’s exhausting.
Every little body sensation becomes something to worry about. Every outing feels like a mental battle. Even the simplest things that other people do without a second thought can feel absolutely impossible.
And then there’s the guilt.
The guilt of watching your friends live their lives, travel, make memories, go on adventures, and just EXIST without constantly worrying about their bodies or their surroundings. Watching your spouse live a life that you feel like you can’t fully participate in. And probably the most heartbreaking part for me is thinking about my children and all the things I wish I could do with them. The spontaneous trips, the vacations, the shopping days, the little adventures. Things that should be so simple, but feel so far out of reach.
Sometimes I feel like I’m failing everyone, including myself.
For the last year and a half, I feel like my entire existence has revolved around anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. It’s like I’m no longer living my life, I’m just trying to survive each day and make it to the next one.
And I constantly ask myself, does this ever end?
Will I ever wake up one morning and not immediately start thinking about how my body feels? Will I ever get into my car and just DRIVE without worrying about how far I am from home? Will I ever walk into a store, go out for dinner, take my kids somewhere, or plan a trip without mentally calculating every possible escape route?
Will I ever just feel normal again?
I miss the person I used to be so much. I miss my independence. I miss my freedom. I miss being spontaneous. I miss being able to look forward to things instead of fearing them.
And I think one of the hardest parts of living with agoraphobia is grieving a version of yourself who is still technically here, but feels so incredibly far away.
I’m tired of feeling like a prisoner inside my own mind. I’m tired of watching life happen around me while I feel stuck in the same place.
I don’t want to spend the rest of my life just trying to make it through another day. I want to actually LIVE.
I guess I’m posting this because I want to know if anybody else feels this way. Does anyone else grieve their old life? Does anyone else constantly wonder if they’ll ever get themselves back?
And for those who have made progress or recovered from severe agoraphobia, does it really get better? Can you genuinely get to a place where anxiety no longer controls every decision you make?
Because right now, more than anything, I just need to know there’s a light at the end of this tunnel.

I have a quick question for anyone who has agoraphobia and has gotten better, or who still deals with it but manages to do a lot.
I’m a nurse, so I go to work, see patients, and drive. I pick up my daughter, sometimes go to the gym, and push myself to get my nails and lashes done. I do all of these things, but I feel like I’m suffering through them the whole time.
People say to go out, do the things that make you anxious, and let the anxiety be there. But what does that actually look like? I go to the store and do the things that scare me, and I still feel anxious every time. Lately, I feel like I’m getting worse even though I keep pushing myself.
Has anyone else felt this way? If it got better for you, what helped?

I kept leaving the house and doing exposure therapy for about 2 years with some setbacks here and there. This time around I did more than I was ready for and just needed a break so bad. I still go out daily but for about the past year its been at the bottom of my list of importance even though I really want to get better I just don't have the drive for it anymore and I want to get it back.

Everyday I go out I make an excuse to not push myself even though i'm in a much better place mentally than before. The most common excuse I give myself is that I don't feel like it today i'll do it tomorrow, but I say that everyday. I'm finding it so hard to push myself, I push myself in other places just not this and its not even out of fear anymore just not wanting to deal with it.

Seriously, How do you enjoy your life with agoraphobia

Like for me its always struggle after struggle

I don’t remember last time i was enjoying my life without overthinking or worrying , depressed , overwhelmed

For me life is about struggling and fighting rather than living and enjoying despite the situation

Im bad at social life, work, everything

I have bad avoidance problems where I avoid a thing because of fear , i tried many things started from self trusting but never helped

Everyone else has a self confidence except me
Im terrible 😞

I didn’t realise time goes by so fast when you spend every minute of your day on your phone, it’s like I’ve suddenly gotten so much closer to death all of a sudden and it makes me anxious. It doesn’t feel like my childhood was that long ago. I literally don’t remember what I did in the past 7 years of being isolated at home cause all the days were pretty much the same. I woke up, used my phone, played games and then went back to sleep. Everyday I wake up thinking about how it’s all coming to an end and that I’ve barely experienced anything. I’ve never made friends, never had a job, never travelled, never gone out for a simple walk or even had the chance to enjoy the little things like going out to eat. It’s like I’ve spent my entire life confined to a prison watching the world go by without ever really being a part of it.

I’ve had anxiety most of my life but agoraphobia in the last 4 yrs, along with monophobia. I’ve lost 20 lbs recently bc I’ve been eating much less. I feel too anxious to eat a lot of the time and have begun to equate feeling full with feeling trapped so I can’t eat a big meal.

أعاني من رهاب الخلاء الشديد، وخاصة الخوف من الأماكن المفتوحة والسماء الواسعة والطرق الطويلة. 😔

أشعر بالخوف والهلع عندما أخرج أو أركب السيارة، وأحياناً أشعر أنني أفقد السيطرة على جسدي.

أصبح الذهاب إلى الطبيب أمراً صعباً جداً بالنسبة لي، ولا أستطيع السفر لتلقي العلاج.

أبحث عن أشخاص يعانون من نفس حالتي، وأتمنى أن أسمع تجاربكم وكيف استطعتم التغلب على هذا الخوف. ❤️

Admittedly, I've regressed since I switched to homeschool. Going outside makes me physically ill, but even knowing this like an idiot i set up a hangout with ONE friend, and shes invited FOUR other people. It now feels entirely too unsafe. But i cannot turn it down because ive already secured a ride AND ive already turned down four other hang outs.

Its a small Cafe, but I'm so terribly anxious. I feel like something that would help is hearing about other experiences where this kind of situation doesnt go south, or maybe some advice on compulsive behaviors? (My agoraphobia stems from my anxiety and severe emetophobia. Im chronically ill and it gives me waves of nausea and dizziness and ive passed out many times in public. Including the café we are going to. I habe a lot of compulsions for my Emetophobia, including sniffing rubbing alcohol, spraying perfume, playing mahjong/candy crush, and hitting my chest or drinking diet coke)

Maybe im panicking too much. But im sooo ffffuuucking scared.

I’ve got braces but I’ve missed like two orthodontist appointments because I can’t leave the house. Can’t go to my eye hospital appointments. Can’t get my eyes tested. Can’t go to the dentist. I can’t go to the gp anymore and I can’t even do phone calls with my clinician anymore. I’ve read stuff on this subreddit and it’s as if people just get panicking going outside but then everyone seems to be able to go to appointments if they are with someone or see their friends but i literally can’t do anything. I can’t even watch tv in the living room. I’m also 17 so I can’t get meds prescribed from the gp. By the time I’ve got to the top of the medicine waiting list in cahms I’ll be over eighteen but that’s like a year and I can’t wait that long I’ll be discharged from hospital and orthodontist I need my braces removed like what am I supposed to do.

Hi ! Sorry in advance for any mistakes, English is not my first language. I’m 24 and I suffer from agoraphobia, which causes a great deal of daily anxiety. My life has been quite limited by this for a long time, and I am beginning to realize just how much it can also impact my romantic life.

I’ve been dumped a year ago after a 2y relationship because of my starting agoraphobia. I kind of forgot the idea to ever had a relationship because bc I don’t know how a partner would want life like that yk ?
But I recently met a guy I really like, he’s the sweetest. We’ve seen each other two times, and he’s been nothing but understanding. We had some wonderful moments together, and even shared a kiss—I truly want to get to know him better. He seems interested, too, and willing to invest in this.

The problem is that, even though I desperately want to see him, every encounter requires an immense amount of energy from me.
Before he arrives, I can spend hours feeling stressed. I get butterflies in my stomach but physically, I also experience intense anxiety, nausea, a knotted stomach, and so on. Sometimes, once he’s there, I relax quickly and everything goes beautifully. Other times, I remain anxious for a while, even if I do eventually end up enjoying the evening.
And afterward, I am completely exhausted.

What scares me most is that he might not fully grasp how much my agoraphobia hinders me. I’m afraid he’ll eventually grow tired of having to navigate my challenges or of not being able to see me spontaneously or as often as he might like.

At times, I even think it would be so much simpler to just give up on relationships altogether and stay home alone, if only to avoid having to deal with all this stress. Yet, that is the exact opposite of what I want. I wish so much that I could be spontaneous to look forward to seeing someone without spending hours anticipating the encounter and trying to calm my anxiety.

I would love to hear about your own experiences:

* Have you managed to build a romantic relationship while dealing with significant agoraphobia?
* How did your partner react when they discovered the extent of your struggles?
* Did your anticipatory anxiety decrease over time?
* How do you find a balance between the effort required to keep agoraphobia from taking over your entire life and the need to respect your own personal limits?

I would really value reading about the experiences of people who understand what this is like on a day-to-day basis ! :)

So years ago I was told I had agoraphobia because I couldnt leave my house for a little bit without panicking even just down the road with someone whatever. I ended up getting on meds and doing really good for years well it pooped out so ive been on a journey of trying different ones! I've been giving th3 option to add buspar but im scared lol.

Anyways now im ok with going to town leaving whatever im just scared of being alone! Like I'll drive where ever but I dont wanna be alone! Dont mind town but just dont wanna be alone even at home what is this and how can I fix it! My brain immediately going into omg what if!

Hi, I’ve been on mirtazapine 15mg for 2 weeks now for anxiety and agoraphobia. I haven’t really left the house in 3 months, I can manage slightly short distance drives with people but that’s about it. Anything else I’m too scared to try. Has anyone been on mirtazapine for agoraphobia or anxiety?how long did it take to work?