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Agoraphobia Coping Mechanisms?


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So recently, I am trying to take my life back. I used to be very active, sociable, happy. After my mother and father passed away and I had a miscarriage all within a year, I became crippled with constant anxiety. Lately, I am trying to remind myself that the panic attacks won’t kill me. Yes, it’s unpleasant and scary, but that’s the extent of it. I’ve always had anxiety and panic attacks my whole life. I’m trying to find some strategies for coping. Things that have worked for others. Any suggestions are welcomed!
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I don’t have any to offer but I did want to acknowledge your courage for deciding to reclaim your life after such a devastating year.  You’re already a winner because you’re facing your anxiety and not letting it determine your future, this is a huge step. 
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  • 1 month later...

‘Exposure Therapy’ can be very helpful. ‘Expose’ yourself say to the grocery store. Then, after you accomplished that, go somewhere else. Each time it will build your confidence.

If you are on Instagram I would suggest following the.anxious.truth

Drew, who runs it, is hysterical and does a deep dive into this!

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  • 1 month later...
Second exposure therapy.  I had (maybe still have some slight remnants) agoraphobia last year I now am working full time and go anywhere I want to up until about 2 hours away.  So I’m not fully back to my norm but I got a LARGE part back.  All I did was exposure therapy.  Got used to walking more and more got 5 miles away then started driving and going in random store and pretend I was shopping for something I spent a LONG time practicing just going in stores first it was small stores like gas station then moved up to bigger stores like walmart I’d just practice walking around Walmart or Home Depot and bigger stores at first near the exits then deeper in the stores and walking around to the back then use the bathroom in the back of the store.  Once you get to the point of not being worried about using the bathroom in the very back of a Home Depot there really aren’t many stores bigger so I moved onto hospitals with multi floors where you can get lost easily at first I couldn’t even get into an elevator then I’d practice pretending I was looking for some random family member on the 4th floor of a hotel or hospital etc etc then once I got good at that it was time for a job at grub hub which had me delivering lunches to office spaces up on the 17th floor of buildings etc etc.    I still do feel there is some left over diving anxiety but it’s more geared towards just driving. My last long trip away was I drove from my house two hours away to the 3rd floor of a hospital to have a ct done on my head and back (have head pressure and pain). The thing with agoraphobia is you can’t stop doing it you have to go in enough gas stations until it’s boring then move onto bigger stores and go enough till it’s boring etc etc and once you master getting lost in a big hospital there really isn’t anything bigger than that.
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One more tip is exercise.  Riding an exercise bike or some form of cardio helps because 1 it does something with requiring the brain and neuro plasticity but also it desensitizing you from worrying about a racing heart and getting all sweaty.  If you use an exercise bike every single day and get your heart racing and get all sweaty your mind doesn’t get AS freaked out when your heart starts racing and you get clammy when you’re doing something that scares you because it’s felt that for 30 mins every day etc etc
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I have walked to the local library and pretended I was reading magazines. The first time I went I just used the bathroom and left. Eventually I looked at the DVDs they had for rent and managed to choose a few. You are reminding me to get back to doing it again - as well as going in small stores in our within-walking distance town and actually do a little shopping. Stopped in a park and sat on a park bench for a bit. I even approached the librarian and asked for a book. None of it seemed real to me because I have such terrible DR/DP and was almost surprised to find I had bought a new pair of pants. All things to get back to because I've gone a little backwards after surgeries and such but I still manage to walk at least 2 miles every day - so grateful for this. But how I want more in my so small life... It's got to get better than this!!!

 

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