Going out alone!

[PoppyCat]

I'm 22 and have been suffering from anxiety on and off since I was about 13. Over the last year it has got worse and I have had to give up my job. Since I have been home, I have only been able to go out if someone is with me. I have this overwhelming fear that something bad will happen to me if I'm on my own and then go into panic mode.

Well tomorrow I have to go out on my own as I have an appointment at the opticians!! This time noone can come with me. Any tips on dealing with this problem?

[zgirl23]

I know the feeling i myself do have agoraphobia and panic attack. Going alone outside alone is a harder when you do it all by yourself. Have you tried anything that might calm you. Maybe some calming or happy music on the mp3 player. There is medications you can take that will make you less panic. If you like TE you can try Camile TE. It has the most calming effect. But the biggest tips i got for you is practice.Just by going right outside your house. It might make it easier.

Hope i made some good tips. I wish you good luck. Just remember to breath. And try to stay calm. Always work for me.

[anxifree]

Try to positive thinking and be rational, noting to worry about your anxiety. It only negative thought.

[The Melody of Rain]

Zgirl said it best when she advised you to practice. The only way to conquer this fear of going outside by yourself is to actually go outside by yourself and realise there's nothing to fear. I acknowledge how difficult this is for you, but the notion of being miserable indoors cowering away for 98% of your remaining years should be enough motivation for you to at least try and fail rather than never try at all. This is what I did, and after a month or two it eventually became habit and I had better things to worry about other than what might happen. You have to focus on what actually is happening.

Heres two methods you can try for the moment:

Chewing-gum:
Whenever a negative thought comes into your head, say to yourself 'I'm outside for a reason, I have to go to 'x' and do 'x'. When I have this done, and when I get home, I will think about this negative thought then'. Just put it to the back of your mind and think about it that evening when you actually have time to daydream and don't have to be anywhere. Just continue on chewing your chewing-gum and focus on your breathing. Visualise how smoothly your day is going to go, because you're focused on what you have to do. You're prepared, because you're thinking it through rationally.

Head-on:
How about tackling the negative thoughts head on? The chewing gum method above is what I used to use to bypass the negative thoughts until a later time, but it only postponed them as opposed to actually tearing the thought apart and studying it. This will banish the negativity entirely. In that particularly uncomfortable build up to an attack, when you can feel yourself tensing up and your mind appear to bend and twist into an utter mess, ask yourself exactly what is causing this to happen. You should in most cases be able to trace it back to a single thought; a trigger thought. This is the thought you want to work with. This is the thought you want to dissect and study.