Am I the only one?

[viennarose]

Hello I am new to this forum, and I am hoping I'm not alone in this one. I've had general anxiety for 4 years now and in the last year have developed severe agoraphobia. Im terrified to not be around a bathroom in case I have an "accident". :(

Its become so bad I can barely walk down the block now. Thank god I have an extremely supportive boyfriend who doesn't make fun of me and will stop if needed.

Anyways, just wanted to know if anyone else has this phobia and what helped if.

Fairly afraid of medicine so not sure if I could handle anti anxiety meds.

[Gladys]

Dear viennarose,

I'm glad you're not looking for external quick fixes and know that the responsibility is on you to fix your issues.

You say you've developed agoraphobia and can barely walk a block. Well done for walking that far. All you need to do now is walk that distance and cope with the anxiety it brings.

If I were you, I'd plan where I'm going, in order to know where the next toilet is (if you don't like public toilets, take some anti - bacterial wipes with you when you go out). I'd also want to know if I feel less anxious in a toilet outside my home. If you're anxious in a public toilet, it says that you just want to be at home.

You know I want to stay home too. I'm down to going out a few hours in the day, but I'm not proud of it. I might challenge my anxiety by going out for a while, but I could do more. The only blessing for me is that I don't like being on the toilet. I always get so anxious there might be something more important going on outside it. That means I have to go back there again, because I'm never quite 'done' the first time, if you know what I mean (if you're trying to imagine what I'm saying, don't because it's not as bad as your mind is conjuring up)!

So the next time you psych yourself up to go out with your boyfriend (he sounds good), plan your trip.

Keep strong.



Gladys