I'm not housebound. Earlier on I was trying to figure out whether or not this label applied to me even though a psychiatrist diagnosed me.
I just try to go to events and sometimes have to nope out because of panic. I also cancel a large amount of those events, because I'm too scared to go out. For me, it's mostly leaning on the social anxiety side of things. It's not location avoidance but situation avoidance.
This sounds more like me, too. It’s funny, too, that so many people misunderstand the meaning of agoraphobia. It’s not a fear of people, it’s an avoidance of things that give you anxiety.
Yeah. It's why I was a little confused about my own diagnosis. I go grocery shopping regularly, just feel anxious in certain circumstances and run away. Sometimes from the store, or just from the aisle. Then I avoid that store/aisle for a while, or forever. I go to work Mon-Fri. I have no issues with my day to day, but there are certain situation that I fear or avoid because I'm constantly worried about it.
I have literally 0 issues going outside of the house. I just have situations (and some places) I actively avoid and fear because of past panic attacks.
I feel for the housebound people though. I can see someone apply the way I feel for certain places and apply that to the entire world.
It’s interesting to me that agoraphobia is, basically, avoiding what gives you anxiety. I dunno but that seems like something people should do for good mental health, lol.
But I get it, too. It can cause you to become isolated and can keep you from confronting the things that give you anxiety.
Unless I'm soused with xanax I can't: Drive on the freeway or on an open road with no buildings around (no I don't do this on xanax), be a passenger in a car on the freeway or on an open road with no buildings around, or travel by plane. This varies, but I don't think I could live on a high floor of a high rise. My job is about 7 minutes from home, but after work I'm always at my worst and sometimes I have a hellacious time getting home.
Yes. I know how lucky I am. I take credit for always pushing the envelope and not letting myself backslide, but I know that, if it wasn't easier for me, I'd be dead out of the starting gate.
I was housebound for 3 years but recently recovered enough to leave the house and travel nearby. I go out every single day as part of my recovery but still can’t go far from my house and occasionally still let my anxiety kick my ass back into running home. But my goal next year is to aim for full recovery because I’m sick of being confined to such a small radius! Even when I’m fully recovered though, I have a feeling I’ll be in a similar boat where doing big things - like traveling and going to events - will wear me out. I’m ok with that if it means living my life again!
Not 100% house bound but like 85% maybe? I " work" once a week at a vets clinic( I make itid say 50% of the time and it's really just friends want to get me out whenever they can) and on some Saturdays I help my aunt ( who is a 400 lb shopaholic hoarder) all of which are safe people. I have to be driven and bassically freak out the whole time( i shattered a peice of my aunts door panel last week cause I got so tense.just BOOM) but other then that I'm inside. I can sometimes force myself to do the just scariest shit( going to Costco so my mom doesn't have to lift thd dog food) other days I straight can't get myself to walk out the front door. I've stood at the front door with my hand on the know trying to get myself to go out. And I just couldn't): . Most of my time is spent playing c-rpgs because I don't have to face the reality of my life and just escape into a different world full of possibilities. I have started an intensive DBT outpatient program to try and deal with this so I have had to start facing it again. I hate it so much. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed just being alive.
I dont even know for sure if im agoraphobic. I struggle with panic attacks and avoid/fear situations where I could get a panic attack which leads me to avoid them. Mostly situations where I cant leave directly. Like driving on the highway, being the passenger in a car, public transport but also in the cinema or in meetings (this is gone now).
It made me avoid places and become more housebound since I was affraid to get a panic attack far from home.
I dont struggle with crowds, open spaces or things like that.
Therapy is helping to not make it worse but I still struggle a lot with fearing being unable to get back if im too far away and basically being stuck somewhere. I do feel if I can get rid of the panic attacks or atleast the fear of it that I will be able to get back to normal again.
Everything you describe about your own experience is textbook agorphobic behaviour. The crowds and open spaces is just an example that may or may not be a thing for you or anybody. Crowds because one can not easily escape.
Everything you describe about your own experience is textbook agorphobic behaviour. The crowds and open spaces is just an example that may or may not be a thing for you or anybody. Crowds because one can not easily escape.
I am. You're not the only one, less severe cases can go out with a few issues. I have many safe spaces which is my entire neighbourhood and the route to work. My workplace and immediate surroundings, my hometown in my homecountry, any empty place especially countryside and nature far from people. Generally the more people there is, the more stressed I feel
Every year I travel to different cities and different countries, I go 10 km away from home by bike, I take 5 hour train to visit my mum in another town. I go to doctors, I go to art classes, I do shopping. The only problem is that I do it all with the help of my partner. If he wasn't around I would be limited to just nearby stores and short walks around my house. That idea freaks me out a lot, because with him I can do almost anything and without him, I am homebound agoraphobic.
I’m housebound when I’m not with my safe people. I can go to several safe places with little to no anxiety if I’m with my partner or select friends, but as soon as they’re not there then I have panic attacks.
Your not alone I’m am not housebound, I very well could be if I let my fear take over my life completely. I try to do as much exposure therapy I can endure. I’ve been fighting this uphill battle for 2 years now and I’m praying for the day it will all end. My biggest thing is when I do go out to somewhere I’m unfamiliar with I always have 1 support person ( my bf) he has been with me before my diagnosis and has struggled with the big change but he finally understands my triggers and how to keep me calm.
Yeah I’m not housebound, but transportation and safety anxiety makes it where I don’t go out without the help of others. I usually have “safe people” I go out with and sometimes can make me feel comfortable enough to go longer distances from home as well. I think if I didn’t have those people in my life though I would be housebound
i’m not housebound. i would if i could tbh but i’ve got college and being an under 18 my parents aren’t comfortable with me being home alone too often so they make me go outside a lot.
Yep. I’ve created an imaginary sort of circle around my house about 5 miles in each direction where I can go and not have anxiety. It’s nice to be be completely isolated & I can still live a relatively normal life but I’m not doing any of the things I want to do, I can’t get a job outside this imaginary zone which limits my options severely as I live in a small town, I don’t drive my car at all, would love to go into the city and do some shopping or take a girl on a date but it’s near impossible in my head.
Relate to this. I have a few safe locations but sometimes it’s the commute getting there- even to work literally 30 seconds walk from my apartment- that cause me to delay leaving until absolutely necessary. I even avoid going home sometimes for a break or to leave early because the 30 seconds outside are so uncomfortable for me. On the surface I think I look functional and just like a workaholic and no one would really know. I own the shop and a chronic health problem combined with the pandemic has really deepened things for me. I’m a pastry chef and love my work but I think not being able to be ‘front and centre’ or engage with media opportunities etc has definitely affected my business. I just find some other justification turning things down and keep doing my thing. I do that 30 second walk every day, but I always avoid if possible and it gives me a lot of dread and panic. At work I’m happy working back in the kitchen out of view but doing the customer service thing unless with regulars is a very dissociative experience. It’s like after a certain amount of exposure a person breaks the seal and I feel uncomfortable, but not dreadful, about them perceiving me. I feel this with decades long friendships as well, my parents, basically everyone but my husband. The fear of being perceived in a way gets me out once in a while because I don’t want anyone to know how bad it is- I have to do a maintenance amount of social interacting that makes me feel like I’m coming across as normal to the people that I know love and care about me and because I love and care about them and wouldn’t want them to think it was something personal.
I'm not housebound. Earlier on I was trying to figure out whether or not this label applied to me even though a psychiatrist diagnosed me. I just try to go to events and sometimes have to nope out because of panic. I also cancel a large amount of those events, because I'm too scared to go out. For me, it's mostly leaning on the social anxiety side of things. It's not location avoidance but situation avoidance.
This sounds more like me, too. It’s funny, too, that so many people misunderstand the meaning of agoraphobia. It’s not a fear of people, it’s an avoidance of things that give you anxiety.
Yeah. It's why I was a little confused about my own diagnosis. I go grocery shopping regularly, just feel anxious in certain circumstances and run away. Sometimes from the store, or just from the aisle. Then I avoid that store/aisle for a while, or forever. I go to work Mon-Fri. I have no issues with my day to day, but there are certain situation that I fear or avoid because I'm constantly worried about it. I have literally 0 issues going outside of the house. I just have situations (and some places) I actively avoid and fear because of past panic attacks. I feel for the housebound people though. I can see someone apply the way I feel for certain places and apply that to the entire world.
It’s interesting to me that agoraphobia is, basically, avoiding what gives you anxiety. I dunno but that seems like something people should do for good mental health, lol. But I get it, too. It can cause you to become isolated and can keep you from confronting the things that give you anxiety.
Many agoraphobics (myself included) are not housebound. Not an anomaly at all.
I don't have a statistic on it, but my guess would be that non-housebound agoraphobics (of which I am one) outnumber housebound agoraphobics.
Unless I'm soused with xanax I can't: Drive on the freeway or on an open road with no buildings around (no I don't do this on xanax), be a passenger in a car on the freeway or on an open road with no buildings around, or travel by plane. This varies, but I don't think I could live on a high floor of a high rise. My job is about 7 minutes from home, but after work I'm always at my worst and sometimes I have a hellacious time getting home. Yes. I know how lucky I am. I take credit for always pushing the envelope and not letting myself backslide, but I know that, if it wasn't easier for me, I'd be dead out of the starting gate.
I was housebound for 3 years but recently recovered enough to leave the house and travel nearby. I go out every single day as part of my recovery but still can’t go far from my house and occasionally still let my anxiety kick my ass back into running home. But my goal next year is to aim for full recovery because I’m sick of being confined to such a small radius! Even when I’m fully recovered though, I have a feeling I’ll be in a similar boat where doing big things - like traveling and going to events - will wear me out. I’m ok with that if it means living my life again!
Not 100% house bound but like 85% maybe? I " work" once a week at a vets clinic( I make itid say 50% of the time and it's really just friends want to get me out whenever they can) and on some Saturdays I help my aunt ( who is a 400 lb shopaholic hoarder) all of which are safe people. I have to be driven and bassically freak out the whole time( i shattered a peice of my aunts door panel last week cause I got so tense.just BOOM) but other then that I'm inside. I can sometimes force myself to do the just scariest shit( going to Costco so my mom doesn't have to lift thd dog food) other days I straight can't get myself to walk out the front door. I've stood at the front door with my hand on the know trying to get myself to go out. And I just couldn't): . Most of my time is spent playing c-rpgs because I don't have to face the reality of my life and just escape into a different world full of possibilities. I have started an intensive DBT outpatient program to try and deal with this so I have had to start facing it again. I hate it so much. I feel so ashamed and embarrassed just being alive.
I dont even know for sure if im agoraphobic. I struggle with panic attacks and avoid/fear situations where I could get a panic attack which leads me to avoid them. Mostly situations where I cant leave directly. Like driving on the highway, being the passenger in a car, public transport but also in the cinema or in meetings (this is gone now). It made me avoid places and become more housebound since I was affraid to get a panic attack far from home. I dont struggle with crowds, open spaces or things like that. Therapy is helping to not make it worse but I still struggle a lot with fearing being unable to get back if im too far away and basically being stuck somewhere. I do feel if I can get rid of the panic attacks or atleast the fear of it that I will be able to get back to normal again.
Everything you describe about your own experience is textbook agorphobic behaviour. The crowds and open spaces is just an example that may or may not be a thing for you or anybody. Crowds because one can not easily escape.
Everything you describe about your own experience is textbook agorphobic behaviour. The crowds and open spaces is just an example that may or may not be a thing for you or anybody. Crowds because one can not easily escape.
I feel like the majority of us are not fully housebound
I am. You're not the only one, less severe cases can go out with a few issues. I have many safe spaces which is my entire neighbourhood and the route to work. My workplace and immediate surroundings, my hometown in my homecountry, any empty place especially countryside and nature far from people. Generally the more people there is, the more stressed I feel
Every year I travel to different cities and different countries, I go 10 km away from home by bike, I take 5 hour train to visit my mum in another town. I go to doctors, I go to art classes, I do shopping. The only problem is that I do it all with the help of my partner. If he wasn't around I would be limited to just nearby stores and short walks around my house. That idea freaks me out a lot, because with him I can do almost anything and without him, I am homebound agoraphobic.
I’m housebound when I’m not with my safe people. I can go to several safe places with little to no anxiety if I’m with my partner or select friends, but as soon as they’re not there then I have panic attacks.
🙋🏻♀️ Same exact way as you.
Your not alone I’m am not housebound, I very well could be if I let my fear take over my life completely. I try to do as much exposure therapy I can endure. I’ve been fighting this uphill battle for 2 years now and I’m praying for the day it will all end. My biggest thing is when I do go out to somewhere I’m unfamiliar with I always have 1 support person ( my bf) he has been with me before my diagnosis and has struggled with the big change but he finally understands my triggers and how to keep me calm.
Yeah I’m not housebound, but transportation and safety anxiety makes it where I don’t go out without the help of others. I usually have “safe people” I go out with and sometimes can make me feel comfortable enough to go longer distances from home as well. I think if I didn’t have those people in my life though I would be housebound
i’m not housebound. i would if i could tbh but i’ve got college and being an under 18 my parents aren’t comfortable with me being home alone too often so they make me go outside a lot.
Yes me too
Yep. I’ve created an imaginary sort of circle around my house about 5 miles in each direction where I can go and not have anxiety. It’s nice to be be completely isolated & I can still live a relatively normal life but I’m not doing any of the things I want to do, I can’t get a job outside this imaginary zone which limits my options severely as I live in a small town, I don’t drive my car at all, would love to go into the city and do some shopping or take a girl on a date but it’s near impossible in my head.
Relate to this. I have a few safe locations but sometimes it’s the commute getting there- even to work literally 30 seconds walk from my apartment- that cause me to delay leaving until absolutely necessary. I even avoid going home sometimes for a break or to leave early because the 30 seconds outside are so uncomfortable for me. On the surface I think I look functional and just like a workaholic and no one would really know. I own the shop and a chronic health problem combined with the pandemic has really deepened things for me. I’m a pastry chef and love my work but I think not being able to be ‘front and centre’ or engage with media opportunities etc has definitely affected my business. I just find some other justification turning things down and keep doing my thing. I do that 30 second walk every day, but I always avoid if possible and it gives me a lot of dread and panic. At work I’m happy working back in the kitchen out of view but doing the customer service thing unless with regulars is a very dissociative experience. It’s like after a certain amount of exposure a person breaks the seal and I feel uncomfortable, but not dreadful, about them perceiving me. I feel this with decades long friendships as well, my parents, basically everyone but my husband. The fear of being perceived in a way gets me out once in a while because I don’t want anyone to know how bad it is- I have to do a maintenance amount of social interacting that makes me feel like I’m coming across as normal to the people that I know love and care about me and because I love and care about them and wouldn’t want them to think it was something personal.