Agoraphobia And The Misconception Of A “safe Zone”

Agoraphobia anxiety disorder is the name used to to describe individuals with serious or recurring anxiety attacks.  A lot of people will suffer from a feeling of dread and panic some point in their lifetime, particularly when placed in hazardous or violent cases.  When these worries appear to feature no apparent trigger, they turn into what is known as panic disorder, though they normally go hand in hand with times of severe emotional stress in our lives (such as significant deadlines in the office or school).

When a person seems to get recurrent anxiety attacks, generally around every week or even more, and with out a specific reason or traumatic stimulus, the individual might have what is called an anxiety disorder.  They will start to fear that they will have a panic attack at any time.  They think that one of the familiar indicators (dizziness, rushing heart, trembling, sweating, worries of going into cardiac arrest or death) may become too much for them and turn into a very strong anxiety attack.

As a result, a few might start to keep away from locations where they feel they can be unable to break free from should a panic attack develops.  They will often stay away from packed areas, driving a car in hefty traffic, public transit, tiny or claustrophobic spaces, and in severe situations even steeping out of the home.  It’s this that we call an agoraphobia panic condition.

One time, many years back, I got in a accident and destroyed my car while going down a rather busy street in Peoria, Arizona.  I recall the screeching brakes and the sound of crunching metal upon impact.  Thankfully, I was physically alright.  However in the 2 or 3 weeks that followed, I began to feel apprehensive when it was time to go to work, or by the end of the day when I would head back home.  One day, I found myself at lunch one day with some close friends and out of nowhere my palms begun feeling sweaty, and I began breathing fairly fast.  Shortly after that my arms began to become numb as if they were asleep and I was feeling lightheaded.  My best friend, realizing something was going on, drove me to the clinic.  All of the medical tests showed I was totally normal.

I had something similar a few weeks down the road and began to wonder if the medical doctors at the medical center somehow forgot something when they were evaluating me.  I started to feel uneasy going to the spots where my attacks had happened.  I had a couple more panic attacks and began to be concerned when the next one would take place.  Suppose it had been on the freeway?  Suppose my car spun out of control and smashed into someone?  I before long could barely force myself to leave the house even for essential things such as purchasing groceries.  I had a full-blown agoraphobia panic disorder.

I thought I have to be going mad!  I was frozen in my life and I was losing contact with friends because I was so terrified of going out and maybe getting agoraphobia panic attacks.  I was fearful that when I left my home, I would go through a panic attack.  And if I went through an anxiety attack, I may be left susceptible and fully at the mercy of the situation I would be in and the people that could be around.

I believed that I might be in less danger at home where I did not need to worry about getting agoraphobia panic attacks for the duration of risky circumstances like driving or experience the humiliation of going insane” around others.

What I have consequently come to recognize, is that my life was collapsing in on me and becoming smaller and smaller due to the notion that there is a “protected zone.”  In other words, I believed that I could be secure at home and for some reason walking outside, I would in some way be less secure.  I now understand that there actually isn’t a safe zone.  Sitting down in my house is equally as safe as taking walks on a crowded street.  I have suffered from anxiety attacks in various scenarios and in numerous different places, and I am still doing fine.  If left to themselves every one of my agoraphobia panic attacks would’ve passed on its own with or without professional treatment.  I might have even had one out in the woods and though it might be scary, it would inevitably go away and I would be completely fine-with no medicine, no psychiatrists, and no protection anywhere to be seen.

Think about you?  Despite your most overwhelming agoraphobia panic attacks, where you were certainly confident you were about to die, aren’t you still here living?

Sure, it is recommended find medical care if you’re developing a severe physical trouble like an asthma attack, diabetic issues, or some other substantial physical condition, but no doctor around will inform you that you would be more secure in your house than in the supermarket or shopping mall.  There is no safe zone.

Trust me I’ve been there and I’ve had to handle all the worry and anxiety.  Once you can comprehend this concept, and believe it on a instinctual level, it will transform how you see the world and it will give back your freedom.  This small principle was completely life-altering as soon as I felt it deep down inside.  It started the ball rolling that helped me get my agoraphobia panic attacks in order by changing how I looked at the world.

I believe you can do this.  Why?  Because I got over it, myself.  Nowadays, I’m a firm believer in the concept that what one individual can do, another person can do.  The path may well not often be the exact same, however, you can have control of your life as well.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.