Agoraphobia: The Fear of Fear | Linda Bussey | TEDxYellowknifeWomen

[aNoobAllDay]

Haven't left the house but around 8 times in 12 years. My trigger is basically just stepping outside. No therapy, no pills. social things scare the heck out of me. commenting scares me, i find comfort in humor. It takes me a lot of planning to do anything, everything social i do, It takes so much energy. I have to mentally prepare myself before talking on the phone. what all im going to say, and for anything said or asked of me .I will try to be more active this year. maybe post more comments, and do public things like videos or something, even though that scares me too. I'm just sick of not truly living and being controlled by it. hope is all i have.... and sarcasm lol. hope all of you can do it as well :) btw edited this 14 times because i kept getting panic attacks and erasing it.

[Giablo]

Agoraphobia is so crippling, and honestly it's so easy to develop. Dont leave your house much for 6 months to a year, that's literally all it takes. It takes tons of small steps of leaving the house, repeatedly, to improve. Realizing danger isn't actually there and it's a lie in your head helps a lot.

[FloraNovax]

Wow someone who dealt with agoraphobia and public speaking??!!! This gives me so much hope.

[AnxietyMentor]

I experienced agoraphobia for approximately 5-6 years. It is incredibly debilitating but after a number of years I could see that I could not keep doing what I was doing. I could see things were not going to change unless I changed. I forced myself to go into situations that made me feel uncomfortable and allowed myself to feel that discomfort without shying away from it. Over time things got better, but it took a long time. Stay strong people! Push yourself out of your comfort zone one step at a time. Slow and steady wins the race!

[supergeeky]

I am agoraphobic and I can't imagine getting on stage in front of people so DAMN girl!!! You rock. Yes, escape routes are so key! I didn't know other people couldn't go back to the place of their first panic attack. Mine was at a comic shop and I have gone back there but every time I do I get really emotional and crabby. It sucks.

[Jaybchavez]

Hello!! I had a panic attack last year for no reason then after that I was too scared to leave my house. Well eventually I had to leave my house to go to nursing school.. slowly I started just going to school.. then i started going on 20-30 min walks. I was afraid to go to the grocery store but then I started going for about 5 min at a time then started increasing the time and then I kept testing myself! And it’s getting better. And I think of all my accomplishments, I go on walks, I go to the store, I’ve gotten a manicure! I believe it’s called desensitization. But trust me guys it gets sooo better! Be patients with yourself. Just wanted to share with you all! It gets better ❤️

[askew]

For me it has been since childhood. My son is 17, developed it after multiple family deaths including his father.
I’m almost 47 and it’s at an all time high. Thinking about leaving the house to go anywhere other than my dear friends house…I cry, anxiety/panic starts, I shake, have stomach issues issues, and occasionally vomit. It’s crippling at times. I call off work constantly. The second I call off. Everything goes away…I’m at peace, calm, I can breathe again. Until the next morning…
Hugs to any and all suffering with this.

[natmac_xoxo]

These comments have me in tears. I happy that I’m not alone in this, but I’m sad that so many people feel the same. I’ve had agoraphobia for 4 years now. I had 2 jobs and went to school before it all started. I ended up having a bad panic attack at all 3 places. I didn’t even pick up my last paycheck. I feel so helpless.

[GlobalVisa-pfpt]

I suffered the borderline disorder for over 23 years, with so much anxiety not until I came across psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment actually saved my life honestly. 6 years totally clean.
Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms

[She_Talks_To_Trees]

I remember when I first started having agoraphopia I would search the internet and there wasn't many information on it or personal testimonies. I'm so happy more and more of us are coming out of our shells and speaking up about it. This illness is so horrible to experience but at least I don't feel so alone or "abnormal" anymore. I hope one day this illness becomes only a distant memory for all of us. ✌🏼💗

[lindabussey]

Thank you for all the comments, , , I never really go back to my Ted Talk, , , , But will answer all of you in the next few days, , , Appreciate your comments

[MrHMRL]

My comping mechanism is chewing gum, listening to music (helps me not to think about that people hear me breathing) and sunglasses (feels like I’m hiding behind a barrier). Yes, I have worn sunglasses indoors!

[avalsifif]

I stopped living because of anxiety. I found out it was my teacher. Because before, I had lived a lie of other people’s expectations. It has been a long journey but I am hopeful for a new story.

[moofy]

Been suffering from Agoraphobia since I was a teen, pretty much the same story with my best friends death as the trigger. I only go out for therapy, for over a decade now. You made me smile and feel less alone though, so thank you.

[newleft]

I have terrible agoraphobia but it doesn't affect me leaving my house any more thanks to meditation. I just can't be in restaurants, small rooms with other people present and dinner tables. I still struggle with those. For me, the worst is the dinner table. I also used to be afraid to leave the house in case I bumped into people that I knew but I've learned to discover places, parks, and areas in general where no one knows me. My struggle right now is getting work done in coffee shops - I just feel so aware and anxious of my surroundings that I can't get any work done and end up distracting myself with youtube, music or buying drinks/snacks I don't want. It's awful but I still go every week or so because if I stop trying, I know I will become super phobic again - I was once terrified to do anything at all - and I don't want to go to that place again. Good luck all, I would recommend mindfulness meditation, psilocybin mushrooms (no more than 1g dose) and breathing techniques.

EDIT: For anyone who reads this 2 year old comment, I was diagnosed with Complex PTSD which was the root of my social anxiety and being hypervigilant when outside in crowded places, etc. If you suffer from sleep problems, intrusive thoughts, anger or repressed anger, and what I mentioned above, you could have CPTSD too. I would HIGHLY recommend reading "Waking the Tiger" by Peter Levine. I was diagnosed and advised to read this book and it has changed my life. Thank you for your replies.

[Chuy]

Anyone out there dealing With this I feel you. I'm stuck at home 2 years now.

[georgeaskew]

Talks like this help so much, thanks.

[Bayoubebe]

Thank you for sharing your story. Agoraphobia sufferer 20 yrs here. But I’m determined to live my best life. Agree that the amount of work we have to do on ourselves as agors makes us extremely self aware and also more compassionate to others. Until I am free fully from this, I will see the blessings of character it has brought into my life. I believe God can use ALL things for ultimate good. May God help and bless us.

[AtypicalPaul]

Agoraphobia is so crippling and it's so hard to get over! I can drive about 4miles from my house then I start to freak out. I want so badly to not fear going places

[myfragilelilac]

Ive struggled with panic attacks for the past 9 years. The secret is to relax and not fear the anxiety. But it takes practise. Im still working on it! Last week I had an anxiety attack on the bus. I stayed in the situation, observed it and in 2 min it vanished. The more you allow your brain to face it with cbt techniques, it will gradually decline. (Im also on Lexapro.)